Having just returned from Career Directors International's Career Empowerment Summit ’09 in Orlando, FL, I’m excited to share with you some of the conference’s top takeaways:

1. Federal employment opportunities are plentiful – with more than 31,000 opening as of late last week and contrary to public perception – the government does hire qualified candidates from the private sector according to Barbara Adams of CareerPro Global.
2. A profile on LinkedIn is no longer optional for professionals, according to Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com. The business networking site has become the go-to database of passive jobseekers for executive recruiters. Your profile should complement your resume, but not be a duplicate.
3. LinkedIn is just the beginning. In today’s employment market, professionals need to have a comprehensive online presence and personal brand, according to Barbara Safani of Career Solvers. This can include online profiles, business networking sites, and social networking sites, and social bookmarking sites.
4. There are four types of online identities – according to Louise Kursmark of Best Impression Career Services – none, bad, haphazard, or strategic, the first three of which are not an option. A strategic online presence is the only smart option for professionals with a consistent on-point branding that builds your credibility and professional reputation.
5. A period of self-employment, time with a family-run business, or a run as an entrepreneur is not a bad thing on your resume, according to Laura DeCarlo of Career Directors International. Accentuate the accomplishments during the time that correlate back to corporate America – Did you secure seed money? Did you draft the business plan?  Did you brand the business?  “Cross the bridge” to the employer by describing your experience in ways that reflect value to the employer.

I’ll address other points from the Summit in future posts, but I was excited to share these top takeaways with you today. If you’d like help with anything related to the above points – be it applying for federal jobs, developing a LinkedIn profile, flushing out your online professional presence, let us know. We’re here to put our knowledge to work for you. Attending the CDI’s Summit shows our commitment to your job search needs.