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Job Hunting in a Digital World
It’s not enough to dress up for an interview these days. To really stand out, you have to dress up your online presence too. With today’s web of networks, connecting has never been quicker or easier. We’ve cut through the hype to find the essentials of job hunting in a digital world.
Professional networking sites
• “If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile in today’s job market, you’re really out of touch,
• View LinkedIn as an online resume, Start with what’s on your current resume and build your profile from there. “The information there should portray the image you want to have in the market,”
• A photo is a must, , but make sure it’s professional, even if it’s casual. “You don’t necessarily want to have a picture of yourself holding a fish that you caught,”
• Have a strong tagline (the title that shows directly under your name) and summary in order to position yourself. Include relevant keywords, – words future employers might use to search for someone like you – including any certifications, professional organizations and descriptions of technical expertise. An event planner, for instance, might use keywords such as “trade shows,” “conferences” and “nonprofit.”
• “Recommendations are important,”. Request them, not just from superiors, but from colleagues and subordinates.
Learn about the importance of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter when it comes to job hunting.
• Add a personal touch to your profile, such as a word or two about your small hometown. “You never know what people are looking for,”
• Join groups relevant to your field to stay up to date on news in your industry and to keep on top of any job postings.
• Connect with people you know – but be selective. “I believe, personally, that it should be people that you actually know or that you have some kind of a connection with,” Be careful of who you add as a connection on networking sites and when you add them. Your current boss might be suspicious if her counterpart at a competing organization suddenly shows up on your profile. Remember that LinkedIn profiles can be seen by anyone, even if you’re not connected.
Social media sites
• Treat your social media accounts as extensions of your personal brand. They might be fun, but they still contribute to your online image. Think about everything you post
online from the point of view of a potential employer or recruiter looking you up. Will it turn them off, or get them more interested in meeting you?
• “Don’t have things on your Facebook page that you would not want a potential employer to see,. Think Facebook is private? It might be, but only if you’re 100 per cent sure you have the privacy settings right and trust all of your friends.
• If people in your industry are on Twitter, you should be too. Think of it as a virtual water cooler: Be there often, but not too often (lest people think you never do any actual work). Have conversations, not monologues. Most of all engage in interesting topics and be up to date…
• Unlike Facebook, the culture on Twitter allows for connecting with people you’ve never met, so follow people you’re interested in meeting. “Getting to know people within the sector that you want to work in will really help you,”
• Give before expecting to receive. Reply to messages, answer calls for help and retweet interesting posts.
• On all social media sites, including LinkedIn, brand yourself as an expert by sharing links that reflect your professional and personal interests – and that reflect well on you.
• Avoid the temptation to use online tools to update all of your social media accounts at once with the same message. It might save time, but it can look like you don’t want to put in the effort.
• Ensure the user names you choose are professional or fun, never embarrassing. The current trend is simply using your first and last name.
• Use online tools and participate in communities that resonate personally and professionally. Photographers and design professionals will love Instagram and Pinterest for sharing and saving images; technical types will appreciate the culture and tools
on Google+; and knitters will wonder how they ever did without Ravelry.
Other digital media
• Enjoy writing and have something to say? Start a blog related to your intended career. “Having your voice out there helps you build your own brand.”
• Update your blog or personal website often. “It’s important that it’s active, that it’s current, that it’s relevant and that it portrays the branding and image you want to
have in the market,”
• Be careful with online comments: People can find your name on any blog or website with a quick search. To be safe, use only your first name unless you’re saying something you intend to be public.
• Use technology to research jobs and prepare for interviews, too. “Today there’s no excuse for somebody to arrive at a company without a very good understanding of that
organization,”
• Step back and judge your email address: Is it professional? “Imagine a HR Manager receives a CV and the email address is something like partygirl@email.com, That will reflect on your overall impression.
• Consider every touch point as a chance for potential employers to learn about how wonderful you are – and orient them with what you do. Your voice mail greeting, your writing style and your email signature are all as important as the jacket you wear to your interview. “Managing technology effectively today is really about personal branding, “Everything you show from a public standpoint should maintain the professional image and branding you want to have.”
In Summary:
So here are my 13 social media tips to help you position yourself to stand out from the crowded job market and get hired fast:
- Complete social media accounts:
Make sure you have accurate and up-to-date LinkedIn, Telegram, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter profiles. Incomplete LinkedIn profiles will surely get you rejected from a job you are applying to.
- Match up your profiles:
Make sure your resume and LinkedIn match exactly. The info on your Facebook and Twitter should never contradict anything on your resume or LinkedIn. Inconsistencies in your profiles are the number one reason to be rejected from a job.
- Professional profile pictures:
What you look like matters. Get a professional photographer to take your headshot for LinkedIn. Use the same picture on Twitter. Never post a salacious profile picture on Facebook. Employers do look at your Facebook
- Facebook, keep it clean (Twitter too):
- Hiring managers search all your social media including Facebook. A recent survey of hiring manger showed over 50 percent of candidates disqualified them from a job by something they posted. No bad language, defamatory or racist statements, salacious info or photos, complaining about the last job, whining or politics. Yes politics are a no-no. And if you keep your Facebook private, they may choose the candidate whose Facebook is open and they can see what kind of person they are.
- English 101:
Make sure you have used proper spelling, grammar and diction everywhere you post. One post of, “The party waz kool, lol” on your Facebook and you could be out. They will think someone else wrote your perfect resume. Facebook is where they think you think they aren’t looking.
- Search everyday:
Search LinkedIn, Facebook Telegram, and Twitter every day for jobs. Join relevant groups on Facebook, Telegram and LinkedIn. Search Twitter by company and hash tags. Some companies post jobs on Twitter before anywhere else.
- Connect a lot:
Connect on Twitter and LinkedIn with people at companies you are looking to work for including hiring managers. Accept connection/follow request from all real people. You never know what a new connection will lead you to.
- Use industry speak:
When you’re writing a resume, cover letter or LinkedIn profile, you need to use jargon from your industry. This is especially true if you’re hoping to be found by employers or recruiters on LinkedIn.
- Keywords:
Companies use automated searches in resumes and LinkedIn so you need to peruse job descriptions for keywords and make sure they exactly match skills on your resume.
- Email address:
Make sure your email address matches your name as closely as you can get. And no hunkiejames1234@gmail.com addresses.
- Social media links:
Place links to your social media in your email signature, resume and personal website.
- Blog It:
Writing an article on a relevant topic to your desired jobs shows employers that you are serious and knowledgeable and can show off your communication skills. If you don’t have your own website/blog, LinkedIn Pulse is a good platform to place your writing and get lots of likes and comments and views from hiring managers.
