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Using Social Networking to Help Your Career

Posted on 6 January 2012 | 1 Comment

Today we have another guest post from Steve Preston.  Steve is a highly regarded career coach who has helped thousands of people across many business sectors to find career fulfilment.  You may remember his last great post – Before the CV- Establishing your true marketability!  He starts the New Year for us with a post on Social Networking.  You can find out more about Steve on his LinkedIn profile. He provides more information to help you develop your career on his SMP Solutions career and personal development website

Using Social Networking to Help Your Career

Moving from the public sector can be daunting so you need all the help you can get.  Web 2.1 is all around us. Online forums, blogging and tweeting are now part of every day life. Having an online presence is now equally important as offline.

My experience is that many public sector workers have shied away from having an online presence which is then to your detriment when having to market yourself into new opportunities in the private sector, where an online presence is expected.

Social networking has become a powerful way to connect with new and old contacts to grow your network but also as an excellent self marketing tool for your career.

In the last US election campaign, Barack Obama harnessed the power of social networking, using sites such as Facebook and Twitter. He cleverly reached out to the heart and soul of the very people he knew could win him the US election. By giving them a voice and listening to their views, he used this power and influence to drum up support and secure his key election funding through the people rather than large corporations, as had always been done by past Presidents, which gave him a real edge over his key rivals.

By getting yourself known on the web, you can develop key contacts, business networks, exchange information with other people either in your field or a different field and advance your career to even find a new job!

Choosing Your Social Network

Be selective about the online networks you choose and how you use them e.g. Facebook is no longer just the domain of graduates to under 40’s. It has become mainstream for all age groups to use as a marketing tool for their career as well as linking to family and friends. Facebook now allows clear differentiation in this respect.

For the majority of career professionals and executives LinkedIn is by far and away the most respected business networking site and the professional version of Facebook and Friends Reunited rolled into one. There are new social networking sites springing up all the time. I suggest you focus on one, ideally LinkedIn and make it work for you.

How to get noticed and develop your reputation through LinkedIn

  • Through an effective hard hitting profile; briefly describing your career history, strengths, notable achievements and what you are looking for next
  • Cover the key aspects and highlights that you want people to know about you in a concise and easy to read manner
  • Through joining and participating in the numerous LinkedIn groups or even setting up your own group for your chosen specialty to really get you noticed!
  • Contributing interesting and useful comments to add to blogs and online forums helps you to share your knowledge and expertise with other like minded professionals on a subject and is likely to get you noticed.
  • For Health Service professionals there are over 150 specific groups on LinkedIn providing an excellent opportunity to tap into a wealth of new contacts and industry experts who in turn have their own contacts who may be the very people who can help unlock the key to your future!

How to destroy your reputation through Facebook or other social media

  • There have been numerous horror stories highlighting how a person’s online profile wrecked their job search or career
  • Take great care with your online profile as the viral nature of social networks means that anything unprofessional on a site, blog or forum could come back to haunt you!
  • You are not looking for work in the ‘glamour’ sector, so having near naked photos of you is unlikely to impress a potential employer, unless they have another agenda for recruiting you!
  • It may be great to impress friends on Facebook but you might rue the day you uploaded photos that eagle eyed recruiters can access
  • Be warned – as with interviews, never ‘slag off’ an employer or boss, regardless of whether this is your current organisation or in your past career
  • Your thoughts might be funny to your friends and fellow bloggers but could damage all the good work you have done to positively raise your profile and develop your career

Moving from the public sector can be daunting but follow these simple tips and social networking can open up new career opportunities.

Employers and independent recruiters are scouring social media sites (especially LinkedIn) on a daily basis. Be mindful in the current economic climate employers are looking for new and effective ways to attract talent and reduce recruitment costs.  Follow the adage ‘you must be in it to win it’!

Steve Preston, Director SMP Solutions  (Career & People Development) Ltd 

‘helping you unlock your potential’

stevepreston@smp-solutions.co.uk  Phone 01895 474887, Mobile  0797 3826424

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Social Media Recruitment With More Than LinkedIn

Posted on 8 November 2011 | 1 Comment

Today’s guest post comes to you from Cashier Live who provide point of sale software for small businesses

Social Media Recruitment with More Than Just LinkedIn

There are various avenues through which to recruit employees online, obviously one of the largest being LinkedIn.  However, while the long reach and general quality of LinkedIn should not be ignored, there are plenty of other social media outlets to consider.  Many job recruiters have produced great results by effectively utilizing other social media, and it is of note that the hungry and eager job market is extremely willing to use alternative ways to seek out jobs.  Here are some other social media outlets to consider:

Various Blogs in your Niche

Blogs are typically forgotten as a source of classified job recruiting but more recently, some of the larger blogs have begun to incorporate “job banks” into their website using various third-party software applications.  GigaOM, Guy Kawasaki’s blog, and Jeremiah Owyang’s blog have all started to add a career hunting aspect to their websites.  Employers now have the opportunity to use existing blogs such as these as recruiting possibilities, or duplicate these models in their own effort to secure employment.

Some recruiters may even use guerilla tactics such as commenting on reputable blogs relevant to the job position in order to market his or her position as an alternative.

Online Video Sites (YouTube)

With online video being so conducive to the younger generation, more and more prospective employees have begun to create “video resumes” and post them on video sharing websites such as YouTube.  These resumes provide the employer with a unique perspective into the applicant before even having to interview them!  With such a multi-dimensional resume, one can evaluate an applicant’s verbal and interpersonal skills, as well as any other attributes that translate more clearly on video than paper.  For job hunters, YouTube provides a clear way to stand out from the pack, whereas if they can aptly demonstrate their abilities on video, they can leverage a significant advantage from the “video interview.”  Not only does this help to expedite the hiring process, but it can also make it less costly.

Smartphone Job Apps

According to a recent survey by LinkUp, 20% of job hunters are using their smartphones to look for jobs.  With such a significant portion of the employee market eating up cell phone minutes, it makes sense to take advantage of the app friendly community.  Smartphone apps such as JobCompass, Careerbuilder, BusyBee, and Monster provide recruiters with a platform on which to advertise customized jobs to the users who are searching the app.  In addition, the apps permit recruiters to utilize the RSS or notification features that the phone is capable of.  Using these apps, recruiters can have more control and selection over who they choose to interview or hire.

Twitter

One of the key features of Twitter is that it enables users to reach people that they do not know using a combination of keywords and common interests.  Job recruiters can actually target Twitter users to advertise to based on the things that they do or say on their Twitter account.  In this way, job recruiters are likely to have a wealth of prospective users to target.  Twellow, a third-party Twitter tool searches user biographies and URL’s within the bio.  By finding matching job hunters, recruiters can then send 140 character messages to the users.  Then, through a series of responses to the posting, it can take on a snowball effect as more and more users who “follow” each other are exposed to the job posting.  In this way, Twitter messages can become truly viral.

On the other end, Twitter is extremely useful to the job seeker.  Numerous job search engines and classified services are available through the social networking giant and can perform comprehensive job searches.  For instance, TwitterJobSearch.com allows you to search Twitter messages for job postings simply by using keywords.  By utilizing the wealth of tools available on Twitter, recruiters and job seekers alike can greatly improve their chances of finding new opportunities.

At the end of the day, it is beneficial to recognize that there are more types of social media with which to recruit through.  With just a little extra creativity, job recruiters can reach an enormous amount of prospects through several easily accessible avenues.

About Cashier Live

Cashier Live provides pos systems for small businesses, from antique to grocery POS software. Whether you’re looking to have an easier checkout, analyze checkout data, or find new hardware pieces, Cashier Live is a solution for all your POS software and hardware needs.

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A Checklist For Your Personal brand

Posted on 2 September 2011 | Leave a comment
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September and a new term begins.  Time to reassess and refresh your personal brand!  The world sees your personal brand in all you do; it can work for you or against you.    

Sometime ago I posted a Checklist for your Personal Brand on Wisewolf Talking. Here is an updated version.

1. Do you have credibility? Are you an expert in your subject?  Do people believe you know what you are talking about?  Do the words you use reflect the latest thinking on your subject?  Do you write articles and blog posts on your specialist interest? Does your resume reflect the real depth of your experience – is it up to date?

2. Do you have an introductory piece – an ‘elevator speech?  Can you deliver a succinct description of what you do, how you do it differently, plus the benefit it delivers, within the time that it takes an elevator to travel one floor?

3. Are you a convincing communicator? Do people believe what you say and act on your advice?  Why not do a market survey – choose three people you trust and ask them what they think!  If not, then read a book or take a class.

4. Do you dress for the job?  Do you know what the dress code is for your sector?  Do you follow it?  But what about off duty – if you met you boss in the supermarket, what impression would they get?  Think about what is appropriate to the situation - balance your individual style with clothing that will appeal to those you are trying to impress.

5. Do you know the etiquette for your organization and your sector?  How do people behave? What kind of business cards do people carry?  Be the one who follows up and says thank you after sector and professional events.

6. Do you know the people you need to impress?  Take time out to build your address book.  Collect business cards – make sure your card reflects your image properly!  Ask contacts for further introductions.  Use LinkedIn, Twitterand Facebook to find new people.

7. Do you nurture your network?  Do you work at nurturing your relationship with your contacts?  Do you show an active interest in them and genuinely care about them?  Ask how they are and what they are doing and mean it.  Remember things they tell you – note them down if you need to! People appreciate real attention but they know when you are being insincere.

8. What do you do with your spare time?  If you give something back to the community with voluntary work or help your local sports club – the news does get around!

Your personal brand is precious – it’s the “you” that the world sees and judges you by.  Nurture your brand and you will nurture your life and your career.

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A Checklist For Your Personal Brand

Posted on 2 September 2011 | Leave a comment
Follow me on Twitter logo

Image via Wikipedia

September and a new term begins.  Time to reassess and refresh your personal brand!  The world sees your personal brand in all you do; it can work for you or against you.    

Sometime ago I posted a Checklist for your Personal Brand on Wisewolf Talking. Here is an updated version.

1. Do you have credibility? Are you an expert in your subject?  Do people believe you know what you are talking about?  Do the words you use reflect the latest thinking on your subject?  Do you write articles and blog posts on your specialist interest? Does your resume reflect the real depth of your experience – is it up to date?

2. Do you have an introductory piece – an ‘elevator speech?  Can you deliver a succinct description of what you do, how you do it differently, plus the benefit it delivers, within the time that it takes an elevator to travel one floor?

3. Are you a convincing communicator? Do people believe what you say and act on your advice?  Why not do a market survey – choose three people you trust and ask them what they think!  If not, then read a book or take a class.

4. Do you dress for the job?  Do you know what the dress code is for your sector?  Do you follow it?  But what about off duty – if you met you boss in the supermarket, what impression would they get?  Think about what is appropriate to the situation - balance your individual style with clothing that will appeal to those you are trying to impress.

5. Do you know the etiquette for your organization and your sector?  How do people behave? What kind of business cards do people carry?  Be the one who follows up and says thank you after sector and professional events.

6. Do you know the people you need to impress?  Take time out to build your address book.  Collect business cards – make sure your card reflects your image properly!  Ask contacts for further introductions.  Use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to find new people.

7. Do you nurture your network?  Do you work at nurturing your relationship with your contacts?  Do you show an active interest in them and genuinely care about them?  Ask how they are and what they are doing and mean it.  Remember things they tell you – note them down if you need to! People appreciate real attention but they know when you are being insincere.

8. What do you do with your spare time?  If you give something back to the community with voluntary work or help your local sports club – the news does get around!

Your personal brand is precious – it’s the “you” that the world sees and judges you by.  Nurture your brand and you will nurture your life and your career.

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Job search – Time to think again about social media

Posted on 23 August 2011 | Leave a comment
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Job Search as it was

Those of us now facing the prospect of redundancy and enforced early retirement grew up in a world of job search with nothing akin to social media.  In those days you had one CV painstakingly typed out and posted to people.  The next generation attached that same one CV to an email and sent it.  Then we learned to turn that one CV into several to meet the needs of a particular job and a particular employer.

 

Job Search as it is now

Now things have moved on again.  Your CV has become an active living part of your job search, very much tied into how you present yourself on line and your “personal brand”.

 

Most large employers these days and many small ones will research on line applicants for significant appointments.  They will put your name into a search engine like Google and see what comes up! This may come as a shock to many leaving the public sector, where keeping a low public profile has been regarded as an asset.

 

The chance that they will find nothing about you on line is becoming more and more remote. I surprised a very traditionally-minded Civil servant recently when I found a reference to him in a government document now on line.  He had been proudly proclaiming that I would find nothing. In reality, in job search, having nothing about you on line would be a clear disadvantage because it sends a message that you wouldn’t feel comfortable with modern office tools.

 

So rather than leave it to chance, you need to know yourself what is on line about you and take steps to influence it for the good.

 

There are huge advantages in using social media in your job search anyway and I have explored them here before – see Using Social Media to Network.   There are risks but you really can influence Google to your advantage.

 

First, make sure you have a well-completed LinkedIn profile.  Fill it out completely using key words – the words people will use to find someone who does your type of work. Putting in those key words won’t just help people search for job candidates on LinkedIn, they could also help you rank higher up the Google page when someone does a general search outside LinkedIn.

 

Then check what else is on line about you already – put your own name into Google. If there is something unhelpful, where you can, do your best to put things right!  For example, if there is an unflattering picture of you on Facebook, ask the person who put it there to remove it.

 

Now for the sake your future job search, be careful in future how you use social media.

  • Remember that what you tweet, lives on forever and may appear in a future Google search.
  • Have care on Facebook – what you treat as private may not be treated in the same way by “friends”.
  • If you blog be aware that your post will live on to be read by potential employers.

 

Overall you need to integrate the social media approach to job search with the traditional approach you’ve used in the past.   You need to be consistent!  Don’t let there be any surprises on line for recruiters. Make sure the candidate they see in the application form lines up with what they find on line.

 

  

I am Wendy Mason and I work as aPersonal Development Coach, Consultant and Writer 

I have worked with many different kinds of people going through all kinds personal and career change, particularly those;

  • looking for promotion or newly promoted
  • moving between Public and Private Sectors
  • moving into retirement

I am very good at helping you sort out what you want, overcome obstacles and handle change. I would like to work with you! I offer face to face, telephone and on-line coaching by email or Skype.

Reade more at http://personaldevelopmentcoaching.net/

Email me at wendymason@wisewolfconsulting.com or ring ++44(0)2084610114 or ++44(0)7867681439 to find out more or go to wendy-mason.com

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