social media for job seekers

How Social Media Affects the Workplace

Creating your personal online brandGreg Rollett

Rollett Marketing

Who am I?

• Social Media Marketer• Rollett Marketing• Director of Marketing and

Communications at Rock For Hunger• Social Media Specialist at the

Employment Guide• Millennial or Gen-Y• UCF fan

What to get out of today?

• What employers look for

• How you can use social media for good– Create a personal brand

• The dark side of social media

• After you get the job

• Tips to make your profile employer and job safe

What is Social Media?

Blogs

Myspace Facebook LinkedIn

Social Networks

Flickr Youtube iTunes

Photos, Video, Podcasts

Social Media

User generated content is the key!You are building the brand of YOU!

What are employers looking for?

• Education

• Experience

• Good communication skills

• Computer skills

• Reading comprehension and great writing ability

• Clean background - no headaches

Today’s HR Outlook

• Job boards work, but they don’t• Looking for a personal connection• Looking for experience• Unemployment is low, there are less

qualified candidates • Lots of passive job seekers• Good positions are unadvertised – need

to be in the know

= Frienemy

www.google.com

Why would they Google Me?

• A 25-year-old teacher from northeastern Ohio says she's "an aggressive freak in bed”, "sexy" and “an outstanding kisser."

• A 31-year-old dentist from a rural county offers that, during the past month, she has been married, gotten drunk, smoked cigarettes, taken drugs and gone skinny-dipping.

• Hospitals want doctors with great skills to provide great services to communities. They also don’t want patients to say to each other, 'Heard about Dr. Jones? You’ve got to see those pictures.’

Why Google Me (part 2)

• While screening for a sales agent position they come across your blog which you have successfully sold ads for.

• They find an e-book you have written on a subject pertaining to the position.

• They find video of a presentation you gave in front of a corporate crowd and hire you for your speaking skills.

So, How Can Social Media Help My Job Hunt?

• Experience and research in a niche

• Writing skills

• Networking

• Inside information - viral spread

• Establish you as an authority on a given niche

• Computer and communication skills

How?

• Blogging

• Smart social networking

• Joining conversations

• What is a blog?– Weblog, online journal/diary

• Free services– Blogger, Wordpress, LiveJournal

• Why blog?– Networking, position as authority, learn about topics, find in search

engines

• Blogging Tips:– Pick niche topic that you want a career/job in– Monetize?– Comment everywhere– Link out to get links in– Frequency

Myspace• How many people have a Myspace page?

– Most popular social network – over 100 million – How many are private? Does that matter?

• Personal or professional• To use or not to use your real name?• HTML - Layout• Pictures• Song selection• Blogs• Slow loading time

Facebook

• Privacy settings

• No free HTML = more professional look

• Less high school keg party, more college frat party networking

• Applications to show off personality, add RSS feeds, get job listings or throw sheep

• More private to outsiders

• Where professionals network• Students, entrepreneurs, corporate executives and

recruiters all signed up and active• Be thorough -- think of this as your online resume,

with even more detail.• Ask questions and answer others to be seen as an

authority.• Search for people - teachers, old bosses and co-

workers, CEO’s of companies you wish to work for

Social Networking Job Sites

• Jobster– Post resume– Integrated with

Facebook and LinkedIn

– Search employers– Create profile and

get matched with jobs

Social Networking Job Sites

• Health Career Web– Specific Niche– Create and customize

profile– Search jobs– Ask questions and join

discussions– Post video resume– Connect with employer

pages– Connect with other job

seekers

Flip it on Employers

• The same way they Google you, you can now Google them

• Do your research about employees, good and bad press and company info

• Search for jobs on Google to find jobs not on job boards

• Google job boards and find niche sites to better suit your search

On the job

• In the last 3 years 1,700 jobs have been lost due to internet activity (UK)

• Google Alerts

• Personal vs. Professional – How to separate– Where is the line drawn– I am not my company I am part of it

Tips To Polish Your Online Brand

• Google yourself and see what is there.• Get rid of any pictures you wouldn’t show grandma• Same for video• Clean up bad or “teeny” HTML – NO glitter• Tell your friends to “un-tag” you on their photos• Start networking with relevant industry professionals• Start branding yourself as a leader in your niche• Professionalize your bio / about me section

In conclusion

If grandma would be mad at you, don’t let the world see it.This is your chance to create your brand and join the conversation

Questions?