Social Media for Employers and Employees
Regardless of our personal opinion about social media, it has become an integral part of both the job hunting and job hiring process.
Today, more and more companies rely on the Internet to research the candidates they plan to hire. This makes it important for you to really care, and to take a strategic approach as you build your online reputation. Effectively used, social media can help you create a strong personal brand and widen your reach across a wide array of job markets, industries, and organizations.
As far as social media for professionals go, LinkedIn has become the most popular resource in the world. Clearly, it has many advantages over traditional job portals thanks to its social media strengths and because they continue to do a great job guiding and driving only quality content.
LinkedIn allows its members to connect with each other. You can connect with like-minded individuals from a similar profession and explore available job opportunities.
It is a useful and easy research tool. Most reputable companies are present on LinkedIn with specialized digital marketing teams continuously generating content and strategizing to have a stronger online presence. You can utilize this content along with helpful input from your own network to research a potential employer and their business before an interview.
You can identify the people that matter. LinkedIn can offer you insights into who the key players are at a company you want to work with - as an employee, as a vendor, as a business partner, etc. You can connect and engage with them to explore the possibility of a potential opportunity in their company.
You can build credibility. Your profile provides details about the people in your professional network, the companies you have worked with, and what you bring to the table as a potential employee, among many other factors. Features like "endorsements" and "recommendations" from previous employers and other professionals are designed to add credibility to your profile.
How Do I Make The Most Of LinkedIn?
Your LinkedIn profile is like a supercharged resume, so really put your time and effort into developing it. Highlight your strengths and capabilities early in your profile page. Create interesting content and share it with your network. This will help establish you as an expert in certain fields and showcase your talents. The more original content you post, the greater the benefits. Thoughtfully build your network. Identify people within your industries of interest and connect with them. Join relevant groups and make your presence felt within these micro-networks. Post regularly on various forums and comment on topics that can demonstrate your expertise and show that you have a unique perspective. Use the right keywords while building your profile and even while posting in forums. This will help both your search engine rankings and your association with specific skills and capabilities.
Your Online Presence With Google+
Where is the first place we go to search for information? Google, where else? No other search engine today comes even close. A strong presence on Google+, is therefore, a definite advantage. However, as Google says, Google+ is now more than a social media platform. It has integrated various other offerings from Google's arsenal such as YouTube, Google+ Communities, Hangouts, Google Local and Reviews, Google Analytics, and Google Mobile to provide a single platform that can have a significant impact on your SEO.
Where do I begin with Google+?
For starters, simply build a profile page on Google+ to let Google know you exist. Though it's not official, there's plenty of evidence that Google does favor content hosted on its products when serving up search results. Create links to your blog, website, and LinkedIn pages using Google+. Upload content and make it shareable on Google+. The more shares you can manage the better it is for SEO. Build the right connections. The Circle function offered by Google+ helps you keep your professional contacts separate from your personal ones. This is a valuable tool to target your communication to specific groups of people. The more time you spend exploring Google+, the more comfortable you'll get, and the time you invest has a tremendous upside.
While LinkedIn has now become synonymous with job search and hiring, Google+ can help you establish a strong online presence that you can leverage to enhance your reach. These two platforms can help you build a relevant network, and leverage information to give shape to your personal brand as a professional. There are many social media platforms that can help you build your network, but LinkedIn and Google+ are a must for all professionals, and the two most worth nurturing.
Jacob Myong is a WSI Internet Consultant with The Coeur d'Alene Press. He has worked in digital media for over 15 years. Email Jacob@cdapress.com or call 208-416-5173. www.cdainternetmarketing.com