Many job searchers are interested in tying social media into their job search but aren’t sure how to get started. On November 15th, The Working Centre hosted an event called #UnJobSearchKW where we invited speakers to come in to talk about social media and the job search. The following is a brief synopsis of the presentations:
Linda Ockwell-Jenner – How to Build Your Brand
@LindaOJ
Linda is a motivational speaker and travels the world talking about personal branding. Linda let participants know that they need to consider what their brand is before they get going with social media.
Why? Linda used the example of the TV show American Idol – it’s not necessarily the best singer who wins; it’s the person who stands out. Your brand should be about who you are – your opinion, what you wear, your outlook. All of who you are should be packaged as your brand. Once you have your brand, get yourself out there on social media and in person – and make sure that your in-person self is consistent with your online self.
Kayleigh Platz and Ronak Patel – LinkedIn
@write_girl and @r25patel
Kayleigh and Ronak teamed up to share some tips on how to use LinkedIn to connect with employers, peers, and promote your brand.
- Treat LinkedIn as a professional environment (it’s not Facebook!)
- LinkedIn is becoming more important in the job search as many employers are using it to advertise jobs and screen candidates
- Use your “Headline” to show something about your character – if your job has stayed consistent, advertise something else about you on your headline to keep your profile fresh and dynamic
- Consider your LinkedIn connections for their quality, not their number
- Employers will search your LinkedIn profile, so keep it up to date and detailed – don’t just leave it to get out of date, as that will be your online footprint
- Use groups to interact and connect with others
- When inviting people to connect take the few seconds to write out a personalized message
Tara Orchard – Twitter
@careerchatter
Tara Orchard shared some insight into the much talked about, much misunderstood platform called Twitter. Twitter is a micro blogging (140 character messages) platform important because of its volume, speed and reach. Tara declared Twitter a goldmine of information, personal connections, and two-way conversations. She called it a constant waterfall of information, and explained that you only need to stick your finger in to create your own stream of information.
- What to do first? Brand! Decide on your professional brand and stick to it. (If you must have a personal Twitter account, ensure the two accounts are separate and your professional account is your ‘public face’)
- How can it benefit the job search? It’s all about sharing information with others. You can then use it to push people to your other social media networks.
- Twitter will help you to make connections, share, produce, and facilitate content.
Joanne McKinley – Google Plus
Joanne is a programmer with Google and joined us to talk about Google Plus, a new social networking platform from Google.
Google Plus is both an open and closed social network. This means that you can choose how widely you would like information to be shared. Sharing is done by circles. You choose who occupies your circles and choose which circles can see your content. You can also choose to publish things publicly.
Public posts are searchable and readable by anyone, including employers, so it can be another platform to push your brand.
Google Plus, while new, holds possibilities for the job search, from pushing your personal brand, using the video chat feature for interviews, and for engaging and sharing with others.
John Rose – How recruiters use social media
@resourcefuljohn
John Rose is a senior recruitment specialist and shared a hard-line message to those present about social media and the job search: “If you don’t get on board, you’ll be left behind.” He encouraged everyone to think about their brand and get moving on social media.
John explained that the #1 key factor in your success is to increase your chances of being found. He told people that job searching is your full-time job: “If you’re not doing 44 or 48 hours, you’re not doing it right.” He explained that for recruiters social media allows them to dig deep to find people.
Why social media? It allows you to communicate, collaborate, connect, and contribute. These are all abilities employers will be looking for, and social media is your chance to display your abilities – and your brand.
Many thanks to all who joined us for the event and a special thanks to all of our presenters.
