Nowadays, the most successful marketing campaigns are those that extend beyond traditional forms of marketing (print, radio, even TV) and into internet and online marketing and branding. The same is true about personal branding. In order to have the most successful marketing of yourself, you need to focus a lot on branding yourself online. And you need to make sure that your “campaign” is up and running long before you are ever contacted for a job. Having an established online profile of yourself before you need it will not only ease the stress of creating a phenomenal online branding for yourself, but will also show potential employers that you are at the top of your game and a step above other potential candidates. If the idea of branding yourself online is stressful or overwhelming, then just start small. Start with a LinkedIn profile. This will give you the perfect start to branding yourself online. It is simple and professional and is the networking that most businesses use.
On your profile, make sure to include these things in order to ensure the most effective branding:
Show your expertise as much as possible
Publicize your successes and achievements
Make sure you are easy for potential employers to contact (phone number, email, other forms of communication)
These things are easy to do and they will make your profile, and thus yourself, look impressive and professional. Of course none of this will do you any good if it is not established on your personal branding sites before you look for a job or are contacted about a job. It is easy enough to do so why not jump the gun and be one step ahead of your competition?
While LinkedIn has become extremely popular with businesses and companies, it still seems to be lagging a bit when it comes to those seeking jobs. That’s a shame because it’s one of the easiest and most effective job search tools available today. Many company hiring managers check LinkedIn before looking anywhere else for new employees.
The main reason that LinkedIn isn’t being used as much as it should be by job seekers is because it’s considered a form of social media and that term alone makes people think of it as a leisure activity. Nothing could be further from the truth where LinkedIn is concerned. There are, of course, a variety of ways to use the service and some are naturally better than others.
To start, you want to make sure that your profile is 100% complete. If you aren’t sure how to go about doing this, consider hiring a professional to translate your resume into your LinkedIn profile. Having a completed profile that stands out is a great way to give potential employers a good look at you before the interview process.
It’s also important to note that many companies are asking for your LinkedIn profile when you submit a resume. It has actually become so common that many people just include their LinkedIn URL on their resume to begin with.
LinkedIn can also be used overtly for an active job search. Because thousands of companies have company profiles and use the site for headhunting, many of their job openings are published on the site before, or even instead of, any place else. Once you have a completed profile, you can simply click a button and apply for a multitude of jobs.
Consider updating, or even beginning to use, LinkedIn as a job search tool. It’s a great way to be seen by thousands of companies fast.
Everyone makes mistakes and everyone knows this. The problem is that some mistakes are a bigger problem than others. Never before has this been an issue the way it is now. Today, a social media mistake can be blasted around the world in a nanosecond. That’s why it is so important to simply avoid certain mistakes, no matter what. Don’t discuss your company online
It’s not normally a problem for your social media friends to know where you work, but avoid discussing your company online. Something you regard as a joke might not be funny to the corporate executives. More importantly, your behavior might be seen by future employers as less than desirable. It’s become the norm for personnel departments to perform a search on the candidates they are considering inviting for an interview. If you are having trouble landing an interview, try looking at your Internet persona from an employers perspective. Your mother was right: if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all. Don’t discuss your co-workers online
Everyone has a bad day now and then. You don’t want your mistakes blasted around by your coworkers so don’t do it to them. This is seen by both your employer and your fellow workers as poor judgement and something of a betrayal. It’s not worth the aggravation, hurt feelings and possible questions about your integrity.
Because more and more companies are performing searches on prospective employees and even current employees, you don’t want to make those two mistakes. They can literally be career killers.
They can be the difference between getting an interview, a promotion or even losing your job if the mistake is bad enough. It’s simply not worth the risk. If nothing else, make your accounts as private as possible, but remember that someone else may choose to share your comments. Ask yourself if it is really worth it before you post it.
The job search process can be long, boring, and more than anything, disappointing.You may spend hours searching the internet and newspapers, and will come up with almost nothing that sounds like the job you’re looking for. Which brings up another problem-do you even know what it is you are looking for? This aimless searching leads to wasted time, energy and disappointment.
Fortunately, you can make the job search easier on yourself if you take some time and decide what it is you want to search for. If you have an idea of what kind of job you want to do and a job that you would enjoy, then your search will be more fruitful and you will waste less time aimlessly searching. First, you need to decide what it is you want to do.Think about what you enjoy, what you know how to do, what you have been educated in, and where you want to be in your career. If you take the time to think through what it is you want, then you will be one step closer to getting a job and a career that you can enjoy. Next, as you begin your search, keep focused. You have decided what it is you want to do, so don’t stray from that path. If you do, you will only be wasting valuable time that could be spent on a targeted search. Use job search sites that have filter so you can search for specifics such as: full time, part time, education needed, distance from where you live, and the type of work.
If you know what you want to search for before you even begin the path to a new career, not only will you spend less time searching for a job, but the time you do spend searching will be more fruitful and you will be more likely to find a job you will love.
Are Your Social Media Profiles Speaking For You or Against You?
Social media is a great tool for your job search and job application process because it allows you to get your name out to the entire world. Employers are starting to utilize social media sites to not only find prospective applicants, but also to investigate current applicants. This means that you need to make sure that your online profiles are showing off your best attributes and give the impressiona that you would be a great employee.
Here are some things that you should be aware of so you don’t lose opportunities due to what is on your profile.
Vulgarity or Obscenities: Refrain from including vulgar or obscene words in your profile or your posts. These could be offensive to employers and could give them a bad impression of you. You also need to watch what your “friends” post on your profile. While you may not have posted the information yourself, the content still reflects on you.
Negativity: If you have a lot of posts that are negative or if you are overly negative in your own posts, you can put off employers. Employers don’t want to work with people who are negative and will bring them down. So
Bad Talking About People: If you talk bad about people in your life currently, then what will keep you from talking bad about your potential coworkers or employers? Even though you may say, “I would never talk bad about my employers on the internet!” the potential employers looking at your profile will not know that. They will only know what they can see in your posts.
Social media can be a great tool for your job search. However, if not used properly, it can also be one of the biggest obstacles in your search. But make sure that you utilize it so you get the most desirable results and check to ensure that you don’t have anything on your profiles that could be harmful to your opportunities.
LinkedIn, as well as other forms of social networking and online branding, is a great tool for getting your name out there to employers. But in order for LinkedIn to work for you, then you need to make sure your profile is complete and written in a way that supports your career goals.
Here are a few things you need to ensure you include on your profile:
The first thing you can do is add a photo of yourself. It is very simple. Click on the square with a person in it on the left of your name and add a photo. Your profile photo should be clear and professional looking. Adding a photo will help potential employers see who you are as well as will help them to recognize you when you come in for an interview.
Next, upload the most relevant information from your resume. Include a brand statement, professional summary, specific jobs and achievements,and any significant career highlights. Don’t forget to add information to your “Skills” list. You can either use the LI format, or simply put your best areas of expertise with your professionaly summary. Finish up with your education credentials and any applicable certifications.
Finally, there is a button on the top right hand side of your profile that says, “Improve Profile.” Click on this button and you will be led step by step through sections that will make your profile look even more impressive. The sections range from courses you took in school to languages you speak.
These few steps will not only help you create a complete profile on LinkedIn, but it will also help you create a professional and impressive one.
Personal branding is, in the simplest definition, the way you market yourself. It is the way the world, and potential employers, view you. And if used correctly, your personal brand can land you that job. Since your personal brand is the first impression that employers can get from you, you need to ensure that it is creating the impression that will represent you in a way that gets you a job. This means it needs to be professional. Whatever you say, write, or do, that is linked to your professional brand needs to be professional so that you can avoid embarrassment and avoid losing those important job opportunities. Think about what you want to present and make sure that everything you put out reflects that. Be careful that when you are making a professional brand you don’t make it boring or impersonal. It is still your brand. Let potential employers know who you are. They are not looking to hire a robot. They are looking to hire a person with whom they can work every single day. Let them know you can be that person. In order to ensure that your brand is seen and recognized by employers you need to spread it far and wide. Put your name out there. Put it on Facebook, put it on Twitter, put it on Tumblr, put it on LinkedIn, start a blog. Do all these things and advertise them on all the other sites you are a part of. Make it easy for potential employers to find you. These are fairly simple things to do, but they do take some time and careful planning. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, then you will be able to create a personal brand that will land you that job you want.
Social networking is one of the fastest growing forms of communication and advertisement. It helps to connect people, including co-workers with each other and employers with their employees. It is also a great way for employers to examine potential employees. In order to have the best odds at getting a job you need to take advantage of social networking as well as creating an impressive resume and acing the interview.
The best way to use social networking for a job is to have a LinkedIn profile. This site is meant for professional and business connections, and is used by businesses, employers, and those searching for a job. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you need to let your potential employers know. List your profile URL on your resume so it will be easy for employers to find you. If they have a difficult time locating your profile, then they may become frustrated and may already have a bad impression of you when you come to an interview.
Since your LinkedIn profile will be for strictly professional and business purposes, it is imperative that you keep the profile looking professional. Reserve your LinkedIn profile for business connections only-save your personal activities for other networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter. Be warned: employers will not only look at your LinkedIn profile, they will look for you on other social networking sites. Do not say vulgar or offensive things that could jeopardize your chance at getting the job. If you’re going to discuss aspects of your job search on social networking site, be sure you are only making positive posts/comments. Make your personal information interesting and make it look professional. This will allow your potential employers to see your “human” side and help them decide if you are the right candidate for an interview and the job.
Using social networking sites in your job search is a great way for you to advertise yourself to potential employers. Take advantage of them and give yourself a step up on the competition.
