24. Personal Interest Professional Dev Industry Monitoring Alumni Group Industry Recruiter Professional Affiliation Industry Affiliation Product Affiliation Industry Affiliation Professional Affiliation Product Affiliation Professional Affiliation Career Management Professional Affiliation
28. Alora C. Chistiakoff Digital Strategist alora@indigoheron.com IndigoHeron.com @alora
Notas do Editor
My nameOnline since 1993Began building websites in 1996Ecommerce since 2000
The world of social networking is bigger than most people think, and getting bigger all the time.
Do I really have to?
Do you know what Google returns if someone searches on your name?LinkedIn Search Engine Optimization means that your LinkedIn profile is almost always one of the first results.If you want to de-emphasize LinkedIn a bit, there are some tricks you can employ: buy yourname.com domain, fill out additional profiles such as PeoplePond, Naymz, etc.This is especially important if you have a common name. “Michael Jones” or “Josh Ross” are too common to be easily found – great for dodging a crazy ex, but very bad if a prospective employer/client is trying to vet you.
If you work for someone else – passive job hunting is the most successful. Like it or not, it’s easiest to find another job when you’ve already got one. If you know layoffs are coming, don’t wait. Even if you are offered a retention bonus. You can negotiate a start date. But if you wait until you no longer have a job, it will be harder to find your next one.If you own your own business – LinkedIn is how people look up who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and what other people you know. LinkedIn is a powerful way for prospective clients or partners to see who they know who also knows you. This is incredibly valuable for doing ‘background research’ on someone. It won’t always yield detailed results (in the case of casual acquaintances), but if you are an expert in a niche, this is how people assess your credibility. “If I know that X is a big wig in this field, and you don’t know X, then I doubt you are as good as you say you are.”
Never need a new client or a new employerThe rare business that is exclusively based on personal referrals only (CPAs, lawyers, business coaches, etc.)
Two groups need LinkedIn more than most: marketers and technology professionalsNon-tech people don’t make the distinction between “web” and “tech” – how many people get ‘help desk’ requests from family members, even if you are a product manager or a semi-conductor engineer?LinkedIn demonstrates CURRENCY. If you are not actively using LinkedIn, you appear out of date – which is the kiss of death in the tech industry
Current title - If you are unemployed, do not PUT “unemployed.” Find places to volunteer or startups to help out. Put them on your profile and resume.Work history – At least 10 years. Should look as thorough as your resume, if not MORESO.Recent picture – If you don’t have one, come see me. I’ll take a picture with my phone and email it to you. This is a must.Networks – If you have less than 100 people in your network, you look inactive and disengaged.Groups – The single best way to demonstrate expertise. Recruiters monitor groups. And if they are checking up on you, they’ll look at which groups you belong to.
Make sure your picture is recent enough that someone would recognize you.Headline is key – they see it even before they get to your page.Summary is where you make your statement. Think of it as your own person elevator pitch.Look at job postings for positions you would be qualified for (and interested in). What are the key words and phrases they use? Make sure they are in your profile, because that’s part of how you will be found.
Recommendations – Give a little, get a littleBooks – The Amazon app. Reading recommendations.Groups – Answer questions, engageQ&A – Ask and answer questions
Customize your personal URL. The auto-generated one is long and ugly. Looks messy and neglected.
Alumni Groups: School & Biz, including Dell, HP, Intel, Google, Microsoft, Motorola, Samsung, etc. UT, of course.Types of products: SAP, Interwoven, Sharepoint, etc.Industry groups: Competitors, major news, big players, trends, etc.Professional groups: Discipline (product manager) and position (manager, director, etc.); hiring, coaching, mentorCareer groups: Recruiters, certifications, learning, best practices, etc.
Rule #1 – Give before you ask for something.Rule #2 – PROFESSIONAL networking rules apply.Rule #3 – When in doubt, observe first.
Some people – especially tech industry people – lean towards introverted tendencies that make them hate networking. So, if you aren’t comfortable with it, then find something that doesn’t feel like networking to get started.