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Let’s be honest, one of the major reasons people go to college to get a degree is to qualify for good jobs. Eventually that depends on you putting yourself out there to find the job you want. While there’s no replacement for the tried and true method of going out to different social and professional events and networking, sometimes that’s either not enough, or not an option.

This is where the Internet comes in. There are, of course, almost impossibly large amounts of job search sites available online. Today, this post will focus on those that are specialized for creative careers. It will feature three sites that stand out from the rest. Let’s begin:

1) Krop: Krop’s homepage is refreshingly simple. Jobs are listed as they appear, meaning the newest postings will be the first ones you see. Additionally, you can search for jobs by location and keyword. There’s no option for searching by industry, but the keyword search has proven to be good on its own.

Like most job search websites, to take full advantage of Krop you have to sign up and create a profile, resume and portfolio.  There are two types of accounts: a free account and a pro account. The free account has all the basics that the website offers, including your own URL address and space for up to 10 images. The pro account, which costs $9.99/month, includes unlimited image space and video embedding. You can upgrade and downgrade any time you want.

Over all, Krop is a very professional website, good for students that have amassed a presentable portfolio.

2) Behance: Behance.net’s job list section looks slightly similar to Krop’s. Once again jobs are listed in the order in which they are posted, and you can do your own search to narrow down the jobs you see on the page. The main difference between Krop’s search features and Behance’s is that Behance does have a way to narrow jobs by industry.

A drop down menu next to the keyword search field reveals options ranging from Blogging to Video Game Design and seemingly everything in between. If you have a clear idea of what you want to do in the art world and what type of industry you want to go into, Behance is an easy way to search for jobs in that industry.

An important advantage that Behance has over Krop is that according to their tour page (scroll down slightly to see), their membership and hosting service is unlimited and completely free. This means you can put as much text, audio, image and video projects on your personal space without having to pay extra. For college students or recent graduates on a budget, this is a big plus.

3) Creative Jobs Central: What makes this site stand out is the sheer amount of categories that jobs are divided into. If you’re looking for a website that goes the extra mile to make searching for a specific industry easy, then just look at this homepage.  Creative Jobs Central has a section for everything from theater jobs to beauty jobs.

The catch is that all those choices is that they don’t come cheap. Membership fees for the site can run pretty steep for a student on a budget. 1-month membership is $10.99, 3-month membership is $26.97 (plus $15 dollars if you want access to all job postings and not just one specific industry) and 6-month membership is $47.94.

If you already have some money to use, and you don’t mind using it for your job search, you could do worse than this site. Otherwise, a good way to use it is to find job posts that list company contact information, and contact the company yourself. All’s fair in love and job searching after all.

These sites represent a tiny fraction of the different kinds of job search websites that are at your fingertips. Whether they have optional fees, are completely free or have required fees, they all serve the same purpose. It’s ultimately up to you to choose the one that best suits your needs. But hey, at least you have the entire Internet to search.

The methods used in job searching have switched to mainly online in the past 10 years. Often companies require you to e-mail your résumé rather than to snail mail the traditional printed version. Of course now you don’t have to look for fancy paper to print with, but before you hit “send” there’s something you should consider: the file name of your document.

Here is an informative article explaining why your résumé file name does matter and how you can make your file stand out and strengthen you as a candidate.

http://utahtechjobs.com/2010/yes-your-resumes-file-name-does-matter.htm

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join its career-focused group.

Full-time students have quite a lot on their plates. Not only are they taking three or more courses at a time, but they also might have part- or full-time jobs, family care or other duties that fill their time. Sometimes it’s easy to get so busy that you forget that you are going to college for a career after graduation. Before you switch to auto-pilot, be sure you evaluate where you want to be after you walk across the stage and receive your well-deserved diploma.

Employers generally like to see that you have been active in a type of volunteer work, both to see what interests you and to prove you have a well-rounded lifestyle. If you are planning a specialized career and already know what you would like to do, you can probably find an office in that field of work that needs a one to a few hours of help each week, or a local charity branch where you could donate your time working in your desired career field.

If you are unsure of your career pursuit after graduation, there are more generalized forms of volunteer involvement. Check with your professors and local elementary-high schools to see if there are positions that you would be interested in where you can be of help such as tutoring. A local church might have positions open either donating time to its congregation or within the community. Local charities, such as food banks and shelters are good places to find a niche. By helping others, you will help yourself, both by getting to know community members, learning a new skill and building the interest section of your résumé.

Record your activities in the interest section of your résumé.

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join its career-focused group.

As spring approaches many students are thinking about summer internship or job opportunities. Career Services is on board to help by offering internship information sessions. Tomorrow’s session will be streaming live and features Wunderman/Y&R direct marketing agency.

Go to MySCAD > Resources > eLearning > Events > Internship Information Session for more event details.

SCAD Career Services also posts internships and job openings in its weekly e-mail newsletter, Job Wire. If you would like to subscribe to Job Wire, e-mail careers@scad.edu from your student e-mail account. Another resource offered by SCAD Career Services is College Central, a career service database that lists internships and jobs that want SCAD applicants. To locate College Central, go to MySCAD > Department Directory > Career Services > College Central. You can also visit the SCAD Career Services blog at http://blog.scad.edu/careers.

And last, if you haven’t already, book an appointment with your SCAD Career Services adviser to discuss your career goals and needs in the future. Advisers are sectioned by school; to locate your adviser, to to MySCAD > Resources > Department Directory > Career Services > “Contact us in Savannah” where you will find a list of advisers by school.

If you have a favorite job or internship hunting Web site, idea or hint, please list as a comment below or go to LinkedIn.com > SCAD eLearning group for discussion.

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join its career-focused group.

The SCAD Career Fair is an annual event that gathers employers from all over the world to Savannah, Ga., to meet with students about jobs and internships. This is a chance for you to meet with recruiters who are looking to hire world-class designers and artists professionally trained by SCAD. SCAD students and alumni are optimal candidates for jobs and internships within the companies represented. The picturesque beauty of historic Savannah is yet another reason why the SCAD Career Fair is a great time to visit.

The 2011 SCAD Career Fair will be held April 8, 2011.

For more information, go to http://www.scad.edu/experience/events/career-fair/index.cfm.

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join the career-focused group.

LinkedIn has a new feature available that helps you visualize the networks within your LinkedIn contacts: LinkedIn Maps.

LinkedIn Maps pulls all your contacts into a web of networks and visually displays them by work type and color. It’s a neat way to see who you know from each group, and who they might know that you do also in between groups. If you click on a contact’s name, a neat profile sheet pops up on the right.

To access the feature, go to http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com.

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join the career-focused group.

Proofreading your résumé may not seem like much, but it can make a big difference on how your information is received.

Taking a long glance over your résumé entries can save embarrassment during an interview. Too often we change job responsibilities or forget to close a date to a project that ended, creating need for explanations during your interview. Make sure that all information on your résumé is honest and accurate, then print a copy on high-quality paper for each person you hope to meet during the interview. A few extra copies can’t hurt. If you do need to defend your résumé during the interview, taking extra time to prepare will help you come across as confident and prepared.

It helps to have someone else proofread your résumé too.

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join the career-focused group.

It’s important to look sharp and present yourself well in an interview, but an important piece to remember beforehand is to be sure to research the company. Try to find out key details about the company, such as how long it has been in business, awards it has won, and major accomplishments or advancements the company may have undergone. Mentioning some facts about the company during your interview will show your interest and also bring positive topics to the table.

The Web usually hosts a company profile or Web site where you can learn the company’s milestones, such as the founding date, expansions, number of employees, and if there are multiple locations. Equally important to knowing all the facts is to pick a question or two that you would like to ask about the company. You don’t have to know everything, but knowing something shows interest and intelligence – two important things to bring to an interview.

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join its career-focused group.

LinkedIn can connect you to potential employers in more ways than ever thought imaginable. Networking has always been an important part of a successful career. Meeting other professionals, handing out a business card at events, and staying in touch are just a few ways to network for your career. LinkedIn ups the ante with updates of people in your network, e-mail and groups. If you would like to meet someone through LinkedIn, it is possible someone in your network already has a connection and can introduce you. You can also look through the networks of your current contacts to see who you know and can add to your network.

It is important to grow your network periodically by searching for people you know and respect. If you know them, send an invite directly. If you do not know them personally, see if you know someone who does. Networking also benefits from keeping up with people in your network. Find articles or updates that will be relevant to someone in your network and send a link to the person. It is important to show you care even when you don’t need something. Updating your profile with similar information will help your name stay in everyone’s updates. Also, participating in groups that interest you will keep your network strong and active.

Visit LinkedIn to view or create a profile at www.linkedin.com. To locate the SCAD eLearning group, search for SCAD eLearning and request to add yourself to the group.

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join its career-focused group.

Mashable.com presents “How To: Land a Job at Microsoft,” an article about strategies to obtain employment at the prestigious technology company.

In addition specific to landing a job at Microsoft, Mashable.com offers great tips about how to stand out in a sea of résumés, conducting company research and appropriate ways to follow up after you submit an application. These are written to accommodate a job seeker for Microsoft, but with some tweaking, also could be applicable to any job.

Read the article at http://mashable.com/2010/12/26/land-job-at-microsoft.

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join the career-focused group.