Note: If you are interested in writing on Environmental Graffiti please send an email to zero@environmentalgraffiti.com (the site is currently “by invite” only). Be sure to put “applicant.com” as subject and you will be provided with a special invite link (for applicant.com readers) that will allow you access right away. To learn more about the platform please read below.

Environmental Graffiti is the first environmental site in the world to bridge the gap between social media and paid-for journalism. Through a product called the Graffiti Index*, Environmental Graffiti is able to pay users for every page view they generate. If a user writes a popular article, with 100,000 views, they can potentially earn thousands of dollars, a welcome boost in today’s economic climate. Currently the platform pays 25% of all revenue and plans to scale that upto 80% in couple months.

The new site is a hybrid that brings together all the best aspects of social media and online magazines, benchmarking the social features of Facebook, Twitter and Digg, as well combining the editorial quality of National Geographic. The platform is a content democracy: users create the articles and determine which ones hit the front page. Environmental Graffiti edit the articles to ensure a strong focus on quality control.

Features of the Environmental Graffiti community include:

• Voting: the community votes the users’ best stories to the front page
• My Graffiti: a personal dashboard and quick link to all areas of the site including a users’ articles, feedback from editors, profile, traffic and revenue they have generated
• Profiles, inboxes and followers: a way to communicate with other members of the site
• Write: where users create the articles. Also includes story ideas and an image gallery to inspire
• Forums: where users can discuss issues with others who share your interests

Chris Ingham Brooke, Founder of Environmental Graffiti says

Environmental Graffiti gives you the freedom to express yourself, share your knowledge with millions of people and crucially earn revenue. From extreme sports to bird-watching, you control and create the news, the news does not control you.

Environmental Graffiti was started in May 2007 by Chris Ingham Brooke, then just 19 years old, working from a barn in Oxfordshire, UK. Armed with nothing but its fresh and eclectic take on environmental news, it took the online world by storm, generating 1.5 million unique visitors a month. After receiving requests from over 3,000 people to write articles, the new community enables users’ voices to finally be heard.

This week we talked about why a blog is must for job hunters and how to make the most out of an online job search. Since we have been talking online job search this week, we wanted to create a guide that talks about different platforms and how you can utilize each of them.

Gone are the days when people used to knock on doors to pick up job application forms. More people have started utilizing the power of internet and harnessing the social aspect of it via popular platforms such as twitter, linkedin, facebook etc. Although these platforms are essential to building contacts and reaching out to prospective employers, there are other ways the web can help you land your dream job. In this post we will cover a few of the things that each and every job applicant should keep in mind and apply to make sure there job search online becomes worth the effort. The only thing we all need to keep in mind is that the potential and the results may not be visible right away, but in the long run it can make a lot of difference and help you stand out from others. Read the rest of this entry »

Most of you who have been reading applicant for quite some time know that when it comes to job search, we think the web can’t be ignored, not anymore. Of course, a hand shake and face to face conversation still beats all forms of virtual connections but the use of web for job hunt purposes is of as much importance.

The evolution of the internet has given us tools to connect and facilitate conversation among many other things. These conversation and connections overtime can lead to healthy relationships which can help you land a job. Even if you have a job, having a presence online and following these tips will keep you prepared if you ever become available in the market. That’s when these tips will matter the most. But thinking forward is the best way to tackle things so even if you aren’t looking for a job today, the tips below are crucial and will aide your job search if there ever is a need. Read the rest of this entry »

Today there are very few people that are active on the web and don’t have a blog. Although many people use personal diaries that hide under their pillows, an online diary (blog) has gained popularity in recent years. The popularity and the hype surrounding the notion that every one should have an existence on the web, at least in the form of a blog is quite justified. Blogging gives the writer and other users a platform to build a community which will eventually help in many facets of life including job hunt.

Today I want to focus on how blogging can directly help when it comes to landing a dream job. Whether you are looking for a job after a layoff or simply looking for an alternative way to earn a little extra, I hope these tips will come in handy. Read the rest of this entry »

Dream jobs are one of those things that many dream about. Some dream to be the CEO of an internationally recognized company whereas for some a good paying job is good enough for a dream job. It seems like many people are giving up hopes on their dream jobs due to rising unemployment and hurting economy. Although the current situation may not be as good as we would like it to be, there certainly is hope. And dreams more often than not are conquered when there is hope.

There are few things that every job applicant needs to remember when it comes to landing the job of their dreams. Today we want to explore a few of those things and how it might make you a strong candidate in the eyes of your potential employer. Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to looking for a job, the first thing that comes to mind is a resume. Usually when we think of resume, we think of something that is clean and contains everything there is to impress an employer. However, not all resumes are the same. Although we have a certain mindset as to what a resume will look like, some people take the concept of resume above and beyond. In the past we have covered creative resumes and once again it’s time to look at some more. Some of these resumes are ones people actually used during a job interview and some are concept only, but they are some of the most creative resume you’ll ever see. Read the rest of this entry »

Your resume was top-notch. Your cover letter, unforgettable. Your first interview was outdone only by your second. And now the company you’ve set your sights on is prepared to make an offer. Assuming you really do want the job, how do you go about getting the salary you deserve? You know it will be quite some time before you can ask for a raise, so this is your last chance at maximizing your paycheck. Follow these tips to fatten your bank account before you even set foot in a cubicle. Read the rest of this entry »

Job search can be frustrating, no doubt about that. Often times we hear job seekers talking how they never hear back from the employer after a job interview. We agree that employers should contact each job applicant even if they are not hired, but when you have thousands of job applicants for two openings, it might be a little too hard for the company too.

There are many reasons why an employer may reject a job candidate. We explore five reasons below which shows why the employers aren’t too keen on hiring you. Read the rest of this entry »

When Kevin Smith (yes, @ThatKevinSmith) was grounded from a Southwest Airlines flight on Saturday, February 13, a fresh media firestorm was just taking off. The topic: weight discrimination (and rotten customer service) seems to be the last remaining socially accepted form of bigotry. And it’s not just costing obese passengers the price of an extra ticket—“weight-ism” is costing employees a lot of money.

Companies like airlines can cite safety concerns and courtesy to affected passengers as the motivation behind their rules, but when employees are allowed to change the letter of the law as they see fit, the true spirit of the law shines through. People think it’s okay to discriminate against their overweight peers, and there’s a glut of statistics to prove it. Read the rest of this entry »

We recently came across this image that shows job loss data from December 2007 to January 2010. Although we are not out of the woods yet, it certainly is better than what it has been.

Click on the image to enlarge

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