A Primer on Job Search & LinkedIn--er--Social Media: Part 1

I am often asked about job search and social media—how best to use it, current best platforms, what is ‘mandatory’ today…

To be honest and to provide this article with legs that will carry it into the future—I don’t know! What I tell you today may not be accurate tomorrow. Job search and social media is a moving target.

What I can tell you is that when it comes to job search social media requires a significant amount of forethought on your part. People, one way or another, have been telling you this for years—particularly when it comes to Facebook. I hope, for your sake, that what you have posted there has been reasonably positive because you can’t take it back.

I remember (and this will date me although it was only a few years ago) when email became prominent in business and the mantra became “If you wouldn’t want it to appear on the front page of The New York Times” don’t put it in writing. The same holds true for all forms of social media. This stuff will come back and bite you.

But I digress. The point I’m trying to make is that social media is just another form of communication and you must think before you speak/write/email/video/post/tweet/text—or whatever may be next.

Mandatory Today

Today all you need to know is LinkedIn. One hundred percent of all employers use Linked when seeking a candidate. (At the granular, corporate level referrals and the company career site are still first, first sources with LI closely behind.) The trick to LinkedIn is to continuously work it. Update it. Add connections. Keep it current.

What you must keep in mind with Linkedin is that recruiters want a complete profile. This includes a photo and recommendations. Get a professional headshot, or, at minimum a really good selfie. That picture of you cropped from a night out on the town--you know, that one with what is obviously a drink in your hand--won’t hack it.

Every word in your LinkedIn profile is a searchable term. As such be sure to ‘load’ your profile with all the keywords that someone seeking a person of your competency needs to find you.

I like LinkedIn (can you tell?). I work my Linkedin profile like most people play at Facebook. It’s one of several tools in my professional toolkit.

I'll be back with the remainder of this primer in Part 2.

To your success!
RG