Ten Smart Things Job Seekers Can Do

Guest post by Sherrie A. Madia
Author of The Online Job Search Survival Guide
Watch her interview on The Woman's Connection YouTube Vlog

Searching for a job, but don’t know where to begin? Try these 10 social networking strategies. 

1. ASSESS YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE 

 According to Coremetrics (2010), 75% of companies require recruiters to research job applicants online, so you’ll want to be sure you know what they’ll find. 

 Do a Google search on your name

 Surprised by what you see? When possible, remove content that doesn’t align with the image you want to project

 Don’t have a presence? Start by determining where you’d like to work, and the image you’d like to project

 Position yourself as an expert in your industry

 Remember to be authentic

2. BECOME A JOINER

 Research communities that best suit your professional interests, then join

 Once you’ve observed and gotten a sense of the community, enter the conversation with a meaningful comment that progresses the dialogue

 LinkedIn and Facebook Groups are great places to begin

 Become the “expert” within select communities by consistently offering useful insights

3. WORK THE ROOM

 Within communities you select, get to know the people as you would in any other networking event

 Seek out common interests and ask questions of those who share your passion

 Think of this exercise not as a one-time job search, but as a foundational network to last throughout your career

 By approaching job search more as a “people search” you will be more likely to land a job—Relationships count in job search, so spend time building them

4. LINK IN TO LINKEDIN 

 Sign up and complete your LinkedIn profile—partial profiles send a message that you may not be fully committed

 Seek out past employers, people you know who are working in your ideal industry, classmates from school, and more

 Use LinkedIn’s Search feature to find these individuals and invite them into your network

 Ask former employers and clients for an “I would recommend”. This LinkedIn feature functions as an online letter of recommendation

 Answer questions on LinkedIn Answers. Respond consistently and with value, and you will soon become known as an expert

5. FOLLOW THAT RECRUITER! 

 Use Twitter to enhance your job search by finding your ideal companies, or representatives from your ideal industry

 Visit www.Search.Twitter.com and search on keywords of interest (e.g., “Boston IT Jobs, Healthcare Jobs, Jobs at IBM, etc.) 

 Follow these Twitter streams and get to know who is tweeting— Often, these streams are staffed by recruiters

 Tweet meaningful responses that position you as a knowledgeable contributor

 As the relationships build, you may send a Direct Message (DM), but do so with care

6. FACEBOOK: CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL JOB FAIR

 Tap into your existing network of friends via Facebook

 While it’s okay to mention you are seeking a job, do not use your Facebook wall to vent, whine or complain about your plight

 Let friends know you what type of job you are seeking, but do so in a manner that’s positive and professional

 Post a link to your resume on your Facebook wall

 Create a Facebook ad that highlights your skills and the value you would bring to an employer

 Remember, job search is not about you (the job seeker) —it’s about them (the company), so position shareable content that speaks to companies’ needs

7. HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR COMMUNITY TODAY? 

 Consistency matters in social media use for business, and the same rules apply to job search

 Post routinely (at least once a day is ideal) so that members of the group come to expect and look forward to your commentary

 Regular engagement demonstrates commitment, follow—Regular engagement demonstrates commitment, follow through, and discipline—All great qualities to showcase

 Be sure to promote your community activity within your resume, letters of inquiry, and so forth

8. SMART TACTICS FOR JOB SEARCH SUCCESS

 Purchase a URL in your name (e.g., “FirstNameLastName.com”). This will enable you to send recruiters to an online page that highlights your credentials

 Start a blog

 Ask to contribute to an existing blog as a guest blogger

 Great on an interview? Create a 1-3 minute video in which you answer common interview questions and highlight your skills. 

 Post this to YouTube and title your video using keywords from the industry in which you’d like to work. 

 Create a podcast and post to your Facebook page

 Create connections across social networks so that recruiters can find one consistent image of you

9. REVERSE ENGINEER YOUR JOB SEARCH

 Rather than sending resumes en masse, social networking enables job seekers to plant content seeds strategically in places where human resources will likely be. 

 Today’s hiring decisions are more critical than ever, so human resource representatives must make careful hires—This means they are likely to be more diligent than ever in exploring credentials

 Establish yourself as a thought leader, and give your expertise freely. People will appreciate this value and will tend to return the favor

10. JUST SHOWING UP IS A WIN 

 When using social networking for job search, you build both your online presence, and a set of skills that employers will find valuable

 Your ability to write with clarity in a blog, showcase photos and video, tweet effectively, etc. makes you that much more attractive to recruiters

 Regardless of job type, company size, or industry, every company today needs employees who are skilled in social media. 

 Those who bring industry expertise and social media savvy have the distinct advantage in the job market