Social Media: Your Digital Resume
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According to a recent CareerBuilder.com study, 45% of companies screen candidates using social media tools. It is no secret that employers check Facebook profiles for embarrassing, drunken photos. Beyond eliminating embarrassing photos, there are many proactive strategies that you can employ at little or no cost to set yourself apart from your career competition. You will learn how to fill your Google search results with glowing references, positive recommendations and numerous examples of your work and thinking. Learn how you can use the power of Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, SlideShare, Flickr, and a variety of other social tools to promote yourself and to create a must-hire social resume.
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Editor's Notes
- Hey Everybody, Welcome to Social Media: Your Digital Resume. I know that social media is an extremely over used buzz word and you probably associate it with the worst type of snake oil salesman. That is good. There are a lot of snake oil salesman and shysters selling social media today. So, I want you to keep in mind today as we talk that there is no magic bullet online and that while social media may be inexpensive, it can be costly in terms of time commitment. With that said, we only have about 45 minutes. So we better get started. I am Will Flavell, the social media specialist for Bozell. Today, I just want to share some ideas on using social media that will help you get found by employers, help you hook up with them online and present your work and your thinking in many venues online. If you have any questions, you can wait till the end and we will have a few minutes then. Or just throw a hand up and ask your question as we go. You all paid to be here, so you might as well get you money’s worth out of me if you can. Here we go!
- First, let’s talk about what this presentation is not about. Personal Branding, there is another snake oil favorite. This is not a presentation on personal branding. You know the movement in the 80s and 90s that encouraged everyone to go out and get a color scheme and a logo. Branding is the sum total experience that anyone has with you. This cannot be controlled. Personal Branding sees to market you as a commodity. Well, this isn’t a presentation about that because you aren’t a commodity. And making yourself try to look like one doesn’t make you look any better. Just my opinion. This is not that kind of presentation. So instead today, we are going to talk about doing something that tons of companies are currently doing to increase their search engine ranking and their Web exposure. It is called Social Media Optimization (SMO strategy) Explain here what SMO is. Let’s get started.
- Data: US Bureau of Labor Statistics It is no secret that the economy sucks right now. We recently celebrated the one year anniversary of the recession. Nationally, we are at about 10% unemployment (9.7% at the end of the last quarter actually), with about 20% of the population being underemployed (with insufficient part-time work). With layoffs in almost every field, that means that you not only have to compete for jobs with recent college graduates, but with many seasoned professionals who have recently been laid off. This means greater competition for fewer jobs. This means that the usual flood of resumes on the HR’s persons desk is on the rise. One notable story goes as follows, when the Obama administration took office, they received a record 350,000 resumes for about 3,000 positions. This is more than 100 applicants per position. So the question of standing out becomes more relevant than ever.
- Data: According to NYTimes article from Jan. 2009 and US Bureau of Labor Statistics And you aren’t just competing with locals. Or even just with Americans. Today’s international business climate has created a world of cheap labor and a level of outsourcing that would amaze the previous generation. Today, jobs such as personal assistants, customer service reps, manufacturing and even graphic design are being outsourced to individuals all over the world who will do the work at a fraction of the cost. How can you compete with that? Go after a niche, get found in that niche, show your thinking there. Be an expert in your niche (or at least present yourself as one).
- So what is the first thing that most employers will associate with you. Your resume. You hope that your resume is different enough to draw the hiring person’s eyes away from the other applicants and the outsource options. But there are some problems with resumes. The most obvious problem is that everyone has a resume. And I’m not some evangelist who thinks that everyone should throw theirs out. A resume is an ante, it gets you into the game. But it won’t win you the pot. Think about it objectively, do you really want a black and white 8 ½ by 11 piece of paper to be what employers think of you? Resumes and cover letters are formulaic and mostly act as required material for today’s job market. I am not going to give pointers on resumes, cause the advice is ubiquitous at this point. But I will say, give the employer or HR professional ways to find more about you through your resume. List where you can be found. Beyond an email and a phone number, give them ways to research you. They are going to anyway. As I said, resumes don’t get you hired, they get your name searched and researched. With the tools available today, it is time to get more in-depth. Get long-winded, get interesting.
- You had better believe that companies will do this. So Google yourself. Just see what comes up. This quick check will allow you to go remove pics or posts or comments that you don’t want to be seen as your first impression. Google will allow two search results per URL per page of results. So that is two pages from you blog, two from your Facebook account, two from Linkedin, and so one. With 10 results per page, you can see who it can become possible for job seekers with unique or semi-rare names to “own” their first page of results. Search yourself: “Will Flavell” So, what is behind Google’s mysterious search engine ranking? Google relies on algorithms, which are mathematical formulas that try to model the behavior of regular users. These algorithms give each page on the Web a rank. The total of page ranks for each page on your Web site gives your Web site its search engine ranking and determines on what page of the search results your site will appear. Here you need to explain the links and content thing of Google and Bing! You can control what content is out there about you. You can publish stories and start hosting social media presences that highlight your name, region and expertise. This will help you gain search engine visibility. Not to mention that everything that you create will help the SEO of the overall site. That is why Google loves blogs and social networking sites. Blogs and social networking sites allow you to publish fresh content filled with your keywords whenever you want. They also allow you to create links back to your site and to encourage others to link to your site. Also social networking sites already have really high page ranks (due to the amount of existing content and links). Facebook currently has close to 1 trillion unique pages indexed by Google and a Google Page Rank of 9/10. This helps them get returned really highly in many searches.
- Once you have Googled yourself, you know the front door that most HR people see when they search for you. How did you do? Did you show up? Were you pleased with the information that came up on your SNS presences? If you didn’t show up, we will work on that later in the training. To get a more in-depth feel of the information that is out there about you, try using Addictomatic.com. It will give you more in-depth results on your current offerings online. Are you currently associated with industry knowledge or beer bottles online? (ask for a vlolunteer or search yourself) But the first and easiest thing that you can do is clean up the stuff that you did see and didn’t like. Obviously, untag yourself from drunk photo, and remove (or bury) embarrassing blog posts. But you can also go a step further and stack the deck. Go to the presences and change the information that showed up. A day or two before you submit (or if you know when the HR person will be reviewing your work) change your Facebook status, your latest Twitter post, your profile message, etc. to something industry specific. Show a little insight. Try to ensure that the first thing that the hirer sees is your thinking about your desired business. Just link to the most recent story from a respected blog in your industry.
- According to Jump Start Social Media, as many as 75% of hiring managers use LinkedIn on a regular basis to research candidates before making an offer, compared to 48% using FaceBook , and 26% using Twitter . We are going to spend the rest of the presentation discussing how each of these tools can be used/optimized for the job search. And also how these tools can be used to help you dominate your search results and build a digital resume. While there are a thousand other tools that could be used for this process. I selected these tools because they are the most popular, the easiest to use, and the most recognized by companies.
- With more than 60 million members in over 200 countries, Linkedin is far from being a secret. It is also the fastest growing site online for job listings. Due to their reliability and inexpensive listings companies are flocking to this social network. Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members. To Dos: Complete Account: This one is a no-brainer, but you want to make sure that you are 100% completed. Linkedin does a good job of prompting you to complete areas that you haven’t finished. Make sure to add links to your blog, Twitter account and other relevant Websites. A complete account is also an account with contacts. Go through your networks and get as many connections as possible. Add Applications: Linkedin allows several applications, just like those available in Facebook. There are a few that I suggest using on your profile if applicable. First, use a blog application, whether that be Wordpress or Blog Link. I also recommend Tweets, the LinkedIn Twitter application, and Slideshare. Both present your work and thinking from other social mediums. We will talk more about these services later on. Also, read up on the other applications and see which ones fit your skill set best. Maybe your reading list will illustrate your in-depth training on a subject or use the SAP Community Bio to show off your IT prowess. (Go to your page here to show the applications). Join Groups: A great way to network on this social networking giant is to join groups. Go join the groups that best fit your category or target industry. See what groups your connections are in and look for parallels. Get Recommendations: This is an ongoing process that goes way beyond completing your account. Try to get a variety of recommendations from people in different areas of your life. Non-profit, education, employer/boss, customer Answer Questions: The next step in participating in the community is to answer questions in your category. Go to the answers section of Linkedin and see where you can help others. Connections spring from this sort of expertise sharing. (show on your account). Job Search: Let’s end with another no-brainer. Regularly check the job search for jobs in your field. Also, be sure to check out groups as many companies use groups to announce jobs without paying for job or internship listing.
- There are more than 200,000,000 blogs live today. Roughly 54% of them post content or tweet daily. With so many writers and so many quick publishing tools, blogs have expanded to cover almost every subject on Earth. These information outlets online can provide valuable links back to your site and valuable areas of promotion of your content and products. In this section we will talk about using blogs to build your digital name. Blogging software today will give you the a free way to build a branded site for your thinking and your work. I recommend using Blogger, Tumblr, Wordpress or Typepad. All of these these tools offer free accounts. We don’t have time to discuss creating and running a successful blog. But blogging allows you an easy-to-use, public forum to demonstrate your knowledge; showcase your writing and analytical skills; and convince prospective employers that you are on top of changes in your field. So as you publish posts attached to your name, search results start appearing from that blog with your name attached. Blogging also helps you get associated with the top keywords in your business. You can easily research the top 5-10 keywords that are hot in your job or category. (Mention Google Keyword search here). Work them into posts. Start getting your blog listed by the search engines on topics that your employers are researching. Tie your name to industry expertise and ideas. If you work in the visual arts, the benefit is enormous. Blog platforms give you a place to easily post an ongoing portfolio. Each time you get a new piece done, you have a new post. But this can be the same for demonstrating your thinking. You can comment on hot items in the news that discuss your category. You can write posts that show your insight into the category or business. In this sense, your blog also allows you to stack the deck. (explain) Blogs also act as a hub for outreach. Another great way to locate jobs is to start searching the blogosphere for your category. Once you find several blogs that fit the business you are most interested in. Start reading, become a subscriber. Drop comments. Really get into the community. Ask others in the community if they know of any jobs. Get your name known so that when you write things, you are already publishing to an audience. Make some new friends. They can be a huge boon to your job hunt. And if nothing else, they could become regular readers of your blog and provide you valuable inbound links. Hence increasing your search engine ranking and SERP listing.
- Twitter is really just a network of blogs, that is why Twitter is often called a micro blogging service. It currently has around 22 or 23 million unique visits a month and has north of 25 million users. There are tweeple from almost every category of business. Just like your blog, your Twitter account lets you easily publish data relevant to your category. You can also go out and follow people who discuss the industry that you want to join. Twellow, a directory search of Twitter will let you locate people by business or category. (Go to the site and ask for a category that they are interested in to search) Start following these category tweeple and start communicating. All of your Twitter activity will also help you from a SMO perspective because both Bing and Google now index Twitter. Tips: -Build Branded Account: Make sure that you create a custom background that highlights your contact information and professional interests. Also fill out your About section and link to your blog. -Tweet Your Thinking: Just like with your blog, research the most relevant keywords for your industry and start using them to show their thinking. Comment on stories in your category that are breaking right now. -Follow Potential Leads: Go out and follow the best and brightest in your field. Try to start some conversations with them. Ask for advice. -Get Into Conversations: @reply people and follow them, draw in other users by commenting on their posts. -#jobs: follow relevant hashtags to find the most updated job listings There are also job sites that pull relevant posts from Twitter. Check out sites like TweetMyJobs.com and Jobshouts.com.
- Ah, Facebook, we finally come to the big hulking behemoth that is the world’s largest social network. With more than 400 million users, hundreds of thousands of applications, business listings and Facebook Connect. Facebook is an Internet unto itself. With that said, Facebook is a personal network not a professional network therefore, I don’t recommend making your entire presence about work. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do a few easy things to make you Facebook presence work for you. Again, this goes back to fakery, be yourself, but be a clean and interesting version of yourself. -Be Reasonable: No drunk pics or sexy chat. Duh. -Control What is Public: Go to your privacy settings page and build a profile that is acceptable for headhunters and HR professions to see. You decide what they can see. From Home Page: Account>Privacy Settings. (go to site and do this) -Add Relevant Apps: Just like with Linkedin. There are several apps that can really help, like linking your blog, Selective Twitter publishing. -Join Relevant Groups: More than 700,000 businesses have listings on Facebook. So check out the fan pages of businesses you want to work at. Also join industry groups that are relevant. This, like the blogging research, will help you stay at the top of the industry information and connect you with people who might know of relevant jobs. -Tap Your Network: Chances are that you probably already have a couple hundred friends at least on Facebook. If you are out of work, put the word out. See if anyone can help you find a job.
- You might remember that on the Linkedin slide we talked about adding a SlideShare application. Well, to do that you need a SlideShare account. First, SlideShare is a document and presentation social sharing tool. Think of it as YouTube for PowerPoints. It lets you post up your presentations and documents and it allows them to be publicly searchable. Like Linkedin, SlideShare has a very professionally-focused user base. They have about 8 million users. Unlike Linkedin and Facebook, you should focus more of your time here on just getting your work up and out to the public. The next couple of tools that we discuss are all about sharing content. If you don’t have that type of content, it is not a huge concern. But it you do, these are some tips on how to share it best. So you while you will recognize some of the advice above from previous recommendations: Join Relevant Groups and Outreach, I would spend less time on this account than on others. But, definitely take the time to search for a few industry leaders and businesses in your category to see what kind of presence they have on SlideShare and apply your time accordingly. Link to Your Other Social Media Presences: SlideShare will sync with your Facebook and Linkedin account for autopublishing. This will help spread the word around more efficiently about your new videos. Manage what is public: When you upload a new presentation it will be publicly searchable, but you can do even more to help it get found, linked to and embedded. You should add relevant tags and descriptions.
- YouTube receives more search traffic than Yahoo and MSN. They also average about 6 billion video views per month. YouTube, like SlideShare is a social publishing tool that will help you get your work published. If you have video content that highlights your work, make sure that you are sharing it here. Also like SlideShare, it makes your content publicly searchable. So your name (if it was added as a tag or description) can now be returned on video search results within the search engines. If you already have video content under you belt and want to promote it and yourself, here are a few tips that will maximize your efforts. YouTube Tips: Build a custom channel: Brand the channel with a custom background image and colors. Keep consistent with your name and imagery as on the other channels. Fill out the keyword section and be descriptive so that your channel can be found. 2. Grow a watcher community: Join relevant YouTube Groups, comment on similar videos and take an active approach to your page. If you make friends and subscribers, you build a base of people who will watch and help promote your video content. 3. Illustrate Your Thinking/Popularity: self explanatory 4. Reach out to industry professionals and businesses that you are interested by contacting their YouTube Channels. Become a fan of their channels. Ask them for advice. Tell them that you want to work for them. 5. Link to Your Other Social Media Presences: YouTube will sync with your Twitter and Facebook accounts for autopublishing. This will help spread the word around more efficiently about your new videos.
- Today Flickr boasts more than 32 million members sharing more than 4 billion photos. This photo sharing site is the recognized standard in social photo sharing. Even the White House’s Official Photographer, Pete Souza, uses the service to disperse his photos. Flickr, like SlideShare and YouTube is a social publishing tool that will help you get your work published. If you have photography that highlights your work, make sure that you are sharing it here. Also like SlideShare and YouTube, it makes your content publicly searchable. So, your name (if it was added as a tag or description) can now be returned on video search results within the search engines. (Demonstration: Google Search “longboarding” “Will Flavell”) If you already have photo content under you belt and want to promote it and yourself, here are a few tips that will maximize your efforts. Flickr Tips -Buy a Pro Account: When you open your Flickr account, go ahead and get a pro account. It is only $25 a year for unlimited storage of photos and videos. It comes with a lot more features than the free version. Make sure to fill out your information page to the fullest. This lends your account credibility and will help people who are searching for you, to find you. -Publicly License: Set up your default license to a public, creative commons license. This lets other users know that it is okay for them to share and use your photos. This will also make them publicly searchable. So when someone goes to Google and searches for your name, they will see pictures of you, that you have uploaded. -Tag and Name: Tag and name your photos appropriately. Choose names and tags that search engines and visitors to your accounts will be likely to use. -Join Groups: Join relevant groups on Flickr such as architecture and home products groups. This is a natural way to spread your images. -Outreach: Reach out to industry professionals and businesses that you are interested by contacting their Flickr account. Become a fan of their profiles. Ask them for advice. Tell them that you want to work for them. -Link Up: 5. Flickr will sync with your Twitter and Facebook accounts for autopublishing. This will help spread the word around more efficiently about your new photos.
- Think of this step as checking the ROI on your personal SMO investment. This site gives you a person rating of digital distinctness. This means that it will allow you to see how the social Web sees you. Are you just another face in the crowd or do you stand out. Take this test from time to time as checkups on your progress. Ask for a volunteer or run this on them.
- So, now you have all your accounts built and you are publishing great, industry-specific information. You are also out there looking for jobs and meeting new networking partners. The only thing left to do is to get the news of new jobs delivered to you. Here are three, free and easy ways to do that. (if in a time crunch, just visit social mention’s site) Set up Google Alerts (this one is hyperlinked to the screen image) Set up Social Mention Alerts: this is like a Google Alert with more focus on the social media sites. (visit this site) Saved Twitter Searches (visit this site)
- This one is a so easy. But you might not be doing it yet. As a marketing agency person, I regularly meet with clients (businesses) from a huge variety of categories. It would be impossible for me to be an expert in all of my clients’ businesses. And they don’t expect me to be, but they are often impressed by this little effort. You can do it too. Before your next interview or meeting or lunch with a friend in your. Take 5 minutes and do a blog search and a Twitter search. Find out two or three headlines of category interest. Read through these. Then you have a conversation in a box and industry news that they might not even know about. This show ingenuity and genuine interest in the business. This is more of a Dale Carnegie tip than a SMO tip, but people always love it.
- I would be happy to field any more questions that you have at this time. I also just wanted to let everyone know that this was a lot of information to absorb at once, but this is just the beginning. If you have any questions or are unsure about how to get started, just give us a call or drop us an email. More training is on the way