In your Career Jump Start, the most powerful way you can obtain job leads is through networking. I say this because up to 80% of jobs are found are from networking – and this includes the social networks. Career professionals agree on this rough number – give or take a few percentage points. In the previous segment (part 5) I discussed face to face networking, and gave guidance on where to do face-to-face networking, as well as how to best present yourself, and ask for a job lead. In this current discussion, I want to address non-face-to-face networking.
TERMS: Let’s start the discussion by considering terms used for this topic. Most professionals have heard the term “Social Media”. Another term that has been used to describe networking that is not face to face which is probably a descriptive is “Social Networks”. But to me in a loose sense, all networking by definition (“network”) implies a social activity, I think a better way to describe this interaction that is non-face-to-face, and one I prefer, is “Virtual Network”. And the channels that support Virtual Networking are “Virtual Networks”.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR: Now that we have terms out of the way, I want to discuss social behavior. An element around social networking, or virtual networking that for the most part not considered, or discussed is that from a career perspective, is that Social Networking, or virtual networking, can be an asset, or a liability. As in all elements in career advancement, virtual networking needs to be handled skillfully, and more importantly, in a social manner. It is obvious that the importance of virtual networking continues to grow. Before discussing the channels available to virtual networking, I want to start with considering who the primary actor is in virtual networking; I want to talk about you. As Social Network expert Dick Fisher (e-merge) likes to point out – reflect on yourself first. Are you a social creature? If not, you will probably not be successful in social media networks. So, ask yourself right now: “Am I a social person?” and “do I behave in a sociable manner?” Only you can answer that. But if you have been called a bully, too angry, a sexist, a bigot, or too pushy, you have some soul searching to do. Realize that any off-color, racist, overtly political, or sexist posts you have made will hurt your career, and your hiring profile. Larger companies use software that scans social networks for damaging posts that you made. If there are hits these will come back to bite you in the hiring process. If you have posts that you are not proud of, that meet the negative criteria above, delete them now. If you feel embarrassed that a post can be tracked back to you, that is a red flag. Clean up or delete those posts as soon as possible.
VIRTUAL NETWORKS: Once we have considered our social behavior, let consider the major virtual networks. There are literally hundreds of social networks that exist. But the biggest 15 are:
1) Facebook 100,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
2) Twitter 310,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
3) LinkedIn 255,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
4) Pinterest 250,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly
5) Google+ 120,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
6) Tumblr 110,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
7) Instagram 100,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly
8) VKontakte 80,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
9) Flickr 65,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
10) Vine 42,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
11) Meetup 40,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
12) Tagged 38,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
13) Ask fm 37,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
14) MeetMe 15,500,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
15) Classmates 15,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
(Source ebizMBA)
BEST NETWORKS FOR CAREER: When it comes to job networking LinkedIn is the current king. But Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are other networks that lend themselves to career, and job searches. But as conceived, built, and marketed, LinkedIn is all about career networking. LinkedIn is a robust network. LinkedIn is so robust that a small book could be devoted to its use. In addition to a “chat” area, LinkedIn offers marketing services, and ads. These ads can be very finally tuned to career, industry, educational level, and region of the country. For current discussion, I will focus on the free features of LinkedIn. Below are suggestions for use of LinkedIn when to comes to career development, career visibility, and job networking:
Facebook: Some may feel that Facebook is not appropriate for job or career networking. My personal feeling is that it can be used for career networking, as this is just as part of sharing other parts of my life. Facebook is for networking my life. And my job, and career are big parts of my life. But when considering using Facebook for job networking, consider your own comfort level. But to my experience, I think most people will be fine with job networking in Facebook. Make it one piece of your life that you share within your Facebook network.
Twitter: Most companies now have teams that post to the company’s twitter accounts. For job searches, TwitJobSearch.com is a tool worth looking at.
Networking, including social networking, or virtual networking, is the largest source of job leads in your Career Jump Start. For the above networks (and others, you may join,) my general guidance is to create a truthful, descriptive profile. For networks where jobs, and career is the main focus, such as LinkedIn, keep your profile consistent with your resume. If your posts reflect kindness, good ideas, helpfulness, leadership, and sound values, and most importantly sociably, you will be at your best in any social network. Remember that 80% of the jobs to be found are through networking. And 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn. To use virtual networks to best advantage, behave sociably, follow best practices, and build a profile that is honest, professional, and descriptive of what you do best.
Author: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC, CCC is a Career, and Business Coach. For more information see AscendProCoach.com
TERMS: Let’s start the discussion by considering terms used for this topic. Most professionals have heard the term “Social Media”. Another term that has been used to describe networking that is not face to face which is probably a descriptive is “Social Networks”. But to me in a loose sense, all networking by definition (“network”) implies a social activity, I think a better way to describe this interaction that is non-face-to-face, and one I prefer, is “Virtual Network”. And the channels that support Virtual Networking are “Virtual Networks”.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR: Now that we have terms out of the way, I want to discuss social behavior. An element around social networking, or virtual networking that for the most part not considered, or discussed is that from a career perspective, is that Social Networking, or virtual networking, can be an asset, or a liability. As in all elements in career advancement, virtual networking needs to be handled skillfully, and more importantly, in a social manner. It is obvious that the importance of virtual networking continues to grow. Before discussing the channels available to virtual networking, I want to start with considering who the primary actor is in virtual networking; I want to talk about you. As Social Network expert Dick Fisher (e-merge) likes to point out – reflect on yourself first. Are you a social creature? If not, you will probably not be successful in social media networks. So, ask yourself right now: “Am I a social person?” and “do I behave in a sociable manner?” Only you can answer that. But if you have been called a bully, too angry, a sexist, a bigot, or too pushy, you have some soul searching to do. Realize that any off-color, racist, overtly political, or sexist posts you have made will hurt your career, and your hiring profile. Larger companies use software that scans social networks for damaging posts that you made. If there are hits these will come back to bite you in the hiring process. If you have posts that you are not proud of, that meet the negative criteria above, delete them now. If you feel embarrassed that a post can be tracked back to you, that is a red flag. Clean up or delete those posts as soon as possible.
VIRTUAL NETWORKS: Once we have considered our social behavior, let consider the major virtual networks. There are literally hundreds of social networks that exist. But the biggest 15 are:
1) Facebook 100,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
2) Twitter 310,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
3) LinkedIn 255,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
4) Pinterest 250,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly
5) Google+ 120,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
6) Tumblr 110,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
7) Instagram 100,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly
8) VKontakte 80,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
9) Flickr 65,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
10) Vine 42,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
11) Meetup 40,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
12) Tagged 38,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
13) Ask fm 37,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
14) MeetMe 15,500,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
15) Classmates 15,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
(Source ebizMBA)
BEST NETWORKS FOR CAREER: When it comes to job networking LinkedIn is the current king. But Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are other networks that lend themselves to career, and job searches. But as conceived, built, and marketed, LinkedIn is all about career networking. LinkedIn is a robust network. LinkedIn is so robust that a small book could be devoted to its use. In addition to a “chat” area, LinkedIn offers marketing services, and ads. These ads can be very finally tuned to career, industry, educational level, and region of the country. For current discussion, I will focus on the free features of LinkedIn. Below are suggestions for use of LinkedIn when to comes to career development, career visibility, and job networking:
- Sign Up: Load your browser, and go to LinkedIn.com, and sign up. It is free to sign up and many useful features are available for even a free (non-subscription) account.
- Create a profile. Try to make this as complete as you can. List companies, and jobs you have held for at least the last ten years. (Unless your total job history is less than this.)
- Upload a photograph. This one is pretty important. A professional head shot is highly recommended. There are other places you may want pictures of you with the family dog, or the new baby – but LinkedIn is not the place for this.
- Try to use messaging as a one on one tool. There are times that you may want to blast a message out to all your contacts, but don’t over use this. A good rule of thumb is no more than two mass messages per year. Best advice – use messaging selectively.
- Ask for Connections. Look under “My Network” for options on how to add connections to your network. You can also request an invite from the profile page of the person you want to create a connection with. Be patient if you don’t get an accept right away. Many people keep LinkedIn activity as a lower priority in their daily tasks. Ask for connections with discretion. If LinkedIn receives complaints that you are annoying people that you don’t know for a connection, LinkedIn may restrict your ability to ask people for connections.
- Watch for posts that interest you, and join in the discussion. Ideally, experts such as Dick Fisher (e-merge) say, you want to have a conversation with others. LinkedIn use is best as a pull in network, not a push network. In short, participate, and ask questions.
- Job Searches. LinkedIn now supports job searches. Once you have a complete profile, and picture in place, select the “jobs” link at the top of the page. When prompted, key in job title, keywords to search on. By selecting “advanced” you can filter on region, industry, salary, and other criteria.
- Apply for jobs. Within LinkedIn you can apply for jobs through LinkedIn, or through the hiring company’s website. You also have the ability to save jobs, and apply for them later.
Facebook: Some may feel that Facebook is not appropriate for job or career networking. My personal feeling is that it can be used for career networking, as this is just as part of sharing other parts of my life. Facebook is for networking my life. And my job, and career are big parts of my life. But when considering using Facebook for job networking, consider your own comfort level. But to my experience, I think most people will be fine with job networking in Facebook. Make it one piece of your life that you share within your Facebook network.
Twitter: Most companies now have teams that post to the company’s twitter accounts. For job searches, TwitJobSearch.com is a tool worth looking at.
Networking, including social networking, or virtual networking, is the largest source of job leads in your Career Jump Start. For the above networks (and others, you may join,) my general guidance is to create a truthful, descriptive profile. For networks where jobs, and career is the main focus, such as LinkedIn, keep your profile consistent with your resume. If your posts reflect kindness, good ideas, helpfulness, leadership, and sound values, and most importantly sociably, you will be at your best in any social network. Remember that 80% of the jobs to be found are through networking. And 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn. To use virtual networks to best advantage, behave sociably, follow best practices, and build a profile that is honest, professional, and descriptive of what you do best.
Author: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC, CCC is a Career, and Business Coach. For more information see AscendProCoach.com
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