Supercharge Your Job Search With Social Media

7 Tactics to Boost Your Social Media Profile

You must boost your social media network regardless of whether you’re employed or looking for a job. Your work history and related success only go so far in today’s job market. In today’s social media ecosystem, your friends on Facebook, connections on LinkedIn and /or followers on Twitter and what these “friends” think they know about you are what counts.

To help you in today’s job market, here are seven tactics to rev up your social media network to effectively represent your business experience.

  1. Prepare your vehicle to compete. Since social media is an integral part of how we communicate and share information, it’s critical to develop your social media presence. If you sit on the sidelines and don’t participate, you’re missing most of the conversation and, as a result, can get blindsided by discussions you didn’t know were happening.
  2. Understand the technology. Just as you would practice for a job interview, Invest time to understand the new technologies. Get a feel for how people communicate and share, and pay attention to the language they use on social media networks. (For a starting point, here’s a list of social media marketing resources. )
  3. Tune your engine. You need to know what people are saying about you whether it’s in business or your personal life. Google your name to see what turns up and check Google alerts regularly – two easy, low cost ways to monitor what’s being said.  It’s better to know before prospective employers start looking. If you find negative comments about you, you may want to enlist the help of reputation management specialists.
  4. Develop your race plan. Your presence on various social media platforms is the virtual version of the old-fashioned interview suit. Therefore consider how you’re going to position yourself with your choices of profile photographs or avatar and your business title. (Note: This doesn’t have to be the same one that’s on your business card), and the keywords you want associated with your profile. In contrast to the traditional resume, career-oriented social media is forward looking. While you have freedom in developing your social media representation, don’t lie or exaggerate the truth because people will find out and spread the negative word, potentially tarnishing your social currency.
  5. Take your practice laps. In the social media ecosphere, everyone starts at the same point, regardless of the size of your rolodex. Therefore, build your social media tribe of friends and followers to be a social media winner. Invite people you know to join you online. Think about how you plan to use each platform because this will define who you want to connect with and why.
  6. Show your appreciation to the pit crew. Help former colleagues and staff. Where appropriate, give them recommendations on LinkedIn without being asked. Pay it forward without worrying about whether they will reciprocate.
  7. Work the crowd. While you can stay sequestered behind your computer, get out and meet people in real life to strengthen relationships with those you’ve met through via social media. Go to events, Meetups, conferences and coffee houses with your online connections. Remember relationships grow stronger when you meet someone in person.

To supercharge your professional profile on social media platforms, a change in perspective is required to break deeply ingrained habits. Until you get the social media basics down, take it slowly. Remember it’s important to maintain your current network while expanding its breath.

If you have any suggestions and/or questions, please add them in the comments section below to help share the information broadly.

Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen


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Photo credit: TonyLanciabeta via Flickr

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