The Internet and technology has revolutionize the way we job hunt and if you have not joined that “revolution” in your job search efforts, you could be left on the sidelines while others enjoy more frequent employment opportunities.
Job seekers who want to stand out today as viable candidates for opened job opportunities, need to make themselves more marketable digitally. Not only should you be posting your resumes online, but you should also consider other ways of presenting a strong presence on the Internet.
Increase your recruiting visibility through social media sites
Heidi Wiles, a technical recruiter with HRU Technical Resources in the Lancing Michigan area says LinkedIn is the top social media for recruiters today. She encourages both job seekers and those already employed to get on LinkedIn.
“LinkedIn is very popular with recruiters,” says Wiles. “Job seekers increase their visibility with recruiters when they are on LinkedIn,” added Wiles.
Wiles also added that joining the world’s largest professional network is free.
LinkedIn has over 175 million members. That membership is expected to continually grow rapidly in 2013 and beyond.
Wiles’ endorsement of LinkedIn as a popular site use by recruiters is supported by a 2013 North American Staffing and Recruiting Trends Report published by Bullhorn, http://www.bullhorn.com/sites/default/files/na_trends_report_2013.pdf.
The Bullhorn survey asked recruiters which social media they plan on using more extensively in 2013; LinkedIn easily was the favorite of the top social networks. A total of 82.6 percent of recruiters indicated they plan to use LinkedIn more extensively compared to 38.3 percent planning to use Twitter and 37.4 percent saying they plan to use Facebook more often in 2013.
More than 98 percent of recruiters used social media to find candidates in 2012 for open positions according to the survey. Such numbers alone should be convincing enough to persuade job seekers to become a part of this growing network.
Recruiters are always on the lookout for good candidates for opened positions, including those employees that are happy in their current jobs. A total of 83 percent of recruiters targeted passive job seekers as the top benefit for using social media, according to the Bullhorn recruiter survey report.
The other benefits for recruiters in using social media is that it helps to build brand awareness, develops new client leads, fill jobs more quickly, and helps to reduce the cost of job board posting.
Also, social media is not only a win/win for recruiters and job seekers, but also for employers who desperately want to find good candidates for open positions.
Establish a professional website and domain name
Another way of making yourself more visible and marketable to recruiters and employers is to have a professional website.
Putting up a website will help you control some of the online content that’s out there about you. However, your site should be relevant and professional. The content could be similar to information you would write in your cover letter or resume.
Make sure your website has at least three pages. For example, you should have an introduction page, including a brief synopsis of your experience; a more detailed bio or resume; and evidence of your performance, such as awards, testimonials, or work samples. Also, make sure your contact information is included, such as your email address and cell phone number.
Also register a domain name, if possible, buy your own name (for example, JohnAdam.com), since that’s where many employers will look first. You can search for unclaimed URLs at sites such as http://www.godaddy.com/, http://www.domain.com/, and http://domaininfo.buydomains.com/domain-name-basics/domain-registration/. These and other domain sites have reasonable prices that can vary depending on the number of years you purchase the domain name.
Also, don’t be afraid to build your own website. There are many easy to use software templates out there that you can use to build your site such as: http://www.easytemplates.com/, http://www.ewisoft.com/make-your-own-web-site.htm, http://www.intuit.com/website-building-software/ and others.
However, if you don’t want to be bothered with building your own website, consider hiring someone to do the job for you. If you want to save a few dollars hire a local college student in a web design program to do it for you.
Also, don’t forget to include a professional photo of yourself smiling on your website. Whether they admit it or not, recruiters and even hiring managers want to see what you look like. It’s human nature.
Create a blog
Another way to further expand your visibility on the Internet is to create a blog.
Whatever your expertise may be, a blog is a great way to inform others while also showing off your skills and knowledge in a particular area. While a website is useful to show your accomplishments and achievements, a blog helps to demonstrate that you are involved and up-to-date in your field or profession.
You can include a blog on your newly established website or simply the link to your blog.
Also, don’t forget to update your blog or a regular basis. Blogs get more traffic and visibility when they are updated regularly. Engage your readers by updating your blog with different and new information either weekly or more often.
Blogs are easy to set up and there are plenty of sites that you can build from. Among some of the free sites are: http://wordpress.com/, http://www.thoughts.com/, http://blog.com/, http://blogsome.com/, and many others.
Take control of your online visibility
Joining a social media network, creating your own website and domain name, and establishing a blog, will not only help make you standout as a viable candidate for employment opportunities, but will also help you take control of your online identity in a positive manner.
The key to increasing your attractiveness on line is to present yourself in a professional manner. In doing so, you stand a greater chance of catching and attracting the roaming online eyes of recruiters and hiring managers.
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