19. Profile Do’s & Don’ts DO -Put as much information as possible -Put you are “Open to Career Opportunities” under contact settings -Put in key words under specialties -Add your picture -Join appropriate professional & alumni groups DO NOT -Put cute titles like “Retail Godess” or “Head Geek” -Be vague with your job title -Change your job title to “Consultant” if unemployed -Brag about how many connections you have
Introduction Facilitate Toilet Paper Ice Breaker -Pass toilet paper around and say “Take as much as you think you need and pass it on to the next person” -for each square, they have to tell something about themselves
Fun fact: In the US, only % of jobs are advertised; the rest are filled by people who knew someone.
Ask what good experienced people have had with social media and bad things they my have experienced Social networking allows for us to get information faster, be the expert. We all are knowledgeable about something. Whether it be what we learned in school, our hobbies, or our jobs (past jobs). Social media is excellent when in the military because you never lose contact with your friends, colleagues, superiors, or family. Also allows to make new connections before you even move to a new duty station. If you know you are going to plant roots back home, where ever that may be, you can start connecting with people in hometown and build relationships so they get to know you and what you know. When we used to get resumes, the first thing we did besides rule out the ones wrote in pink ink, were to Google the applicant. If we couldn’t find anything on Google then we would Facebook them. When people used social networking properly, we could tell right away how the person carried themselves, we could kind of get a feel for their personality, and most importantly we looked at what they talked about. If they talked about going out every weekend and getting drunk or bad mouthed employees or friends, we immediately discarded them. What we did look for is passion.
1 st thing to know about creating a brand, is knowing yourself. Since we are talking about using social network to find a job, ask yourself these questions : why should and employer want to hire you and what sets you apart from other job seekers? These are tough questions, and if you have no clue or have so many answers you can’t narrow you down, My Army One Source has a fantastic career assesment tool. In the assesment, it asks a series of questions and helps you identify your values, skills, and interests. It compiles your answers and suggests 3 different areas of ___ to describe you. My suggestion is to review and the ones that jump out at you and make you feel good…focus on those. And again, most importantly be passionate. When you are building a brand and social network, you want to emphasize what you like to do. If you just put on there what you think people want to hear, recruiters will notice and lose interest in your sites. Ask someone what they are passionate about (hobby, cause, saving money, etc) Okay, so lets think together of how we can create a brand for person. -Help give examples of what to write on pages, pictures to post, articles to blog about
When job searching or even networking (and you should be networking all the time – always prepare to take the next step) remember that everything you post is public! Although you may have privacy settings set in place, the administrators of the social networking sites can change their privacy rules at anytime. *Give example of CNBC documentary, “Facebook Obsession” – when teacher lost her job With that in mind while you are networking, share information, ut me mindful of what you post. Opinions are fine but make sure they are said in a tactful and respectful way. When you become the expert and participate actively within your networks, recruiters will see your passion and knowledge and want you on their side.
Participate Regularly: Now does that mean comment on every single comment…even yum, ate pie? No! You would be glued to your computer and/or phone all day! Make it easy for people to find you: Use privacy settings, but when job searching, open up your profile to where people can see the relevant information. People can contact you thru social networking sites and ask whether you would prefer to talk via phone or e-mail. If you are uncomfortable giving phone number, give an e-mail address. If you are uncomfortable with that, make an e-mail using yahoo to use just for social networking purposes Build Relationships: Social networking was not intended for advertisements and solicitations. Do you remember when Facebook and Myspace first came out? Who remembers? Facebook originally limited its access. Does anyone know to who and why? Answer- Created just for college students to meet people in classes and stay connected with college events. The most important rule when using social networking to find a job is to be respectful of people’s time and ask to connect with them. Do not just click add to network or add to friends. Send them an e-mail first introducing yourself and how you came across their page (sometimes it will be in a group) and tell them why you would like to connect with them. If you find a HR manager of a company you are interested in, do not tell them you need a job. Do some research on the company first, and tell them why their company excites you. Then let them know you want to learn more about the company and subtlety drop a hint of what your skills are.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you build or revise your profiles on the networks you join: Photo: Make it a good one. How professional depends on the job you are looking for. Dress as if you were going to be apart of that company’s culture. All your profiles should have the same good looking photo of you – this is a part of your personal brand When I say relevant information, I don’t mean make it seem stiff. Employers want to see you have a personality, just make sure to not reveal everything. Just like a resume, this is not a confessional. Don’t lie, but just be selective about how much and how to go about revealing your personality.
First and main social media we will discuss is Linked In. Linked In is a professional networking sites that allows people to connect with colleagues and other professionals within your desired industry.
This is what will show up under your name on your profile, and it follows your name in the search hit list when you or an employer Google’s your name. First thing people see in your profile Should consist of persuasive things people want to know about you. Get right to the point but leave no room for speculation about what you offer. Your headline is comparable to your 15 second elevator pitch. Imagine you are in an elevator with the hiring manager of your dream job. What would you tell him to grab their attention in 15 seconds. If you are currently employed or content where you are, you can most certainly just put your full job title and the company you are employed with.
If people viewing your profile have gotten this far, you do not want to lose them. Use this space to elaborate on your professional life. People want to feel the know something about you, so reward them with tid bits of information about yourself. Make sure to use many key words in this section. When people use the search bar for whatever talent they are looking for, your name will come in their search if use key words. For example: “career coach, engineer, human resource, etc.”
Fill this area with every detail you can think of that would entice your next employer to take a closer look at you Consider where you want to work and tailor your profile accordingly Make sure you can back claims with hard facts before you list them.
Like a resume, you want to make this section sparkle and shine! Make you experience compelling and exciting, and highlight your accomplishments do not just list what you have done. Make sure that it is deep: -What other departments did you work with to accomplish a big project? How did you manage your people? What were some proudest moments while you were there? This sounds like a lot of work, but this is your best shot at making yourself desirable in front of the employer
Do: SEO When join a group, contact the leader and ask to join group. Then thank them for letting you in and offer your connections to group. DON’T: “ Experienced finance and marketing executive” is not specific enough. Chief of Marketing at Key Bank is more specific and then put finance in under specialties. Unless you are looking for consultant opportunities, do not put there.
While most of us use facebook for personal reasons to stay connected with friends and famliy and show off our kids, weddings, BBQ’s and adventures; it can also be used to find jobs and connect with employers Facebook has added applications for employers and recruiters to use the information it contains on its members to help them search for talent. So why not use it to our advantage and get noticed by the right people. What your page says about you: Billboard that shows you as a person but a great catch to an employer Not as professional as Linked In
Just remember that the BEST use of Facebook (in my opinion) is to make networking connections that will help inform your search. I don’t advise spending too much time looking for and applying to jobs online Jobster Career Network - Join the Talent Networks of your favorite companies, and get personalized job alerts based on your career interests. Plus, get career advice from your friends; post your resume online, search for jobs, and more! OfficeBook - What would you tell a friend about your office if he or she was interested in working there? Love your company? Hate it? Say It! Indeed – Job Search - Find jobs where your friends work. Search millions of jobs from thousands of job sites and company career pages. Receive job proposals and resumes from your profile page.
Top 10 Benefits of using Twitter in a job search: Differentiate yourself from other job seekers , while building your credibility and authority with industry contacts, thought leaders, as well as employee s, inside companies you are interested working with.. Prove your industry experience and expertise , based on your twitter posts, your followers, your twitter friends, and your retweets. Your resume can’t do this! Directly connect with senior management, employees, and owners of the companies that you are interested in working with, while building rapport and credibility, before you ask about job openings. Build, Grow, and Maintain Relationships with your personal network and referral networks; including, current and former co-workers, clients, vendors, and other industry contacts. Add value to your Personal Brand distinguishing you as a Subject Matter Expert, with connections to other industry thought leaders. Keep your connections up-to-date on your job search progress . Intimately know the companies you are interested in working with, through researching their products, their industry, their management, and their employees. You will not only gain critical information about the companies, but you will be able to make a much better decision about whether you want to work there or not. Research the companies and publish your findings . This is basically using your job search time to learn about the companies and industries, but instead of just keeping the information to yourself, you publish it, making it available to others, including the people who are going to hire you. There are several stories of job seekers that were hired just because they knew more about social media and what was being said about the company than people inside the company. Publishing your finding, not only shows that you know a lot about the company, but that you are serious about your intent to work with them. It’s Easy! Twitter only allows 140 characters, so you don’t have to spend an hour or two writing a blog posts, or racking your brain to find something to write. Finding and posting or retweeting relevant and interesting articles, tips, tricks, news, and information is easy to do and very rewarding. Not only do you learn about the companies you want to work for, but you also learn about all aspects of their industry, their management, etc. This is critical information to know if you want to find you Dream Job. It’s Fun!