Believe it or not, the majority of employers will review your social media profiles before hiring you. Social media used to be just a fun way to communicate with friends online, but since it’s been booming in recent years, recruiters are also utilizing social media. It basically gives employers free access to see how you interact with others, how clearly you communicate ideas and what you do when you’re not at work. LinkedIn is one of the most popular platforms recruiters use so you need to learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile before you get on the job hunt!
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile
Since LinkedIn is a professional social network, most recruiters will begin their search there. However, many people don’t keep up with their profile and experiences, which could cost them a potential job. If you don’t know exactly what should go on your page, you may consider looking into a LinkedIn profile writing service to help highlight your skills.
Your profile could essentially be your first foot in the door to a potential employer. If they are impressed with your LinkedIn page, you are more likely to be included on their radar. If you don’t have the page filled out or if it’s sloppy, your chances are reduced significantly.
Make It Pop
Users are limited in how they can change their LinkedIn page so you need to make the most of what you have. LinkedIn profile development is a tough skill to master, but it can be done with a little time and effort. In addition to filling out the information on the page itself, you could also design a creative resume to upload. Of course, how creative you get depends on the job you’re searching for, but you get the idea.
Check Other Social Media Platforms
Just because LinkedIn is the main professional social network doesn’t mean employers will only look at it and none of your other pages. You have to assume they will check your Facebook, Twitter and any other pages you may have. Similar to learning how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, you have to do the same with other platforms as well. Remove any embarrassing photos you wouldn’t want an employer to see. So many optimal candidates get passed over because of inappropriate photos, chatter, etc. Go through your communications to make sure you haven’t posted anything offensive that could deter a recruiter. Don’t forget to add privacy settings to all social media you wouldn’t want an employer to see.
Fixing up your social media profiles is probably the first thing you need to do before you even send out your resumes. It only takes a matter of seconds for a recruiter to do a quick search for your name and know a lot about you.
When you’re in the middle of a job hunt, it can be hard to know which resources to focus on most and which are worth your while. While the Internet—and especially social media—has been brushed off in the past as a means of finding work, it now can serve as an extremely valuable tool during your job search efforts. Here’s how you can make the most of it!
1. Communicate
Social media is just that: social! Now is a prime opportunity to try and reach out to other people in your industry. Many of today’s social media platforms feature chat rooms about a myriad of subjects. You can easily find one related to your chosen industry and get to know other professionals in your area of expertise. They can help point you in the right direction as far as who’s hiring and what’s going on in your field.
2. Take Advantage of Popular Social Media Platforms
Thanks to their widespread usage, you may have come to associate the most popular social media sites, like LinkedIn and Facebook, as either purely for socialization and fun, or are simply skeptical as to whether they can really help you during your job search. As it turns out, this is one situation where you should truly believe the hype!
While sites Twitter, Facebook and others like it are most commonly used for social networking, you don’t want to discount the networking aspect. If you play your cards right and focus your efforts on business, you can use your social media accounts to forge worthwhile connections that can lead you to better job opportunities. Now would be a great time to create your LinkedIn profile if you haven’t already.
3. Google Yourself
While this may sound a bit vain, you’ll want to Google yourself before you set up any social media accounts just for the sake of seeing what comes up. Letting this go unchecked means you risk the chance of potential employers running into something unsavory when (and not if!) they look you up. You’re better off playing it safe and checking up on what’s associated with you on the Internet. Otherwise, it could end up costing you valuable job opportunities.
4. Be Direct
You don’t need to be discreet about your job search! Let those close to you know you’re in the midst of a hunt. You’ll need all the help you can get, and you never know where great connections will come from! Even if they don’t know any people who can directly provide you with work, they’ll be able to keep a look out for opportunities for you.
5. Focus on Networking
One of the best and most important aspects of any social media platform is its ability to quickly and easily put you in contact with millions of people, regardless of location. Be sure to use this to advantage! This will a key element to your Facebook and LinkedIn profile development. By researching the higher ups of the companies you’re interested in working for, you’ll know how to frame your social media accounts to better appeal to them. It will also be easier for you to get in touch with them and make a good impression.
We hope these tips will help you utilize social media far more easily as you look for your next career position. Of course, if you find yourself overwhelmed or confused, you can always turn to LinkedIn profile writing services to help you make the most of professional social media usage. Don’t hesitate to turn to your nearest resume writing service for your other job search needs!
While social media is a relatively new development, it has made waves around the world thanks to its exceptionally wide reach. It can now be used to influence the world, whether it’s through helping others form lasting friendships or simply staying in touch with those they love, inspire political change or even communicate consumer needs to businesses across the globe. Anyone in the middle of a job search can benefit from social media to land the perfect new job. Here’s what you can do to boost your success!
Utilize Your Options Well
While social media is an amazing means of connecting with employers and fellow professionals, you can’t try the spaghetti method by throwing options wildly and going with whatever adheres. You have to plan exactly how to use your social media profiles to their fullest and stay diligent with it. Creating a
LinkedIn profile is a good place to start because it will put you in touch with millions of professionals in your industry, as well as businesses looking for someone with your talents. You’ll ultimately want to sign up with more than one service because this will give you the chance to collect a greater number of opportunities and news about jobs available to you out there.
We must highlight the fact maintaining any kind of social media presence takes time and investment. For instance, while writing a tweet may take up only 140 characters, you have to plan how to use those characters as efficiently as possible to market yourself. Before you even think of signing up for that first account, you’ll want to consider how you’ll go about advertising yourself and which channels will serve you best for this goal.
Don’t Discount Social Media Entirely
Quite a few people still dismiss social media as a vapid pastime with no hope of generating serious forms of engagement. As time has repeatedly proven, however, this viewpoint is several shades of wrong. Millions of businesses in this day and age have caught on to the social media wave and are using it to reach out to more consumers than ever before. In fact, many of today’s job board sites also have social media accounts you can follow so you can stay on top of opportunities to apply.
If businesses and job boards can take proper advantage of it, so can you! Proper
LinkedIn profile development will be key to establishing your professional online presence so you’ll want to get on-board with what social media can offer you and reap the benefits of those opportunities.
Take Advantage of the ‘Social’ Aspect of Social Media
There’s no point in using any social media platform for your job search if all you’re planning to do is push out posts and never interact with anyone. Reaching out to other professionals can help you stay in the know as far as what today’s job boards are posting. You’ll soon find a wealth of opportunities pooling toward you from across the web, likely from job boards you’ve never heard of before!
If the idea of social media intimidates you, you aren’t alone. You can depend on a
LinkedIn profile writing service to help you get started. We recommend to
get in touch with your nearest resume writing service and start learning the ropes today!
For most of us, networking isn’t our favorite thing. It’s more of a “must do” than a “want to.” Networking is boring and can be absolutely terrifying. Meeting strangers at stuffy events where you wish a cocktail or three could be downed isn’t exactly fun.
The problem is networking is an absolute “must” in today’s business world. You have to network to get ahead in today’s business climate. If you cannot build a network, you cannot achieve your highest possible level of success.
Luckily, networking isn’t just business cards and small talk these days. Things like LinkedIn profile development and more social media sites play a huge role. So here’s how to make the most of your networking efforts:
It Goes Both Ways
When you’re flexing your networking muscles, make sure to remember that it goes both ways. You need to introduce yourself, talk about your company and more. So does the individual you’re speaking with. Make sure you give the other person time to explain their business and what they do. Nobody likes a selfish networker.
Get Your Mingle On
Instead of networking at stuffy events filled with equally stuffy people, try combining this mandatory activity with things you actually like doing. Join a yoga or cooking class. Find a professionals golf group. Get on Groupon and see if anything strikes your fancy. Everyone is a potential client, and everyone is easier to talk to in a social situation. Networking isn’t all about your LinkedIn profiles and email signature.
Find Your Focus
You can’t network and build a relationship with every single person you “know” right now. It’s mentally, physically, and emotionally impossible. So when deciding who to reach out to, think about who you could help and who could help you. Think back to your past about people who have built an extensive network and could possibly offer an important introduction.
Smooth Talking to Second
Not base! Get your mind off all that. We’re talking about securing a second meeting with a potentially valuable asset to your network. As you work the room at a networking event and meet someone who could be valuable to you, work to build a connection with the individual and then suggest a second meeting before getting contact information.
Stay Socializing
Networking in person is great. Keeping your executive bio on hand is important. However, times have changed. These days focusing on LinkedIn profile development may be more important than any of the other factors on this list. There are more movers and shakers on LinkedIn than you’ll ever find at a networking event.
Just remember: when making connections on LinkedIn, you need to build relationships online and then take them offline, if possible. One face-to-face meeting with an influencer from the best business social media site could mean more to your career than you could ever imagine.
An executive LinkedIn profile can help you stand out.
When you are looking for employment, there are many tools at your disposal. Some of them are online, and a few of them are off. One of the most powerful online platforms for professionals is LinkedIn. This social platform is different from many other online networks because it caters to the professional. For anyone looking for a job in today’s competitive market, having an executive LinkedIn profile is a must. However, your executive profile on LinkedIn is meant to be much more than a place to post your resume. There are some distinct differences between the two.
Intended Audience
Your resume and your executive LinkedIn profile are written with totally different audiences in mind. Resumes are written with the intent of distributing them to hiring agents or recruiters. They are geared toward trying to obtain a specific position or take advantage of a specific opening or opportunity. Your LinkedIn profile development, on the other hand, is for the purpose of letting everyone in your industry become familiar with your professional work. Instead of being written for a single recruiter like a resume, your LinkedIn profile is written for anyone in your industry to read, from colleagues to supervisors to potential clients.
Search Engine Optimization
When you are writing a professional resume, you have to be succinct and remember space is limited. For most purposes, resumes need to be kept to a page or two max. When you are working on your LinkedIn profile development, there are character limits you should keep in mind. Because you don’t have an unlimited amount of space in your professional LinkedIn profile, you need to both stick to your highlights and try to incorporate as many keywords as possible. This will allow companies to pull you up in a search and see the most important details of your work history and skills.
Use Different Tones
A resume is straightforward when it comes to the tone. It is impersonal and you need to refrain from using “I.” However, in your LinkedIn executive profile, you can use first-person expressions. And you should! It’s important to share your personality and personal story with the audience. Your online profile lets others in your industry become acquainted with who you are as a person, not just a resume trying to get a specific position. Resumes are effective and have their purpose, but your LinkedIn profile needs to be more engaging and personal, while remaining professional.
In conclusion, your resume and LinkedIn profile are essential tools for making contacts within your industry. However, there are some distinct differences between the two. If all you do is post your resume on your LinkedIn profile, you will risk losing your audience altogether. Keeping in mind the intended audiences, tone and purpose will help you get the most out of both mediums and get your name out in the industry.
A LinkedIn profile service can help you stand out.
LinkedIn profile development is an often overlooked aspect of the job search or career change. The most popular business social network is vastly underused and unappreciated. Most individuals in business don’t understand how to make it work for their benefit.
You may not need a LinkedIn profile writer to find value throughout the social network. Here’s how to stand out on LinkedIn.
Get Grouped
With more than two million LinkedIn Groups in existence, there’s bound to be one (or hundreds) within your industry. You can use Groups to meet others in your industry and develop your reputation as an expert in the field. The more value you add to a group, the more likely new opportunities come your way.
Reach Out
LinkedIn is not a place for the faint of heart. Business networking is no time to be shy. Put your profile out there and get in the game. While adding an acquaintance on Facebook can be construed as odd in certain circumstances, you shouldn’t carry over personal social media protocol to LinkedIn. The more people you connect to on LinkedIn, the better off you’ll be.
Pro Tip: Changes in anything work related make the perfect time to reach out (for you or them).
Don’t Go Connection Crazy
While you should reach out to just about every person you know on LinkedIn, you shouldn’t be cold-calling strangers. There is no prize for having the most connections on this social media platform. The number of people in your LinkedIn network isn’t relevant. The importance of your network lies in the quality of people you’re connected to and how you’ve proven your value to them.
Focus on finding a common ground with individuals you want to connect with. If you’ve known someone in the past, there’s your commonality. If you’ve never met someone you wish to connect with, work to build a connection through a common interest or background, especially when cold connecting.
Open Viewing Season
If someone views your profile on LinkedIn, this is a warm lead to opportunities. Whether these opportunities come to fruition or fade away is up to you. A profile view can lead to hires, career advancement and more. It’s also a way to begin connecting with someone in your industry.
Pro Tip: Make sure you keep your visibility settings open too so people can see when you view them and potentially reach out.
Develop Your Voice and Expertise
One of the easiest way to establish your credibility and expertise in an industry is by publishing a post on LinkedIn. The platform gives users an opportunity to comment on upcoming changes in the industry, changes in the market and more. Developing your voice can lead to enormous opportunities on the business social media site. A professional LinkedIn profile service can help you create a profile that speaks to your background and expertise.
LinkedIn profile development is essential to your success.
Setting up a LinkedIn profile can be just as tough as putting together the right resume, especially if you aren’t particularly savvy with the Internet. You have to figure out just the right way to frame yourself, all in a format that’s slightly different from the average resume. Whether you already have a LinkedIn account or are just now setting up an account, we have some advice regarding common mistakes that keep individuals from maintaining an optimized LinkedIn profile.
Don’t Ignore the Privacy Settings
Having other employees (or your supervisor) find out you’re in the middle of a job search isn’t the best situation. In fact, it’s often more trouble than it’s worth.
Don’t Confuse LinkedIn with Facebook
LinkedIn is a wholly separate entity from Facebook and should be treated as such. Keep the information you include on your profile both accurate and current. Any photos you upload should represent you in a completely professional light. Furthermore, don’t clutter your profile with negativity and personal gripes. This will only give off a bad impression to recruiters and hurt your ability to get hired.
Don’t Be Self-Effacing
Never let yourself feel too intimidated to reach out to others, especially if they’re a hiring manager or someone else in the position to help you land a job. Doing this is actually the first step to impressing them. It also puts a more personal spin on the introductory process resumes and cover letters give.
Don’t Ask Just Anyone to Vouch for You Professionally
Only ask people to write endorsements that cater to the skills you truly possess. It does you no favors for people to write puff pieces about you. In fact, it will harm you later on when employers expect you to fulfill a need you have no real experience with. Recommendations are just as important. Ask only the people you work for or with and have a good rapport with to talk about why you should be hired.
Don’t Shut Yourself Off from Other LinkedIn Users
Consider joining groups that are relevant to your interests. By becoming part of a group that caters to your chosen industry, you can stay in touch with news and job openings much more easily, as well as make some great connections with others.
Don’t Neglect Your Profile
An idle profile is less likely to get hired than one that consistently updates and develops relationships to other LinkedIn members. Maintaining an active presence on LinkedIn is more likely to get you noticed by recruiters.
Don’t Skimp on Your Description
A well-written description is part of the ticket to ideal LinkedIn profile development. The best descriptions zero in on your skills as an employee and what you have to offer to a company if you’re hired. Try to write something brief, but attention-grabbing.
An optimized LinkedIn profile now ranks on the same level of importance as a good resume and can be vital in making sure employers know you’re available and ready to come aboard. If need be, don’t hesitate to look into hiring a LinkedIn profile service to help you get set up!
An executive resume bio requires you to narrow down your experiences.
In the past decade, the job market has been adapting to the growing technological age we live in today. Naturally, this means the old ways of job hunting are on their way out, and those who are searching for a new career have to adapt their application methods in a way that helps them market themselves to today’s hiring managers. This is vitally important for those interested in getting into social media professionally because the entire industry thrives on snappy marketing and wit by nature. Here is some advice to help aspiring social media marketers spice up their resumes and LinkedIn profiles and land better job opportunities.
Focus on Your Skills
Practically every job in this day and age requires some sort of skill, meaning your skills are the most vital part of catching an employer’s eye and landing a job. You must market yourself in a way that presents what you can offer to a company in terms of job experience and professional skills in a way that is concise, direct and appealing.
Cut Out Any Fluff
You should only include skills that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. In other words, make sure your executive resume bio stays simple. Resumes are supposed to be brief and eye-catching. While you’ve probably gained many remarkable accomplishments, it’s not worth informing employers about every single one of them. Pick only the ones that matter to the field you’re hoping to enter. Some relevant skills relating to social media marketing are video production, especially for YouTube and other streaming sites, blog writing, researching for marketing purposes, the ability to advertise well on social media and a good grasp of Twitter, as well as other social media networks.
Include Any Relevant Career Experiences
Just like your skills, you should really only talk about career experiences that pertain to your aspiring field. This will give recruiters an idea of what you’ve done before and can thus bring to their company. Get to the meat of your social media skills. Cut out everything that has nothing to do with social media work and your skills in relation to the field. If you do these things, you’re guaranteed to be much closer to the type of resume employers are looking for.
When you first craft a resume or begin delving into LinkedIn profile development, it may seem all too tempting to put as much of your professional background onto your resume as possible to appeal to employers. However, this isn’t the best way to land jobs. Recruiters often have to sort through several hundred resumes at once, leaving only a few seconds for them to glance at yours. Make those seconds count. Your resume should be to-the-point and catered to your desired industry. A LinkedIn profile service can often help you achieve these goals.
