With the economy in the state it’s in, we have more and more job seekers on the hunt for the next career opportunity. It’s officially become an employer’s market.
With competition being fierce for the available positions, job seekers need to be extra judicious on presenting the cleanest professional image possible. In turn, being in as many places as you can be at once is crucial to success. So how can this be accomplished? Social networking!
Social networking is becoming mainstream as a job seeking and recruiting tool. Information is easy to come by, which can work to your advantage or detriment. With a solid strategy and a few tweaks on existing web presence, wielding social networking can be one of the most powerful tools to lead to ultimate success.
So job seekers, here is a list of the top ten things you need to know about social networking:
1. Are you on any social networks? LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, just to name a few. If you aren’t, get a profile and start building your network.
2. You are what you write! If you’ve got some posts that do not hold you in the most favorable of light, get rid of them. If friends have shared funny pictures of that night out on the town, ask them to consider taking it down.
3. Guess what, your friends aren’t the only ones who can see your content on your profile! Many make the mistake of thinking that when they post content or pictures online, that only their friends in their network can see it. This may not be the case. Double check all of your privacy settings on your profile.
4. Have you Googled yourself lately? Do a quick search on your name (full, maiden, partial) to see what is out there.
5. Your online user names, are they professional? This can include email, profile IDs, or just about anything electronically related. Hot2trot probably is not a good idea! Keep it clean.
6. Do you have a blog? This is a great way to establish your professional credentials. Focus on your passion and post content that truly reflects your knowledge and experience.
7. Have you expanded your existing network? Reach out to new people. Ask your current connections to facilitate introductions. If someone posts a blog or comment you like, take a chance and reach out to them. You’d be surprised at the relationships you can establish.
8. Ask for endorsements. On several social networking platforms, you can ask for recommendations or have folks post favorable comments that can be attached to your profile. Ask your connections for viable endorsements that helps establish your professionalism.
9. Just because a company may not have a position posted on a job board, it doesn’t mean the door is completely closed. Use your network to do some recon. Find the person you need to speak to about the company and obtain info you can’t find on a website or annual report. Your resourcefulness can be a great asset on a first impression.
10. Always nurture your network, not just in tough times. Put the offer out there to help others. Post a discussion on some useful information, answer a question on your social network, or simply send a note to say hello. Networks take time to build and strengthen. Do your best to give this important resource the attention it deserves.
It’s no question we are in the midst of hard times. Let’s help each other out. Leave a comment with your tips on using social networking in the job hunt. You never know what may come of it!
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4 users responded in this post
Jenna,
Excellent advice. Number 10 needs to be on everyone’s list all the time. I can’t tell you how many of the people I encounter say “I wish I had kept my network going”.
We prepared a slide deck for Guy Kawasaki to goo with his advice on using Linked In.
Here’s a link to that presentation http://www.ethos3.com/2008/10/10-ways-to-use-linkedin/#more-966
So true!! It’s no doubt that social networking and all of web 2.0 is changing the career search. It’s always been said, “it’s who you know,” and the opportunity to meet new professionals via on-line networking is growing everyday.
I should know, I’m actively doing it to find my next professional step (I was laid off in June). If anyone out there reading this wants to link up on linkedin, go ahead – I’m accepting all invites. http://www.linkedin.com/in/lorihoglund. My network has grown leaps and bounds over the past 5 months, and I’ve met some wonderful people.
Also – I’m looking to research the engineering, architectural and construction industry to put my solid marketing project management skills to use. If you can recommend anyone in these fields that would be up to meet with me for an informational interview, please let me know!
Thanks.
What ever the social networking service it may be, either Facebook or Linkedin or Myspace or something else…its good to have good people into yours friends list. for better communication and sharing of knowledge. I say look for quality of contacts into your list not the number of contacts.
Thanks ,
Krish.
To put things in full perspective perhaps it would be good to add an 11th item to the list of things a job seeker needs to know about social networking. That 11th item would be as follows:
11. Don’t let online social networking become a substitute or replacement for social networking “IRL” (in real life), and take every opportunity to integrate your online social networking with your IRL social networking. Online social networking can become very addictive and a person, especially job seekers, can consume a lot of time developing online social networks while forgetting about the importance of IRL social networking, and it is easy to forget that many of the connections you make online might also be available IRL.
What do you think?