How to use social media in job search Laurie Dillon-Schalk, owner & chief social strategist, Social Wisdom Social Wisdom is a Toronto based digital marketing agency helping firms use social media and the web wisely creating better relationships and business results. October 2009
An overview to social networking sites & their usage for job search. The target audience for this presentation are individuals in career transition or newcomers to Canada - most without profiles on social networking sites.
Although this has been delivered as a workshop - it is best delivered as a series with both classroom and computer instruction time. Please contact me at socialwisdom.ca for more information.
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Transcript
How to use social media in job search
Laurie Dillon-Schalk, owner & chief social strategist, Social WisdomSocial Wisdom is a Toronto based digital marketing agency helping firms use social media and the web wisely creating better relationships and business results.
– Impact on business, relationships and networking.
– How recruiting has changed in 2009
How social are you? Personal branding – pros & cons of social networking Overview of the top social networking sites & recommended actions Questions & Answers – thru-out & at end of session
Dr. Dunbar is British Anthropologist who studied group sizes.
He states that the maximum size of a stable network of relationships for humans is 150 people.
But most people have small personal networks. Social networking allows people to get closer to Dunbar’s number by making it easier to manage more casual relationships than ever before.
Its 2005: Blogs emerge, the internet is used everyday and for major decisions
Over 79% of US adults using the internet with 44% of adults using the internet everyday
45% claim the internet helped them make major decisions– Training for a career
– Help with a major illness or medical condition
– Choose a school or college for yourself or child
– Find a new place to live
– Change jobs
Why is the internet used? Because users can connect with other people for advise or sharing valuable experience.
Horrigan, John and Lee Raine. The Internet’s Growing Role in Life’s Major Moments. Pew Internet & American Life Project, April 19, 2006, http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/The-Internets-Growing-Role-in-Lifes-Major-Moments.aspx, accessed on June 23, 2009.
Its 2005: Blogs begin impacting businesses and industries
“[Blogs are].. simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they're going to shake up just about every business -- including yours.” - Stephen Baker and Heather Green, “Blogs will change your business”, Business week, http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_18/b3931001_mz001.htm, published on May 2, 2005
Within 1 hr of the London bombings, there were more than 1300 blog posts on the event – prompting the BBC to admit “ We don’t own the news any more”
- Richard Sambrook, Director, BBC World Service and Global News Division. October 2005.
Now its 2006 - 8 -- So what’s happening in the market that is contributing to social media rising in its importance?
E-mail Overload -- “E-mail has become the bane of some people’s professional lives” – Michael Arrington, Founder of TechCrunch, Quoted in NY Times April 20 , 2008
– Social Networking Sites (SNS) offer protected email. The lack of spam and fewer messages mean that messages are more likely to be read.
Old media trust issues: Levels of trust are highest for consumer recommendations and opinions and for online medias (websites and email) and lower for newspapers, magazines, tv, radio, etc.
E.g. either leave the birthday blank on facebook and linkedin or do not add your year of birth.
Fraud jobs might ask for a job application including social insurance numbers prior to interviews.
Do not agree to any elaborate payment schemes e.g. cashing cheques on behalf of companies. (this is mostly from craigslist… when in doubt, google the text from your email.)
Imagine a rolodex that updates itself automatically and the rolodex contains way more information than an address and phone no. business autobiography photo or avatar references / referrals See the network! See connections of connections Groups (like minded) Q&A by topic Jobs, jobs, jobs
Use twitter to follow people in organizations you like and to keep in touch with your subject matter expertise/passion
Objective Do’sGrow your network
(grow followers)
• Find your twitter voice & do it often – once a day
• Retweet smart tweets
• Comment and thank people
• Check out MrRetweet – to auto add your linkedin network to your twitter list.
• Recommend people you like
Make it easy for professionals to find you
• Find out if your network has a twitter address. Most people follow someone who follows them.
• Your @twitter address is your new email
Find companies or subject matter experts you like
• Follow companies you are interested in
• Follow relevant hashtags
Establish your personal brand • Use the same photo (avatar) as linkedin
• Choose a memorable username (your name) so that people can identify you easily. (same as linked, same as facebook)
• Your twitter address is your new email
• ** Add your one line bio and chose your words wisely. One big way people decide whether or not to follow you is by reading your short blurb that pops up when hovering over your photo. I like to see topics people tweet about and their roles (e.g. consultant, father of two, banker, etc).