Social media can accelerate job search
Normally, you’d expect to see a recruiter, human resource executive or career coach write a column like this. However, you’re marketing the most important asset you own, so it’s only fitting for a marketing person to share his perspective on how to market yourself and how to best use social media in your job search.
As you would expect, all of the tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, a personal blog and even online video can come into play, but before all that, you need a strategy. Moreover, any discussion about social media in the job search wouldn’t be complete without touching on personal branding.
Your personal brand online: Most anyone hiring in today’s environment will do an Internet search on a candidate during the hiring process to see what comes up. Have you Googled yourself lately? What comes up? The first and most important part of using social media for job searching is to have a complete profile on the social media sites that you intend to use. Whether it’s LinkedIn or your personal blog, you need to spend some time ensuring that your personal brand (who you are, why you’re the best, etc.) is well laid out and consistent across the various digital outposts.
Making the connections: I’ve always believed that the best time to build your network is “before you need it.” However, if you’re just starting, social networking can give you a big boost. I recommend setting up a complete profile on LinkedIn, a personal blog to express your expertise and a Twitter account to connect with industry peers. Then start joining groups on LinkedIn related to your profession and join in the conversation. You can quickly amass connections if you participate.
Going beyond online: Online social networking is a great tool, but it’s just that, a tool. If your personal brand is undeveloped and your networking skills are rusty, no amount of technical wizardry is going to do the heavy lifting for you. Here are a few tips to ensure success in blending your offline and online networking.
- Seek out opportunities to meet members of your network in person at LinkedIn events like Link Greater Green Bay, local Tweetups, social media breakfasts and other networking events.
- Contribute useful content to a blog or answer questions on the LinkedIn Q&A area in between your job search outreach to help those in your network and showcase your expertise.
- Make daily and weekly goals for networking. Make it a point to connect with someone who can connect you with at least one person in each of the companies for which you’d most like to work.
There are many ways to use social media in a job search, but if you start with a solid personal brand, use a few of the right tools and follow a sound strategy, you’ll find that perfect position and make some great friends and new connections along the way.
