Now that I've started to actively look for jobs, I've subscribed to keyword-based job update news feeds from Seek, MyCareer, CareerOne, and ITWire. However, since I'm still still four months away from finishing my MBA and most of these jobs have one month application deadlines, I won't be able to apply for most of them (for now, at least).
The point of subscribing to these news feeds 2-3 months in advance is, of course, to gather information about the market. That is, information about:
- Companies: which ones are doing work that I'm interested in, what industries are these companies in, which ones are hiring, where (geographically) are they located, etc.?
- Recruitment agencies: which ones hire people for the kind of jobs I want to do, which ones hire people for the companies I want to work for, etc.?
- Jobs: what kinds of jobs are out there, what are the titles of the jobs I want to do, what kind of responsibilities do these positions entail, what experience and qualifications do these jobs require, how much do they pay, etc.?
Knowing all of that is crucial to thoroughly understanding the current and near-future job market. It's also important to learn about companies and industries that hire (and are hiring) people like me.
Fun Job Opening: Online Community Liaison at Lonely Planet
As I mentioned earlier, there will be some advertised jobs that I will find interesting but will not be able to apply to. From time to time, I'll post such openings to this blog and will then discuss them. By doing that, I hope to better identify the places where my interests overlap with current market opportunities. This will tell me which of my areas of interests are relevant to the Australian market, what my job prospects are in those areas, and so on.
One such opportunity was advertised on Seek today for an Online Community Liaison position at Lonely Planet:
The Online Community Liaison is responsible for defining and implementing editorial policy on Thorn Tree and Bluelist, along with playing a key role in ensuring an effective flow of communication between the community and the business. Additionally, this position is responsible for defining and implementing ongoing policies around moderation along with performing some day-to-day moderation duties and coordinating the moderation team which currently comprises of Content Producers (each spending 1 hour per day on moderation), selected external users and any necessary casual staff/contractors.
Instigating and nurturing community contributions, providing input into the Online Community Strategy (in close liaison with the Community Site Producer and Online Publisher) and resolving issues to do with Thorntree and Bluelist online are also key responsibilities of this role. The Online Community Liaison needs to perform the functions of the job with empathy whilst at the same time maintaining objectivity and a sense of humour.
Though, in general, I am aiming to get a higher position within an organization (a management position, more on the strategy side; sort of like the two others mentioned in the second quoted paragraph above), I can so see this as a job that I would apply for. It's something that I would find incredibly interesting, there is opportunity for considerable growth within the company (both in this department and elsewhere; especially since it's a newly created position), and -- dude! -- it's, like, Lonely Planet!
Unfortunately, applications for this position close on 22 January and so I am well and truly out of the running. That said, I have now added Lonely Planet to the list of companies to watch out for (and I can't believe I forgot about in the first place!). I guess the subscribing to news feeds well in advance is already paying off.