PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL NETWORKING:

FIND YOUR PERFECT (OR ALMOST PERFECT) JOB!

Heather Fox, Brittany Nims, Carly Pavlik & Erica RosenthalPRL 530 Special Topics PresentationMarch 23, 2010

WHY IS PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL NETWORKING SO IMPORTANT?

Internet and Web sites are becoming more legitimate sources of information

Companies are using social media to attract job applicants & to showcase their own work

Job applications have been available via the Internet: this is just the next step

Several companies also have Facebook/Twitter, and suggest you find them/follow them

GENERAL JOB SEARCHING: BECOMING OBSOLETE?

According to Beyond.com (online network of niche career opportunities):

“…In addition to other methods of traditional job searching such as university career centers, corporate websites, and personal networking survey participants ranked online job boards among their top choices to find employment. When searching for jobs online, most students prefer niche job boards over general job boards because these sites offer more targeted job search results and a greater variety of relevant job opportunities. “

OUR AGENDA

Professional social networking Web sites & examples

BrandYourself (Web site & online)

Effective & legitimate PR job search engines

Putting it all together on an RSS feed, like Netvibes

Future of professional social networking

USING PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES TO LAND A JOB

Your individual networking site profile tells potential employers a lot about who you are and why they should connect with/hire you

The time you invest in your networks is what you’ll get out of them

Staying on top of your networks is essential to reach the professionals that are constantly participating and communicating

Has more than 60 million registered usersCultivates relationshipsFinds people you need to knowPromotes your business and areas of expertiseHelps valuable contacts find you

HOW TO UTILIZE LINKEDIN’S OPPORTUNITIES

1. Present yourself Use a descriptive headline and add a photo for

recognition Include at least three past positions whether they be

internships or past employment Include a summary to let your personality shine

through 2. Get connected

Keeps you current with your network Easiest way to get connected is to join your school’s

alumni network Connect with anyone you have a real relationship

with 3. Build the good word

Recommendations give potential employers a snap of your past and an idea of your potential

Ask recommendations from past employers, professors or anyone that has experience with the quality of your work

BY FOLLOWING THOSE THREE STEPS

You can bridge the gap between your academic accomplishments and your first opportunities in the professional field

You Increase the chances of being discovered for a job

You rise to the first pages of search engine results

LINKEDIN SUCCESS STORY

Christine Midwood- technology program director and product manager.

Joined groups and researched LinkedIn for company information and potential connections before applying for any jobs

Strived to meet three times weekly with connections to learn the current field trends and opportunities

Before applying for a job she found online, she looked up and connected to a former coworker through LinkedIn who introduced her to the hiring manager

The opportunities LinkedIn provides goes beyond simply creating a profile and finding connections

OTHER USEFUL SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Plaxo When a user edits their information, the changes

are updated in the address books of all those who have a listed connection with the user

Has over one million users Integrated with Simply Hired

KODA Can learn about organizations’ cultures to see if the

workplace is a good fit Lists available jobs Hybrid of Facebook and LinkedIn

CONTD.

Twitter Employers and job sites post openings Can communicate directly with various organizations

Ning Includes job search networks that are organized by

area locations and industry Allows blogging, connecting with users and discussing

relevant issues

BRAND-YOURSELF (.COM)

Goal: “Create innovative tools that strengthen your career”

How?Build memorable profiles on professional and

personal websites that portray you in a positive lightOptimize your website, profiles and other online

content to be the first links to appear when your name is Googled

Promote your positive personal brand in the right places online; monitor who’s talking about you and what they are saying; and use social media to advance your career

WHY “BRAND-YOURSELF”?

Improve your chances of getting a job by managing your online presence

Applications enable you to develop a positive, professional and impactful web presence

Find your Google Grade to see what Google results say about you

JOB HUNTING

Finding a job is a full-time job in itself Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest

that people who use many job search methods find jobs faster than people who use only one or two.

While networking may be the most effective tool, online job hunting Web sites are a valuable resource

·Pioneered online recruiting over ten years ago.

·Largest job hunting Web site with over 76 million active resumes with employers in over 26 countries.

·Free to join!

·Upload resume and cover letters

·Advance searching capabilities to match your career goals with available opportunities.

·Unique tools: Career Mapping

·Find interview tips and career advice

OTHER USEFUL JOB SEARCH ENGINE WEB SITES

MediaBistro.com Dedicated to the communications industry Community for people in the industry to find jobs,

talk about trends and improve career skills.

Niche job search engines Search for jobs based on specialized criteria like

type of position, career field, or industry. Members of PRSSA can utilize job postings on

membership site Weekly updates of available jobs are emailed

JOB HUNTING STATISTICS ACCORDING TO THE CDC

Newhouse grads find jobs using the following:

Personal Contact/Networking: 33% Internet/Company Website- 21%-Applied directly to company- 12%-Previous internship- 9%-On-Campus Recruiting- 11%School/College Referral- 5%Career Fair- 3%Employment Agency- 3%-Classified Ads- 3%

TIPS ON USING JOB SEARCH ENGINE WEB SITES Create a personalized profile

Brainstorm strong attributes and talk-up relevant work experience

Develop an online presence and identity Make yourself searchable

Keep track & follow upWrite down and organize all of the places

you applied toFollow up with the organizationBe aggressive and pro active

COMPANIES RECRUITING VIA FACEBOOK

Job seekers can spend their usual time on Facebook searching for jobs!

Facebook is now a common place for a company to post available jobs.

Companies pay for sponsored pages as opposed to the free “social” profiles that individuals create

ERNST & YOUNG’S PAID FACEBOOK PAGE

·Huge success with its Facebook sponsored page

·Geared toward recruiting entry-level workers and interns

·Consists of discussion boards and testimonials about the E&Y workplace.

·To date has over 40,000 fans!

·E&Y Facebook Fan Page

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: USING A FEEDWhat should we use a feed for?

Job huntsTrade/industry newsSociaHow can we possibly view job

postings, industry/trade news, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. every day?

l networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)

Other newsBlogs

NETVIBES TUTORIAL

Netvibes tutorial: feed puts it all together in one place for quick and easy viewhttp://www.netvibes.com/earosent#GeneralGo to a site and find RSS feedCopy link locationAdd to Netvibes feed under New ContentMake several tabs for different feeds (ie: Job

Hunt, Personal Social Networking, News, Blogs, etc.)

Other feed options: Google Reader, iGoogle

JOB SEARCHING IN THE FUTURE

The Future is Now Electronic Resumes Personal Websites Virtual Interviews Facebook Twitter

Advanced Internet Recruiting Search Enables employees to virtually find candidates with specialized

skills Helps employers to pinpoint candidates to a specific

geographical region

JOB SEARCHING IN THE FUTURE (CONT.)

Advanced Internet Recruiting Search

Narrow Search Specified skill set Specified geographical

region Easy FREE!

Job Boards

Information overload Too Broad More work for the

recruiter (i.e. posting job descriptions, salaries, benefits, etc.)

Fees attached

http://www.career-intelligence.com/transition/FutureofJobHunting.asp

ANY QUESTIONS?