Social media fortunately has many more uses than just looking at pictures of cats or being kept updated on the contents of your best friend’s aunt’s omelet. If you’re looking for a job (or considering leaving the one you have), you can use social media to promote your resume and hopefully stand out from the pack. But first make sure to build a great resume before you start promoting it.
Social Media and Internet Marketing
Try looking at this as simply another example of Internet marketing, but in this case, the brand you’re promoting, the product you’re selling, is you. Employers hire people because they have a problem and they need a solution and they feel that the person they just hired is what they need to achieve this end.
The traditional paper resume is no longer enough today
What’s A Brand?
Your name, your overall experience, your skillset, your personality; all of those things together constitute your brand. And just like a particular brand of motor oil may be promoted as a solution to, say, annoying engine noise, your brand needs to be defined enough that employers go “Hey, that’s just what I need!” Your brand needs to say “I’m awesome, and am the answer to your dilemma!”
For instance, you may be an experienced, creative writer with a bizarre sense of humor and an eclectic knowledge base, who happens to hold deadlines sacred, thinks outside the box, and works well with others. Okay, that’s your brand, that’s how you’re marketing yourself, and your resume should reflect this. This is but one step towards promoting a consistent picture of who you are.
Update Your Social Media Information
Once you have the resume taken care of, it’s time to move to the actual social media networks. Whether you’re on GooglePlus, Facebook, or whatever other social network you like, make sure that your About information (profile page, personal information page, whatever) is up to date, and also presented in a voice that consistently reflects your brand. In using the above example of the creative, weird writer who is nonetheless a responsible professional, your personal profile information needs to reflect this. After all, if you’re so creative and wacky and yet your About information is about as entertaining as North Korean stereo instructions, then your brand will collapse like an iron souffle.
And don’t forget to have all of your various social media profiles cross-reference each other. For instance, GooglePlus lets you post links to your other social media networks in the About section. There’s that whole consistency thing again.
Monster And LinkedIn
These two social networks are the best places to upload your resume. Again, you have the opportunity to create a personal profile, and hopefully you’re keeping it consistent with your other social profiles. Same tone, same message, same brand; consistency is key, as it helps to convey the idea that you know what you’re doing, and prospective employers are definitely on the lookout for that!
LinkedIn also features groups that are devoted to certain skill sets and careers. Join them and see what sort of connections you can make. You’d be surprised as whom you can connection with on LinkedIn; everyone from former co-workers at past jobs, to entrepreneurs like Andrew Sasson.
And The Most Straightforward Thing …
It’s been said that the secret of success is not what you know, it’s who you know. Take advantage of your numerous connections as well the connections of your friends, and get the word out there that you’re looking for a job. It’s amazing how many times you can get the words “Hey, I happen to know someone who’s hiring … “. Or consider tweeting a link to your resume. What it all comes down to is that it never hurts to come right out and directly ask. Of course, if you’re doing this online, it’s best to make sure that you don’t have any inflammatory or provocative stuff on your pages!
Final Thoughts
If you have a blog, it’s a good idea to give a mention that you’re looking for a job, as well as posting a link to your resume. Also, it’s wise to actually redo your resume for online use. Don’t simply cut and paste your hard-copy resume and slap it up on a social networking site or your web page. Tweak it to fit your audience, which in this case are people who use online communities like social networking in order to get their information. The sky’s the limit. In this day and age, you can even conduct job hunting just by using your iPhone. Whatever way you choose good luck to you!