This document provides an overview of using social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogs to build an online personal brand and network for career and job searching purposes. It discusses defining your personal brand, the power of in-person and online networking, and how to get started using key social media platforms like setting up profiles, engaging with contacts, and sharing relevant content. Examples of social media etiquette and managing your online reputation are also provided.

1. NEW Economy Careers & Job Fair
May 2010

2. Outline
! Your brand/in-person networking
! Define social media
! Shift in the marketplace
! Three social media
platforms to begin today
! Linkedin
! Twitter
! Blog

3. Your personal brand
! Take the time to figure out why an employer should
hire you– what sets you apart from other job seekers
! Write a simple paragraph describing your qualities and
career highlights/ROI
! Use in-person networking and social media
platforms to differentiate yourself by Who am I?
letting your audience experience
who you are

4. Power of in-person networking
! Don’t be shy!
! Integrate in-person with social media networking
! Ask for informational meetings with
area employers
! Stay in touch with your network
to stay top of mind
! Put yourself in the (potential)
employers’ shoes, what’s their
brand and how can you
demonstrate “you get it”

5. The power of social media

6. Social media defined
Internet-based tools used for sharing and
discussing information among people
Activities that integrate technology, social
interaction and the construction of
words, pictures, videos and audio
Information depends on the varied
perspectives and “building” of
shared meaning among
communities

7. Social media platforms
! Social Networking
! News & Bookmarking
! Blogs
! Microblogs
! Video Sharing
! Photo Sharing
! Wikis
! Geolocation
! Virtual Reality
! Social Gaming

8. Social networking
! Online communities of like-minded people
! Purpose
! Social: stay in touch, build relationships
! Professional: network, build clientele, find jobs, post
jobs, supply content
! Components: photos, profile, status, messaging, events,
groups, network webs, e-books, blogging
! Platforms: Facebook.com, Plaxo.com, Linkedin.com

9. Linkedin
! LinkedIn has over 36 million
members in over 200 countries
and territories around the
world.
! A new member joins
LinkedIn approximately
every second, and about
half of the members are
outside the U.S.
! Executives from all
Fortune 500 companies are
LinkedIn members.

10. You
Your Network
Their Network
Their Network’s Network

11. Open account
! You’ll need:
! Computer
! Email address
! Resume
! Photo
! 30 minutes

12. Determine purpose/goals

13. Look for jobs, people,
answer questions
Set up profile
Photo
Index
Profile
completeness
Basic information Experience, connections, education Profile tasks to
networks complete

14. Personal URL
Tip: Use your personal URL,
www.linkedin.com/in/yourname on your resume,
email signature and business cards

15. Applications
Tip: Add content to your profile by integrating a blog, Twitter, e-books, etc.

16. Applications
Examples:
Share content though e-books,
Twitter feeds and blogs

17. Add contacts

18. Work it
! Check your profile daily
! Post and answer questions
! Update your status
! Keep tabs on who is looking
at your profile
! Join groups or start a group
! Look at the companies
you’re interested in working
for and see if you have
connections in common
with employees.

19. Microblogs
! Mini blog maintained by multiple authors
! Updates: 140 characters or less
! Used for file and information sharing and gathering
! Topics: political, social, professional
! Platforms: Twitter.com

20. Account set up
Status updates Photo
Username
Tweople
@Replies
Direct Messages
The Conversations

21. Complete your profile
! Use an email address you check
regularly
! Use an easily recognizable
username
! Add additional URL
(blog or Linkedin)
! Use an image that people can
clearly see your face on a small
scale
! Add a one line bio
! Include city and state you live in

22. Find people from your networks
! www.search.twitter.com
! ‘Find People’ tab on
profile
! Twello.com
! WeFollow.com

23. Lingo
! @Replies: conversation between
people or used to give someone credit
! RT: retweet is used when
repeating information, often
used with an @Reply to give
credit
! TinyURL: Web site that
allows users to post long
URLs in smaller form

24. Job Related Twitter Accounts

25. Attend tweetups & meetups
Network

26. Put it all out there…
! Let your network know you’re job searching by
writing it in your bio
! Keep your followers
up-to-date on your
search
! Post content relevant
to your search and
your industry
! Tweet your resume
140 characters at
a time

27. ! Website
Blogs
! Platforms: Typepad.com or Wordpress.org
! Maintained by an individual or an organization
! Share content (written, images, video, etc.) in
reverse-chronological order through “posts”
! Types: social, corporate, genre (fashion,
political, travel, etc.)
! Informally written typically using acronyms
! Typically allow comments
! Terms: blogosphere, internet celebrities, blogger relations

28. Name of
blog = your Blog example
name Photo
Make
content
easy
to share
with RSS
Post regularly with photos/images

29. Reasons to blog
! Form of online resume
! Develop content, demonstrate how
you think
! Engage in dialogue
! Improve your search engine visibility
! Gain expert status by providing useful
information

30. Blog-iquette
! Follow other blogs daily
! Post comments on other blogs
! Make it easy to share, include an RSS feed
! Include photos and video
! Update regularly = 2x/week
! Promote other blogs
! Encourage comments and respond to comments

31. Rules of engagement
! Don’t push yourself but engage
! Be personal
! LISTEN
! Don’t swear, not even with asterisks
! Always disclose who you are and your affiliations
! Everything is public, even if your profile is blocked

32. Did you know …
! 45 % of employers run a candidate’s name through a
search engine such as Google? (Society for Human Resource
Management (SHRM))
! That one in five HR professionals disqualified a
candidate based on what they uncovered online? (Society for
Human Resource Management (SHRM))
! What the top reasons are for disqualifying a candidate?
! Provocative or inappropriate photos
! Content of them drinking or using drugs
! Candidates bad mouthed their previous employer

33. Managing your online brand
! 18 % of employers also hired based on “good” things
they saw online:
! Good fit based on personality represented online
! Profile supported candidates qualifications
! Candidate was creative and demonstrated solid
communications skills
! Candidate was well-rounded
! Reviewed online recommendations

34. Social Media Smarts
! Just assume that everything you post online is public
! Your online reputation can and will follow you
! Be upbeat and positive
! Don’t brag but do self-promote
! Engage!!
! Be active, you get what you give!
! A prospective employer could call your contacts as seen
in your profile for a reference?

35. You have more control than
you think!
! Look through blogs, Facebook, Linkedin for employees
who work at the companies you are pursuing
! Message/contact them for additional background
information/meeting– get to know them!
! Pull potential employers and recruiters into your world
based on your online presence built on meaningful
content
! Use appropriate keywords in your content/profile that
match relevant search terms

36. Additional resources
! Laid Off Camp http://laidoffcamp.pbwiki.com
! Simply Hired http://www.simplyhired.com
! Indeed http://www.indeed.com
! Workforce 50 http://www.workforce50.com

37. Questions? Please contact us
Red Shoes PR, Inc.
www.redshoespr.com
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