Is Job Search 2.0 Worth it?

Guest Post by, Jenny McCoy

They say it’s easier to get a job when you have a job, but I’m not so sure.

I launched my job search 2.0 last week with this site: SocialJenny.com.

Go ahead, check it out.

My reasons for creating this site were:

• I interviewed with a big NYC ad agency and they thought my resume was boring. I think this is a more palatable way of telling who I am, what I’ve done and what I’m looking for. And that damn cartoon is cute as hell.
• I live in Florida but I’m applying exclusively to NYC companies. They surely have countless local candidates, so I need something to make me stand out and show that I’m serious about relocating.
• It’s much easier to post a link on Facebook and other networks than it is to email my resume/cover letter to all of my contacts and I think this site represents me better anyway.
• In addition to a public listing on Monster and other sites, having a stand alone site gives me the ability to be “found” by potential employers.
• It shows initiative. One potential employer said she could tell I was a “self-starter” from this effort.
• I’m now using this site as a landing page for a Facebook ad campaign targeting NYC social media professionals (thanks to Nicole’s suggestion!)

The first week of my job search 2.0 went well. I landed two phone interviews with great companies, but I  was annoyed that because I was still employed my efforts had to be funneled through an anonymous Twitter account and DMs.

I wanted to openly announce my search and this site to my online network, but I couldn’t because unfortunately my coworkers were a part of the network I’d worked so hard to build. We’re Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections, Twitter buddies and a handful of them read my blog.

So I quit. I gave three weeks’ notice with just a couple bites of interest in order to fully utilize my networks.

This decision received mixed reviews, as has my site. For me, both the site and the decision to leave my job only increase my ability to land my dream job in the big city. But I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Do you think a 2.0 approach gives leverage to candidates, or do you think I wasted a little sushi money on a pretty site? Do you think candidates are always more attractive when they have a job? Or it understandable to quit in circumstances like mine?

* Site was written and conceived by me and designed by the talented Andrew Norcross.