Utilize Social Media to Help People Find You - To get people to find him online, James utilized Facebook Ads, Google AdWords, LinkedIn ads, and of course, Craigslist. His Facebook ad is actually how I discovered him in the first place. He used specific demographic targeting to appear for UNC alums and me being one of them, it popped up in my ads. Even if you don’t want to spend the money, it’s still a good idea to utilize Facebook’s demographic targeting. You can find out how many fellow alumni are in your area and how many people are involved in your industry.

Having ads aren’t enough though. You’ve got to make sure you stand out from the crowd.

Stand Out - “I put the (‘Non-Lame-Ass’ Craigslist) title for a couple reasons,” said James. “One, it’s an attention grabber in a big dull category of resumes and second of all, I thought I didn’t want to work for someone who didn’t think that was hilarious or could at least deal with the fact that I had put it on there.”

I’ll admit if I saw this ad, I would definitely click it. Having said that, it’s still probably not a good idea to use profanity or write headlines that can offend. You have to tread a fine line between funny and offensive. If you do it correctly, people who might have been normally offended by it will applaud you for taking something dirty and making it fun. People who like that type of humor will take an innocuous comment and make it dirty by themselves.

Businesses could learn from this example. The majority of Facebook ads I see are subpar. The pictures and copy often make them look like spam. Facebook does have its limits when it comes to advertising, but I believe art thrives on limitations. It forces you to be more creative. James’ ad was genuine, easy to understand, and most importantly targeted at the right audience. Toss funny in there and you’ve got the perfect combination. But your job doesn’t end there. You also have to make sure that when someone clicks on the ad, the place to which they’re taken is worth their while.

Web Presence - “It all started with knowing that it was a bad economic environment to find a job,” said James. “So I was trying to think of ways to separate myself from other job applicants because that’s really all you can do.” Daigle created a website that would serve as his resume. The site allows you to view his resume online and provides you with the ability to download it as a Word document or PDF. There are also links to his Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn profiles, along with share buttons.

“A hiring manager could just go on there, whether it’s in the office or in their underpants,” said James. You won’t be able to go to every career fair or networking event, but your website will always be available.

Too often, when I click on Facebook ads, they direct me to something that was vaguely related to the ad. James’ link doesn’t direct you to a survey or a contest entry form, it takes you to something clean, good-looking, and easy to understand.

As of my interview with James, he had not found a job, but he had had several interviews and another lined up. I find it very impressive that he has gotten interviews from his online efforts. I’m sure that if he, and anyone else that tries this method and continues to persevere, then more opportunities will arise.

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Before, networking was about connections with people you directly knew, and you had to rely on many personal relationships for advancement. These avenues are still worth exploring, but with LinkedIn you can find connections in places never thought possible. The key to utilizing LinkedIn properly is knowing what to share about yourself, and how to share it.

There are six important tips to remember when networking for your career.

The most important aspect of networking is to remember it’s a two way street. Communication on any level doesn’t work if both sides aren’t providing give-and-take. Remember that while you’re wanting to find a job, the other person you’re networking with has their own needs. Don’t jam your own wants and needs ahead of theirs. Many times, by listening you can find out information that will come back to help you.

While balancing the line between listening and speaking, also remember to always be professional. Nothing can hurt your chances more with a prospective contact than appearing amateurish. Many times this can be hard to remember as networking isn’t as formal as an actual job interview. Still, remember to use correct grammar and spelling, and always be on topic. Never bring up something you normally share with your friends on Facebook, or Twitter.

While remaining professional, you also want to be honest with your networking contacts. Using LinkedIn is about furthering your career, but never conduct yourself in such a way that you’re using someone, or lying to them. You’re true motives will eventually be outed, and it can really come back to bite you if the person you were networking with is vocal about it.

When keeping honest with your contacts, never short change them. Nothing is worse than when you feel as though you’ve been used. The idea of networking is keeping up communication so that all parties can benefit. If you completely cut those lines of communication, than nothing good can come of it. Even if you land a job, networking with those who got you there is still beneficial to you. Never take anyone for granted.

The ultimate goal of networking is to advance your career, primarily by finding a job. However, sometimes things just don’t work out. Never, under any circumstances, complain about your situation to those in your professional network. Things are rough all over, and complaining about your situation or desperately chasing down a lead will lead to nothing good. Keep the complaints to people in your friends and family network.

LinkedIn is such a valuable tool to those who know how to harness it. Increasing your network, and upping your worth can be a huge boon for career advancement. Just remember these guidelines before you go forward, and you’ll find success can come from many different places.

On Friday, the first annual NYC Startup Job Fair was held.  AOL sponsored the event, which must count as a good start; even if the company’s had its share of problems, a lot of money and smart people remain on its side.

Also, it isn’t as if this job fair was put on for the sake of filling positions at just five or ten companies.  An impressive 35 startups sent representatives, making for a good showing on the recruiters’ side of the tables.

And as for how the event worked out on the whole, Nick Saint wrote afterward that it “was packed, and came off about as smoothly as you could hope for a first time.”  Which is of course about the best thing anybody could expect to hear.

Don’t disregard the value of walking from around a physical room, shaking hands with folks and exchanging contact info, then.  Don’t forget that tiny companies can afford to hire good people, too, and perhaps have the potential to offer even greater rewards than traditional firms if things take off.

No, I didn’t either. Its aim is to raise awareness for consumers around privacy issues.

One of the sponsors of Data Privacy Day is Microsoft who commissioned research in France, Germany, the UK and the USA to find out how people manage the information they and others place on the internet.

The research was conducted in December 2009 by market research firm Cross-Tab. The overall results are fascinating, with some terrific insight into people’s behaviours online and their concerns (summarized at the end of this post). What’s really interesting to me, though, are the metrics about the effects online behaviours unquestionably have on the attitudes and actions of recruiters – individuals who make hiring decisions – in a society in which behaviour norms and standards are rapidly evolving and where, it seems, anything goes online as well as offline.

[…] Because the private actions of employees can now embarrass companies in ways that make headlines and spread around the online world in minutes, hiring processes have changed to include vetting all behavior, not just how someone performs on the job. Concerns about lifestyle, inappropriate comments, and unsuitable photos and videos top the list of reasons that those surveyed give for rejecting a candidate. But they also rejected applicants because of inappropriate comments by friends, family, and colleagues, or based on membership in certain groups.

So if ever you thought that those pics, videos and stories on Facebook about those weekend parties you do, or how you lived life at Uni, are just a huge laugh and great fun for your social networking friends to see, just check this chart:

If you’re job hunting, it’s less of a problem if you’re French but a major one if you’re American.

Checking people out online and gaining insight into their behaviours is a clear trend and will become more common, according to the research, although not uniformly so in the four major countries surveyed.

Still, a definite trend nevertheless.

What if a recruiter finds information about you online that isn’t true? Here’s the reality:

[...] Nearly 90% of US recruiters and HR professionals surveyed say they are somewhat to very concerned that the online reputational information they discover may be inaccurate. An equal number claim they take steps to corroborate its authenticity. (The research did not investigate what steps they take to validate the authenticity of the information they find.) In France, 47% of recruiters and HR professionals surveyed are concerned with information accuracy, and even more (50%) say they take steps to verify it. Recruiters and HR professionals surveyed in the UK and Germany are not as likely to check information accuracy. In the UK, 80% of these professionals said they are concerned with the veracity of the data, yet only 68% say they take steps to check it. And though 79% of recruiters and HR professionals in Germany express concern, only 39% say they attempt to verify the data.

In other words, assume that what people (recruiters) see about you online, it’s likely that’s what they’ll believe about you. The bottom line for you: good online reputations matter to recruiters and HR professionals.

A clear message, then: take care of your reputation online.

I think the best summing-up of everything presented in Cross-Tab’s research are the responses to this question asked of the people Cross-Tab surveyed: “In the last six months, which of the following steps (if any) have you taken to protect your online reputation?”

Interesting results, summarized nicely in this chart (click the image, or here, to see it in full size):

Overall, the research paints a thought-provoking picture, summarized here from the survey’s executive summary:

• The recruiters and HR professionals surveyed are not only checking online sources to learn about potential candidates, but they also report that their companies have made online screening a formal requirement of the hiring process.
• Of US recruiters and HR professionals surveyed, 70% say they have rejected candidates based on information they found online. Though not as frequently, respondents from the UK and Germany report the same trend.
• Recruiters and HR professionals surveyed report being very or somewhat concerned about the authenticity of the content they find.
• In all countries, recruiters and HR professionals say they believe the use of online reputational information will significantly increase over the next five years.
• Positive online reputations matter. Among US recruiters and HR professionals surveyed, 85% say that positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions at least to some extent. Nearly half say that a strong online reputation influences their decisions to a great extent.
• Consumers surveyed have mixed opinions about the appropriateness of recruiters and HR professionals examining some types of online content. Most find it reasonable that recruiters and HR professionals check information on professional sites. There is greater concern, however, about recruiter scrutiny of photos, videos, and other personal content including blogs, personal social network pages, organizations they are affiliated with, financial information, and the like.
• Consumers surveyed use a variety of methods to monitor and manage the information posted about them online. Most notably, they use multiple personas, search for information about themselves, adjust privacy settings, and refrain from posting content that they believe could damage their reputation.
• Though most consumers surveyed do manage their reputation at least to some extent, there are a significant percentage of respondents (between 30% and 35% depending on nationality) who don’t feel their online reputation affects either their personal or professional life. Consequently, they are not taking steps to manage their reputations.

Details:

• Online Reputation in a Connected World (PDF) – Research report executive summary.
• Data Privacy Day: Perceptions study Consumers & HR/Recruiters (PowerPoint presentation) – detailed findings with lots of charts in 87-slide deck.
• Take charge of your online reputation – useful tips from Microsoft on taking care of your reputation online.

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The attached file is Using social networking to find you next job and love it is meant to help people find their next job. This PDF is all about using Linkedin and other social networking sites to help you find your next job. The attached file is about 24 pages long and I would like to thank DR 1665, Ryan, and other people who helped me put together this report.

Finding the right job for the right person with the right needs and wants is always challenging, it is more challenging when the job market is expected to take at least a two years to recover to 2008 pre-recession levels. Some long-range projections of the job market expect the recovery to start in 2014 , well past the time that unemployment will run . For some this is a disaster, they do not have the skills, nor have they invested in updating their own skills to be viable in the job market. For others this opportunity can lead to improved work opportunities that are more in line with what they want and can be done on their own terms. For some of the intrepid a down economy and poor job market reinforces the idea to start their own company. Regardless of where someone is coming from emotionally or intellectually the any issue that delays the job search also makes the job search more challenging. This is true for people who need to work in, have the general security that a large company provides, and not take the risks that a startup or owning your own company entails .

The file is free to download and share as you see fit. It is very much so CC 2.0, share and share alike, if you would like to use this in a publication, or in any other way that makes money – contact me at rmorrill at gmail.com and we can discuss it.

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This is just as true for Baby Boomers as it is the younger generation, which is why some Baby Boomers are considering popular avenues to get their names out there, including social networking sites. If you have been thinking about social networking as an avenue for job seeking, consider a few benefits of doing so.

Recruiters Often Visit Social Networking Sites First

As mentioned previously, the new age of technology has brought about a lot of changes in regards to job searches. As a result, many companies are taking advantage of modern-day technologies to recruit and accept applications from candidates. Because social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn have been created for the purpose of connecting with individuals and businesses, many headhunters and recruiters are taking advantage of these avenues to quickly review candidates’ qualifications with the hopes of finding that needle in the haystack.

It’s for this reason that experts suggest that Baby Boomers also take advantage of social networking. With job losses on the rise, there isn’t much out there, which means all candidates can use any edge they can get their hands on. Because social networking allows individuals to showcase their experience and even garner recommendations right on their pages (ie. LinkedIn’s recommendation system), Baby Boomers may find that the jobs their looking for may show up at their doorstep.

There are Even Sites for Higher-Level Professionals

For those who feel that social networking may not help them acquire the high-level employment opportunities they’re looking for, there are options in this realm. For instance, ExecuNet is a website that was created for leaders in the workplace (directors, VPs, CEOs). Members who join are able to connect with other members looking for employment through forums. They are also able to connect with recruiters looking for talented candidates. The site also offers business and career advice, and only helps promote positions paying $150K or higher.

The Financial Executives Network Group (FENG) is another site geared toward recruiting high-level professionals, mostly at the CEO or CFO level in the financial industries. Those who join as members (membership is free) are allowed to communicate with each other on financial job leads.

Just Be Careful

While social networking is an incredible vehicle for finding great job opportunities, putting your personal information on the Internet has inherent dangers. One is that you never know what predators are viewing your personal details. Another is that your information may stay out in cyberspace longer than you would like. So as you post your details, choose your information carefully. Also, be aware that first impressions mean everything, so be careful what details about your life you share.

Baby Boomers sometimes feel crippled by their lack of proficiency with the new age of job searching. But they don’t have to. If you are a Baby Boomer and feel it’s time to kick your job search into high gear, consider social networking as a route to take.