8 tips for creating a social networking plan for your job search

A social media strategy for job searching in today’s market

1.  Use social media 'power trio' (LinkedIn, Twitter, & Facebook) to build your network 

The goal of any networking opportunity should be to get face-to-face time with the contact, whenever possible, to strengthen the connection.  Social media sites can be very useful in quickly gathering online connections; the trick is to take the next step and land an in person meeting with the contact. 

The purpose of any networking venture, as with social media networking, is find ways to be a "people connector", help others with job leads, and refer them to someone who might be a connection for them.  By helping others, you create a stronger relationship with your contacts.  People are far more likely to help you "connect" in return, thereby, increasing your chances to get quality contacts, and possible informational interviews.  

Social networking sites, especially Twitter, are great resources for career networking and information gathering.  Twitter can serve as your primary source for keeping current with your field and with industry leaders, desired employers, and other “power contacts” you want to “follow”.  Through the people you follow or "friend" on social networking sites, you are able to stay current on the latest industry trends, and job search tips.  You are able to stay "connected" with career professionals who share valuable information, and you have an opportunity to share your own work - news, views, and articles to help others, and build your brand.

"Use online social networks to create offline business connections.  Build a network of favors among contacts" – from Brent Peterson, of "InterviewAngel"

Brief description

• LinkedIn - world's largest professional network, connects professionals, job seekers, networkers. You can research people / jobs / companies / groups, join groups of similar interest, and view status updates of contacts.  Run company, people, and job searches.  Leverage groups - job feature to search job openings daily.
• Twitter - think of a “headline” pointing to another link / website / blog, and a way to gather and share relevant career information. Quickly follow and attract “followers” of similar interest to build relationships, and expand job / career / business network connections.  Twitter search is a great tool to view job postings on a daily basis. 
• Facebook - more a “social” network initially. Has seen a spike in business / professional use lately with recruiters / consulting firms posting jobs, and forming job / career related groups.  Become 'friends' with career industry and personal branding professionals to get the latest job search, online branding, and social media tips.  

Social media "to do" list

• Setup a Profile for LinkedIn, your Profile / info on  Facebook, and Bio on Twitter.
• Be sure your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter information, and any resumes online are up-to-date and loaded with industry specific keywords for the job you are pursuing.  This increases chances that your profile / resume will show up in SEO results with companies searching for potential job candidates.
• Use LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to build your brand and help with your job search.
• Make good use of LinkedIn and Twitter search features on a daily basis to get information on your target companies, and view job opportunities.  Join job groups / fan pages, become "friends" with industry leaders to get the latest career, branding, and social networking tips.
• Use LinkedIn groups feature to join career groups, networking groups, and become an "active" member.  Share your knowledge to help others - post a news article, start a discussion, answer a question, post a job lead, recommend the work of career and branding industry leaders to "pay it forward".  Great opportunity to support others, share your expertise with other job seekers, and build your brand as someone who shares valuable content, that others will want to follow.
  • Career Prospectors -  Charlie Wood, owner, has done an outstanding job of utilizing the groups feature of LinkedIn to encourage members to join Career Prospectors group (653 members and counting) to keep informed of weekly network meetings, learn of the latest job search trends, and to network, and collaborate with other job seekers.  Charlie leverages the calendar of the Virginia Career Network group to post information on the weekly Career Prospector meetings, and continues to be a great community leader and asset for those in career transition in the Richmond area.

Leverage LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to build your network and ‘cast a wide net’ to gather more contacts.  Getting as many quality business contacts as soon as possible on LinkedIn will serve you well.  When doing target company searches on LinkedIn, your contacts and the degree from you are displayed.  Having more connections increases the changes that someone you know works at a company you targeted and you might be able to ask them for an informational interview or "warm" referral.

 Leverage other social media sites -  to engage, connect, network, and build your online presence

• Blogs - very important for telling the remarkable story makes you memorable, optimizing brand awareness, engaging your target audience, soliciting comments and feedback
• YouTube - use to promote and share presentations, career videos, personal branding story
• Meetups - great networking opportunities to share your 30 second elevator pitch, use the online calendar to RSVP for meetings, find out about events where speakers address topics on career transition, job searching, and networking opportunities.
  • Virginia Career Network (VCN) - this meetup group, organized by Collins Denny, promotes ways to supercharge your search, take advantage of opportunities to learn about current job search tactics and skills, share job search tips, network, connect & collaborate, and view a calendar to learn about network meetings in Richmond, VA.  The RSVP feature makes it easy sign up for a meeting, and add the event to your caledar.  VCN continues to be a great asset for all job seekers in Richmond.
• SlideShare - upload PowerPoint presentations to share your expertise, showcase your work , and build your unique brand

Recommended websites for – career, personal branding, job search, social media tips

Bookmark and visit career / branding / job search websites frequently to view the latest news, views, tools, tips, and ways to leverage social networking sites for your job search.

• About.com Job Searching
• Career Success Radio
• Executive Resume Branding
• Interview Angel
• Job-hunt.org / Personal Branding
• Madison+Main, Advertising & New Media
• Mighty Casey Media
• New Media Hire
• Personal Branding Blog
• Tim's Strategy

 
"You'll find tips for locating job listings, finding employers, networking, and other ways to find the right job. Some of the topics I cover include online job searching, writing resumes and cover letters, references, unemployment, and interviewing skills." - from Alison Doyle's About.com Job Searching:

"In the digital age, your name is the only currency and by reading this blog and consuming the information provided, you will have a competitive edge in the marketplace." - from Dan Schawbel's Personalbrandingblog

2.  Setup a Google profile

• How to set-up a profile
• Creating a personal page permits you to post resume information, links to other websites, blogs, profiles, and recommendations for your work to tell your unique story and build your brand 
• Your picture (avatar) shows up in Google search results, a great attention-grabber!
• Use the “About me” section to differentiate yourself with a story that conveys your unique brand and value that hiring managers may view, and hopefully, bookmark for future reference
• Setting up a Google profile is much easier than LinkedIn, and you can have more than just 3 links - as many as 20 or more, so take advantage of this feature

Google Profiles is now a must-do online branding strategy and another great way to tell your unique story and separate yourself from the pack.

See article ‘Are you using the power of a Google profile to promote your brand?’ for more details.

3.  "Connect", "follow”, or “friend” industry leaders and career professionals

Most professionals do not use Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn for personal updates, but to recommend events, online articles, blog posts, and other important information that can keep you current in your field.  Authors, bloggers, and business owners use social media professionally.

“Another good idea is to follow personal branding and careers industry professionals because we have our hands deep into what's going on with job search. Check out Job-Hunt's 101 Best Twitter Job Search/Career Experts Plus 6” - Meg Guiseppi

Here are a few author, blogger, and business owner ”follow”  / “friend” recommendations to get the latest career, job search, branding, social media views, late-breaking news, tools, and tips:

Alison Doyle (About.com: Job Searching), Meg Guiseppi (branding expert), Tim Tyrell-Smith (ideas for Job Search, Career and Life), Dan Schawbel (personal branding), Annemarie Cross (Career Success Radio), Keith Keller (Career Success Radio), Chris Perry, Warren Sukernek

Some great Richmond, VA "tweeple" to follow are:
Sara Dunnigan (tweets for RichmondJobNet), Brent Peterson (founder - InterviewAngel), Casey Quinlan (Mighty Casey Media),  Jeff Jefferson, Dave Saunders, Nhat Pham

4.  Network, network, network

•    Attend network meetings, be a matchmaker, share contacts, job information, build your network
•    Be “people connector”, help others with job leads, connections, and recommend them
•    Remember:  the networking focus should be trying to help others “connect” with contacts that you know (80/20 rule: spend 80% of the time helping / supporting others get what they need; only 20% promoting yourself) others are more likely to reciprocate and help you, if you do.   

5. Take advantage of mentors, network contacts that can motivate and encourage you

If there is any advantage of being in job / career “transition” for an extended period of time, it is all the new friends and connections one is able to make. You may come into contact and interact with entrepreneurs, and people with vision who “think outside the box”.  You probably never would have met them, had you stayed where you were – in your old job. They may inspire you and encourage you to try something new, and maybe take a new career path.

Mentors - some churches and networking organizations offer mentoring programs.  These volunteers give their time to assist those in career transition. They offer job seeker, networking tips, may provide job leads, and hold one accountable for weekly tasks in one’s job search.  Veronica Boyd of  St. Michael Job Assistance Ministry (JAM), performs a great service for all job seekers in the Richmond area, by posting many new job leads and career tips daily.

Leverage contacts in your network - Casey Quinlan, the voice behind Mighty Casey Media, is an entrepreneurial spirit and speaker whom I met at a networking event a year ago. She delivers a very powerful message and it centers on discovering your talents that tell your unique story to build your brand using social media. In her words, “Tell a remarkable story about the value you deliver - that's your brand, that's how you'll build a solid reputation in your marketplace. A remarkable story makes you memorable.”

6.  “Pay it forward” – share and recommend the work of others

Many industry leaders post articles, share blog posts, and have guest writers on their sites that contribute quality career, job search, and branding information that benefit everyone.  

“Pay it forward” by sharing and recommending the work of career and branding professionals to other job seekers.  It’s a good way to reward the industry leaders for their research, and share the latest social media tips for maximizing a job search.  This is a win-win for the industry leaders and those in career transition.  

Worth repeating: Be a "people connector" and HELP OTHERS get the contacts they need, recommend their work to others.  Share your job search tips, and social media tips with your network; the more you help others, the more likely it is that someone will help you get the next quality contact that YOU need. 

"What can you do to help, even if you're job searching yourself? Write a reference for a contact on LinkedIn, refer a job lead to a friend, retweet a post from someone who is looking for work, visit JobAngels and see if there is someone you can help. Offer to proofread a friend's resume and cover letters." - quote from Alison Doyle's blog.
 
7.  Leverage latest features of job search engines

•    SimplyHired - Search millions of job listings from across the web. Find local jobs, salary comparisons, and employment trends at Simply Hired. New jobs added daily.  SimpleHired went to the head of the class recently, with the 1/19/10 addition of a *LinkedIn interface*, that shows 1st - 4th degree contacts at companies in job search results.  When you click on the Who Do I Know? button, Simply Hired automatically delivers an in-line view of your professional connections with potential employers included in your results.  You can also filter search results by Title, Company, Date posted, Job type, etc.

•   indeed - Job Search by Indeed. One search. All jobs. Search millions of jobs from thousands of job boards, newspapers, classifieds and company websites.  You can also filter search results by Salary Estimate, Title, Company, Location, Job type, and Employer / Recruiter.

8.  Find a "Social Media Champion" to help you leverage social networking in your job search

Do you need a "Social Media Champion?"  Maybe you should find one?  Are you building your brand and making the most of your job search by using social networking?

Social media is already changing the rules of the marketplace, just like the web did a decade ago. It's still early of course and no one -- not even the experts -- knows where all this is going. But it's clear that times are changing again, and those that don't jump in will go the way of print media.

Whatever title is designated for the social media person – be it “champion”, “consultant”, ”analyst”, “strategist”, ”manager”, “coordinator”, “director”, “specialist”, “coach”, “trainer”, etc., there is growing evidence to support the idea that someone well versed in “social media” has skills that add value and benefit any organization or individual.  Their insight, knowledge, and the willingness to share the latest tools, tips, recommendations, and to coach and train others, should make them an asset that will become increasingly in demand as people try to navigate through the changing social media landscape.

Social media is the new way that people connect, communicate, and build relationships on the internet.  Those with vision understand this and are finding quicker, better ways to share information, late-breaking news, and reach a much larger audience through viral marketing made possible by social media networking.

See Examiner article ‘Do you need a social media champion?’ for more details.

 - Daulton West, Jr. , aka "DWestJr” on Twitter

Other articles that may be of interest:

Social Media and the Job Hunt (SMCEDU-RVA event)
3 sites to help in your job search: the social media 'power trio'
8 tips for creating a social networking plan for your job search
Do you need a social media champion?
Using Twitter for career networking
Nonprofits embracing social media for fund raising
Are you using a blog to build your brand and build your business?
Best practices tip: post high value messages to build your brand
The Legal of Social (SMCRVA - Feb 2010 review)
LinkedIn groups – are you building relationships for job networking?
Professional networking with Facebook
Are you using the power of a Google profile to promote your brand?
Using social media to help Haiti earthquake victims - Together we can make a difference!
Are Twitter lists the new #FollowFriday? Are you using Twitter lists to monitor your brand?
New Hootsuite & Tweetdeck features, Facebook - News Feed / Live Feed defined

 More social media news, views, tools, & tips: Richmond Social Media Examiner