You need a new job. Whether you are job searching or trying to improve your job skills, Bad Economy Jobs will help you. We are in this recession together and any job searching tips can make the difference in employment. Read about the recession proof jobs, best jobs in a bad economy, online schooling, stimulus jobs and how to advertise your resume.

In order to stand out from the crowd of people currently applying for jobs, you need to develop marketable skills. Companies are always looking for people who can show real life experience. You can talk all day about what you know, but without showing how that knowledge turned into application, you will be another number. Here are a few ways to get more skills and accomplishments to make yourself more marketable and to put your resume.

Upgrade your credentials – If you have a degree, consider getting a master’s or doctorate degree. Although pursuing a degree is a large commitment on your part, you can upgrade your credentials in other ways, such as taking university or professional development courses or participating in contests that will help your job.

Get a certification – Certification shows that you passed a test and followed guidelines in order to do so. It can be helpful if the certification required you to use your brain outside of book learning, especially for IT jobs.

Work on a side project – A great way to expand your skill set is to work on a project that is not directly related to your primary work or study focus. You can start your own blog resume and write about things you are currently working on. Or if you’re working at a company, see if they’ll let you spend time on a project.

Get good grades – If you lack a lot of work and volunteer experience, focus on your grades. Companies do use it to rank new graduates with little job experience. The better your grades, in particular fields, the more you’ll impress a potential employer.

Never stop learning – The end of formal education doesn’t mean you should stop learning, especially when there’s so much information on the internet. The more you learn, the more you keep your job skills current and fresh. It’s also a great way to expand your horizons and discover other areas of interest.

Be an intern or volunteer – New graduates who interned or volunteered at their respective job fields during school breaks have a huge advantage over those who did not. Companies have to invest a certain amount of money to train new workers and if you are already familiar with the process, they will likely pick you to save money.

One of the best ways to develop marketable skills is to accomplish something, whether it’s in your current job, something you did as a side project, or something you worked on as an intern or for a class project. Accomplishing something with your marketable career skills will reflect well in your resume and for real life work experience. Not only does it look good, it also builds your self confidence. You actually did something tangible with your intangible skills!

For most adults, online schools are scary because it is some new technology and they have common excuses we hear on a daily basis. Now is the time to dispel your fears about online education. These are the common excuses for avoiding online colleges.

I don’t have time for school

Most adults are unaware of how much time they waste. If you can schedule 1 hour of the day towards your education, then you can increase your potential for higher earnings. Invest 1 hour of your day to build up your education and work skills.

I have to take care of my family

Instead of going to the lecture hours scheduled by them, you can view lectures online at the time of your choosing. This leaves you plenty of time for your children and other flexible hour jobs. You can take a class when they are at school or when they are sleeping. You also don’t have to worry about making time for traffic, when the classroom is in your home.

It’s too expensive

Online schools offer financial aid just like any brick and mortar school. Qualify for scholarships, low-interest loans, and payment plans, available to students. Go at your own pace.

Online schools are a scam

When a school obtains accredited status, this means it has received the highest determination of being legitimate for any place of higher learning. The online schools listed have met the acceptable quality of standards. They are no more a scam than other accredited colleges.

No one else is going to school online

The survey of more than 2,500 colleges and universities nationwide finds approximately 3.94 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2007*. This opens a huge door for social networking with other likeminded professionals. You are not alone in your desire to go back to school.

Figure out which online degree program works best for you. These are currently the hottest trends in demand:

Healthcare – Home Health Aide, Medical Assistant, Healthcare Administration, Medical Billing & Coding, RN-BSN Nursing
Legal Studies – Criminal Justice, Paralegal, Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Psychology, Law Enforcement

Need a creative way to advertise your resume to the world? How about buying an advertisement for yourself on the internet? That’s what Eric Barker did and he got a job offer! He only spent $50 on Facebook ads and Microsoft replied and gave him a job. This is just one of the ways to get your name out there. You can create a picture resume or you can start a blog resume.

You can start your own Facebook resume ad too. But you need a couple of things before you start.

• A good pitch

Create a good sales pitch and tagline to your resume ad. Make sure it’s targeted to your audience. Put your best skills on the ad without sounding too generic. Put the position you seek in the title and make sure your name is in the advertisement.

• A picture of yourself

Get a professional photo of yourself and make sure you’re smiling. Everyone loves a happy worker.

• A landing page

After you have the pitch and photo ready, you need a place for people to land after they click on your ad. You can create a blog resume and have it land there. Or you can post your resume on a job site like Monster.com and link to that page.

Then finally go to http://www.facebook.com/advertising/ and get started. You set your daily budget. You can pay per each click of the advertisement or each time the ad gets an impression. Set it low to like 5 or 10 dollars a day. Most importantly, target the ad to the right audience and geographical location. Someone under 18 will likely not offer you the job of your dreams, so don’t target that demographic.

Facebook Resume Posting Tips

• It is not bad to post your resume on Facebook as long as you keep it professional and reveal only public information. Use an throwaway email address that can handle spam. These Facebook ads will be PUBLIC and possibly be forever stored in some database. Do not reveal more than necessary.
• Make sure none of the information on your resume can be traced back to any answers for security questions such as “Where did you go to school?” or “What was your school mascot?” Your resume might reveal the answers so it is best to change your security questions on your bank or email accounts.
• Remember to monitor your daily advertising spending. If you forget to put a cap on the spending, you will get a big bill that you would not expect.