Leveraging Social Media in Your Job Search

Today, I attended an inspiring talk by Lindsay Pollak on how to use Social Media in your job search process. Lindsay is an author of New York Times best-seller Becoming the Boss: New Rules for the Next Generation of LeadersLindsay started her talk with the following quote:

Small choices make big impression

Never eat alone - Keith Ferrazzi

Here's a quick summary of the points she mentioned in her talk.

1. Build your personal brand

The first and the most important tip is building your personal brand. Lindsay gave the following advice on this:

Visibility- You must have a positive online presence. You should be findable online through the professional networks such as LinkedIn.

Differentiation- What makes you unique and stand out from the crowd. What are you known for or can offer which others can't

Consistency- Is your image consistent across all social media and your in-person persona. Keep in mind that every touch point makes a difference because job hunt is very competitive. 

Authenticity- Are you genuine in your image and your outreach to peopleShe advised the audience to have a compelling headline in their LinkedIn profile by mentioning three things-- 1.What are you doing right now, 2. What do you wanna do and 3. What makes you differentShe also advised to use these three things everywhere else. Moreover, the LinkedIn summary should be at the most 300 words. Also, make sure to include your LinkedIn profile's link in your email signature.

Mini Exercise

Write 3 keywords you would like to be known for your career

2. Enhance your expertise

Do your research about the company. That makes you stand out from the crowd in many ways. For example, at a career fair when you go an talk to a recruiter. You can conduct research by following companies/ prospective employers on social media such as Twitter and LinkedIn. This gives you the latest information about the company that you can use to talk about to the recruiters.Lindsay narrated an interesting story about a guy who landed his dream job at a company which does not advertise its jobs or participates in career fairs. Since he had no contacts with the employers at the company, he achieved it by closely following the company/potential employer's news for sometime on Twitter. This helped him getting in touch with the employers and finally hiring him.

Mini Exercise

List 10 employers you wanna follow on twitterList 5 professionals you admire and commit to following

3. Network with your neighbors

If you are not good at networking, start with people you already know. So that when you are looking for job, they know about it and they might be able to connect you to someone they know who might be helpful to you.Lindsay also suggested to connect with the alumni connections of your school on LinkedIn;they might be the most helpful to you since they were in your shoes once. When connecting, make sure to customize the personal message.

Mini Exercise
List 20 friends, colleagues, and alumni you want to connect on LinkedIn

4. Apply old school etiquette

Always carry business cards at networking events so that the recruiters can remember you because you handed them something they can remember to look at in order to remember you.Moreover, be excellent on the phone. Have an appropriate voicemail, and be sure to check the voicemails.Lastly, show gratitude early and often. Everybody likes Thankyou notes :-)