Job Search? Don’t Let Social Media Get In Your Way

Posted by on Aug 20, 2012 | 0 comments

Job Search? Don’t Let Social Media Get In Your Way

Everyone who uses social media knows by now that anything you put out there can and will be seen by just about everybody. When you’re conducting a job search it’s particularly important that your online presence represents the person you want that potential employer to hire. That includes the obvious things such as druken party pictures and online smack-downs with your ex best friend.

There are some more subtle things you may not have considered that could be the reason you aren't getting that second interview. Take a look at these five tips for using social media when you’re job searching and find out if you've been sabotaging yourself.

Job searching is hard enough! Don't sabotage yourself!

Do follow/like the people and companies you want to connect with on Twitter and Facebook.  Retweet or comment on interesting tweets and posts –but only comment if you have something intelligent to add to the conversation. Making yourself known to the right people is important in a job search, but not if you're known as that crazy attention-grabbing stalker person.

Do look back through your streams and delete anything that would look bad to a potential employer, such as the drunk tweet you sent last weekend. In fact, if you often have those kinds of tweet you might want to just delete the account and start a new one! Yes, even comments and pictures that are over a year old can cost you that great job.

Do write every tweet and public post as if the interviewer is standing over your shoulder watching you type. The majority of employers WILL look at your public social media presence to learn more about you. If you put it out there unprotected, the entire world can look at it. You may disagree with their right to do so, but that's not going to stop them.

Don’t immediately send a connection request to your interviewer. It can come off as obnoxious. You wouldn’t invite the interviewer to your house for dinner that night, why would you expect them to give you access to their social network? In fact, be careful who you connect to on which social media platform when it comes to work colleagues. Think about the kind of things you post, and how good you are at controlling what your connections see from you.

Don’t tweet about the interview directly afterward – even if it’s a good comment. Employers want to know that you have boundaries and aren’t going to send every work issue out into the public via social media.

Have you made any blunders with social media during your job search? Tell us about it in the comments!

~ Kelly

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Why Worry About Your LinkedIn Profile?

Posted by on Mar 12, 2012 | 0 comments

Photo courtesy of Fotocromo

Social media has begun the transition from a fad to anindelible part of our business culture. If you’re still in denial about thepower of LinkedIn, try these numbers on for size. According to a research studyconducted by the Job Board Doctor , 78% of HR andRecruiting Professionals surveyed reported using social media to find qualifiedjob candidates in 2011. Of those who used social media for recruitment, 92%used LinkedIn, with Facebook and Twitter tied for second place with about 65%each. The most important challenge these same recruiters reported facing? Alack of qualified applicants.
How could that be, with so many people using LinkedIn andsocial media? The problem is not the amount of people using social media, it’sthe amount of people who are using social media well. If you’re using socialmedia for business or professional purposes, you need to have a clearunderstanding of why you’re using it. Is your only purpose for using LinkedIn keepingtrack of old co-workers? Or are you trying to build an actual professional network?Are you job hunting or do you expect to be job hunting soon? Are you asalesperson looking for prospects? Or a small business owner looking forsuppliers? Once you clarify your purpose for being on the site, you can startto build a profile that will help you achieve that purpose.
No matter your reason for using LinkedIn, having a completeprofile that allows other users to find you is an important part of yourstrategy. Why? Because LinkedIn isn’t just the sites name. It’s also how thesite works. When you do a search on LinkedIn, you are not able to see fullresults from the entire LinkedIn user database. You are only allowed to seepeople who are connected to you through the people you’ve linked to (yournetwork), and a maximum of 100 people (out of network).
The people you link directly to are called your 1stlevel connections. These are people that you know personally, or have haddirect contact with at some point. Each person they are connected to becomes a2nd level connection to you. The people your 2nd levelconnections are linked to, become your 3rd level connections.  1st, 2nd and 3rdlevel connections are free to contact through the site. Anyone further awaythan that requires an upgraded paid account, paying for InMail, an introductionvia a mutual connection, or knowing the person’s email address. 
So the more people you link directly to, the more people youcan reach via LinkedIn. If the people that you know from high school, college,and past jobs can’t find you on LinkedIn because your profile isn’t complete,you are limiting the amount of recruiters, prospects, and business contacts whocan find you as well. So take some time to complete that LinkedIn profile. Onceyou’re open to linking, you never know what opportunities might come your way.
If you need help with your LinkedIn Profile, RFN is herewith a workshop for you. Create & Maximize Your LinkedIn® Profile is asmall, interactive online workshop led by Red Feather Kelly Phillips. Kellywill walk you step-by-step through creating or updating your profile, and willdo a personal review of your own LinkedIn profile after you’ve had a chance toapply what you’ve learned. Only $25!  BONUS EBOOK! Sign up for the March 21st workshop and get an exclusive advance copy of RFN’s Guide to Rockin’ Your LinkedIn Profile for FREE!!!! Learn More or  Register Today!