As you begin listening for your job seeking campaign to figure out what your target hiring managers care about, make sure you’re up-to-speed on industry trends by reviewing the latest industry news. (This advice is particularly helpful if you’ve been laid off for a while.)
The news industry has shifted away from quarterly trade rags to real-time, user-generated content and research online. Find the top ten, industry-relevant, news sites and blogs, and then make a habit of reading them daily. The following sources are great for finding industry information:
Alltop: This site is like an online magazine rack in that it serves as a directory of the web’s top blogs and news sources based on category. Go toAlltop and type your field or industry in the search bar at the top. Alltop then recommends categories for you to choose from.
Create a MyAlltop account to customize your online magazine rack. You can add and reorganize news feeds from any category you choose. Then, when you’re looking for news, just visit your customized MyAlltop account and get a fast overview of the top five articles from news sources you’ve already deemed important.
Technorati: Technorati is one of the most well-known blog directories. After navigating to the site, click on the Tags link (located just below the list of drop-down menus on the home page) to see a list of topics listed in the directory.
Helium: Helium is a user-generated-content news website. Its articles aren’t as time bound as other news sites, but they’re very well written. In the Browse Channels column on the right-hand side of the web page is a list of topics that may be relevant to your target industry.
Examiner.com: Examiner.com is also a user-generated news site. Although topics tend to be less polished, they’re more time relevant. Move your mouse cursor over the News & Info drop-down menu (found on the far right just below the examiner.com banner) to find industry-related categories.
Examiner.com delivers news items specific to a location. Each major city has its own Examiner.com site with different people writing for each location. So this is a great source for getting local trends and industry news.
MarketWatch: This site is a great starting point for more quantifiable information about your target industry. Is it trending up or down, growing or shrinking? Check it out and click on the Industry Analyzer link (below the Industries header) to see the market index for the sector you’re trying to get a job in.
Skoll World Forum: Skoll World Forum is a great site for following trends in the nonprofit world with expert authors on various topics, such as philanthropy, business models, social entrepreneurship, and so on. Type the topic you’re interested in into the search box at the top of the home page.