Working Your (Social) Network
The Dos and Don’ts of Using Social Media During Your Job Search
This month, Career ToolBox focuses on social media, an evolving self-propelled world, where the rules change and continue to shift daily, whether we’re ready or not. The key, as to life, is to be flexible, proactive and positive. According to David Millet, Esq., Vice President of The Westerman Group, LLC, an investment and wealth management company, “Be careful and diligent to ensure that your online reputation is aligned with your professional aspirations off line.” It is a brave new world and we’re all in it.
LinkedIn – Do!
If you are going to use only one social media tool, no matter what your industry or career path is, you need to have presence on LinkedIn. Originally a more static address book model, LinkedIn has done a nice job of keeping up with the times and allowing status updates, links, and groups. Plus, by this point, it has an extensive database of people, many of whom you probably know. You can search by any organization that you are connected to including colleges and companies.
One of the advantages of LinkedIn is that the only way people can connect to you (and vise versa) is if you have the primary relationship. This provides a sense of privacy. However, if you need to reach out to someone outside your own network, the site will visually articulate the people you will need to go through to communicate with the desired individual. You can also post an abbreviated version of your resume, include your photo and give back by providing recommendations. Adds Jamie Ginsburg, Social Media Strategist with DIVA LLC, “Give recommendations weekly until you run out of people to write them for. Giving recommendations on LinkedIn promotes your profile keeping you in front of your network and builds social capital. Write a recommendation for everyone that has worked for you, that you have worked for, that you know professionally or personally. Keep them short, simple and honest, remembering these recommendations build your credibility and communicate to the reader how well you write.”
Companies often now use the tool to find candidates and some job placement agencies will only communicate to their client base via LinkedIn. So invest the time, create or update your profile, search for people you know and, at least once a week, use LinkedIn to see what companies, groups and individuals are doing and seeking, as well as posting your own progress, always with an optimistic tone. It just may get you an interview or even a job.
Facebook – Do! (Carefully)500 million followers signifies that Facebook is the second home for the global population. Chances are, you are already on it. Personally, I am logged in most of the day, checking in on what everyone is up to, any news breaks as well as reactions to events and announcements. For example, a former colleague who just had a baby posted on her profile page that she was looking for a professional photographer to do a family portrait. I saw this and connected her with a woman who has her own photography business and specializes in personal events. Within a few hours, the women were communicating. Life on Facebook moves that quickly.
Facebook can be your best or worst p.r. agent, depending on your posts. When I coach college students on career development, and tell them that anything and everything they post on social media sites can be screened by hiring companies, even with the tightest privacy settings, the students seem shocked to learn this. The truth is, people lose job consideration if perspective managers see individuals in reckless behavior.
No matter what you share with others, avoid the following: negativity, derogatory comments, gossip, slander and, specifically, bashing any organization where you work, worked or want to work. You may be angry at the world, but the world doesn’t need to hear it. At the end of the day, firms hire for a combination of attitude and skill set. You can be the greatest computer programmer on the planet, but if you are toxic and only wish to see the worst, no one will want to work with you.
On the flip side, a productive way to use Facebook, especially since it’s a mix of personal and professional, is to notify people of progress, post related questions and, when sharing more intimate details of your life, use common sense. Finally, when accomplishing or achieving something significant, like graduating from a program, completing training or achieving any other success that you are proud of, share it – your Facebook friends will be encouraging and happy for you.
Twitter – Do!Twitter is your life in 140 characters. An open blog, where anyone can find you, Twitter is great for discovering random connections, people and products that you would have never otherwise connected with in the everyday. Additionally, whatever you publish to LinkedIn and Facebook, you can also to Twitter, all in one swoop as the three networks now allow for streamlined posting. Also, if undesirable followers come knocking at your door, you can block them. Remember, your messages need to be pertinent, compelling and quick. Finally, to truncate a lengthy link, you can use a site like http://TinyURL.com or, even shorter, http://www.is.gd
Bottom Line
Social networks are the present. People rely on them to find what’s new, weed out what isn’t and to connect with people and products that are intriguing and relevant. No matter what combination of services you use, know this: you are your brand. And whatever you signal about your brand is what will come back to you. Most importantly, invest your time in these as part of your ongoing investment in yourself. They are a tool, and a compliment to face-to-face interaction.
According to Ginsburg, “Social networking is not a competition to see who has the most friends or contacts. It is the opportunity to get to know people better. You must dig through your contacts and set up meetings every single week. When you travel, find people in your network and get meetings, breakfast, coffee or drinks with them. Your next opportunity may live in another city yet have a great connection for you. By meeting in public places you will see other people you know and this is not an accident. Follow-up with these individuals and participate in your community. Finally, stay actively engaged in the process of helping other people with the opportunities they are seeking.”
All this hard work may lead you to unimagined success. Take for example, Justin Halpern. One year ago, twenty-something Justin was dumped by his girlfriend, was flat broke and forced to move in with his parents. Today, his “Sh*t My Dad Says” posts have over a million followers, not to mention a best-selling book of the same name and a television sitcom staring William Shatner. Aldus Huxley would be proud.
Read past CareerTOOLBOX columns here: CareerTOOLBOX.
Have a career question? Write alex@mbahobo.com
Alex Sukhoy, a globally-networked creative and business professional with nearly 20 years of corporate management experience, is founder and manager of http://MBAhobo.com, a career consulting firm, and Creative Cadence LLC, a content and business development company. Alex teaches screenwriting and preproduction at Tri-C and in 2006, she was profiled in BusinessWeek.com. Since first moving to Cleveland in 2003, she’s made this city her home, and even wrote a song and a screenplay about it. Her novella, Chatroom to Bedroom: Chicago, is currently available on Amazon.com.