Finding a Job in a Down Economy: It's Not What You Know, It's Who

Getting a decent job in any economic climate can be an exhausting, ego-crushing task. Not only are you competing with hundreds of talented applicants for one position, but you must also meet strict company requirements. You may still have to jump through some hoops to get a job, but the process has become a bit easier thanks to the Internet.

Today we are in the midst of a very serious economic recession. Hundreds of thousands of talented people have been laid off of their jobs and major corporations have gone under. So why in your right mind would you be out looking for another job right now? Why not just collect unemployment for awhile and ride out the storm? Getting a job may not be as hard as you think. Your favorite social networking site could be the best possible job resource you could ever gain access to.

MySpace, an international site that offers e-mail, a forum, communities, videos and Weblog space to help people stay connected with their friends and family members, now has a job site that allows people to search for employment opportunities based on the industry of their choice. You do not have to be a MySpace member to take advantage of this service. Another added bonus is the "career videos" section at the bottom of the jobs site, which help reduce some of the stress associated with the job hunt.

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It is particularly true during tough times, whether you are looking for your next client or business deal or simply trying to find a new job, that it's not what you know, but who you know. Leveraging the power of social networking helps you avoid the anonymity that comes along with submitting your resume for one job opening through an online site.

In addition, social networking allows you to create a relationship with the people who are looking to fill a job position or with friends and colleagues who can otherwise give you an "in."

LinkedIn is another popular social networking site that provides an interconnected network of experienced professionals located all over the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. LinkedIn enables you to find, be introduced to, and work with skilled professionals to accomplish your goals.

In order to create a network of trusted contacts, you must be willing to do some research and work. This involves reaching out to former coworkers, former classmates, and colleagues in your industry, fellow alumni and fellow association members.

With online social networks, you gain an easy way to develop and solidify these contacts which will only help your job search. If you need to change industries because of the economy, developing trusted contacts in other industries will significantly ease the transition into a new career.

Online social networks provide an easy way to develop and solidify these contacts which can only help your job search. You just may be able to land your dream job faster by setting yourself apart from the crowd through the opportunities provided through online social networking.

Microsoft Emphasizes Cloud In Certification Program Overhaul

Microsoft Emphasizes Cloud In Certification Program Overhaul
Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) is overhauling its certification program for IT professionals and developers in an effort to address the growth of cloud computing and what the company described as "the growing skills gap" in the IT industry.

The changes generally put more emphasis on IT system planning and design rather than implementation and operation, said Don Field, Microsoft senior director of product management.

"We've increased the skill levels that individuals are required to demonstrate," Field said in an interview. The new certifications reflect "industry shifts that require a broader knowledge base and deeper skills across solutions that cloud computing requires."

And the move will mean changes to partner certifications in the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) program. Becoming certified under MPN's "competencies" requires that solution providers have a number of sales and technical staffers who have passed certification exams in specific areas such as application integration, content management, and identity and security. But Field said the MPN competencies themselves are not changing.

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The new Microsoft Certification Program has three skill levels: Associate, Expert and Master. The new Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate, currently the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist, emphasizes skills in software and services implementation.

Microsoft described the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert level as its "flagship credential" because it is the level most will aspire to, according to the company. It's geared toward IT professionals and developers with capabilities in planning, design and infrastructure. Microsoft said the MCSE level particularly requires skills and experience working with public, private and hybrid cloud systems.

The new Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer is the expert-level certification specifically for developers. Requirements for the Master-level certification haven't been set.

MCSEs will need to be re-certified every three years while MCSD re-certification is required every two years, Field said. He added that Microsoft is "not at the point" whether it will offer some kind of alternative to exams for becoming re-certified.

Among the first exams to be offered will be the MCSE for Private Cloud and MCSE for SQL Server 2012. Also in the works are MCSA certifications for Windows Server 2008 and MCSE certifications for data platforms and business intelligence.

Top 10 tips for navigating Windows 8 Metro

Moving around Windows 8 Metro isn't intuitive, so here are some pointers

The classic example: How do you turn off a Windows 8 machine?

The answer: swipe out the Charm menu from the right side of the screen, choose Settings, touch the power button, and choose Shut Down. Simple, yes?

RELATED: This Windows 8 tablet might actually be a PC

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HARDWARE: 12 available devices to test drive Windows 8

Windows 8's Metro interface is anchored by the Start screen, a collection of colored rectangles called tiles that are labeled with text to explain what they are. So the mail application says Mail and has a stylized envelope displayed on it. The tile to access the Windows store says Store on it and features a stylized shopping bag.

The Start screen stretches out horizontally and may take up several screens that can be scrolled by sliding a finger on a touch screen or left-clicking the arrow buttons in the bottom corners.

Metro is distinguished by its use of the full screen to display current applications. All the chrome of the navigation bars and systems tray so familiar in earlier versions of Windows are gone. Tools that serve these functions are hidden off-screen.

Some of these comprise the charms bar, a set of buttons hidden to the right of the screen. They can be called out with the swipe of a finger on a touch screen. These charms are labeled Search, Share, Start, Devices and Settings.

Swipe the left side, and you get the applications bar, which displays a thumbnail of each running application. Pressing any one of them brings it to fill the main screen.

Those are the basics, but there's still a lot to know. Here are 10 tips for performing useful tasks in Windows 8 that you might never discover on your own. Tasks can be carried out using touch or mouse and keyboard.

1. Returning to the Start screen: It's easy to lose your way in Windows 8 when you're just learning it, and finding the Start screen can help re-anchor you. To find it using a touch screen, swipe out the Charms bar on the right and press the Start charm. With a mouse, click the bottom-left corner screen. You'll know it's ready for the click when a tiny image of the Start screen pops up. On a keyboard, press the Windows key.

2. Organizing the Start screen: The Start screen is made up of a large number of tiles, so separating them into categories makes it easier to find the ones you want. Drag tiles either with a finger or using a mouse and dropping related tiles near each other.

3. Naming groups of tiles: Zoom out on the Start screen to get an overall view of the Start screen tiles. This can be done using a two-fingered pinching gesture or clicking on the minus button in the lower right. Find the group you want to name, right-click on it and choose Name Group, type the name and press Enter. Or touch the group, choose Name Group and type in the name.

4. Pinning tiles: Not all applications are displayed on the Start screen. To add one, right-click or touch a blank spot on the Start screen and click or touch All Apps when it appears on the bottom. Right-click or touch the app you want to pin, then click or touch Pin to Start.

5. Displaying administrative tools: Right-click the mouse in the lower left corner. Or press the Windows key + X and the tools menu appears in the lower left. Or, while on the Start screen, press the Windows key + I, select Tiles, press Enter, press the space bar to change Show Administrative Bar to Yes. Administrative tool tiles will be pinned to the extreme right of the Start screen. Or swipe out the Charms bar, touch Settings, touch Tiles, flip the switch to Yes.

6. Search: In Windows 8, the Search charm can be used to search the system or, if it is invoked while in an application, to search the application. To search, access the Charms bar, choose Search and type in the search term. If you want to search the Start screen, just start typing your search term on the Start Screen. After your first keystroke, a search window appears. It will be searching apps by default, so if you want to search something else, you have to press or click on it.

7. Switching from app to app: When you have more than one app open, click in the upper right to reveal thumbnails of all active apps and click on the one you want. With touch, swipe out from the left side of the screen then back to the left side again without lifting your finger. That will reveal the thumbnails (this display is called the Switcher). Press the one you want.

8. Snapping apps: Metro supports displaying two apps at once, one in a narrow strip at either the right or left and one occupying the rest of the screen. The smaller one is said to be snapped to the side. To do so, type Windows key + . and it snaps on the right; press them again and it snaps to the left; do it again and it becomes full-screen. To switch between the snapped app and the main app, drag the vertical dividing bar between the two toward the center until the main app snaps to the other side.

9. Closing a Metro app: Metro apps idle in a low-power state in the background when not in use, but to shut them down, swipe from the top of the screen and, without lifting your finger (or releasing the left key if you're using a mouse), drag to the bottom. The app will first shrink and, as it reaches the bottom, will disappear.

10. Getting out of Metro: Had enough Metro? Press Alt + Tab and release when you get to the desktop.

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