In today's economy, getting contacted by a hiring manager is becoming increasingly tougher than it ever used to be. In the old days, applicants only had to worry about a well-rounded resume and an attractive cover letter. This is no longer the case. With the advancement in technology over the years, job-seekers are finding that regular use of social media is becoming more and more essential. What job-seekers do not know, however, is how to correctly use these social media platforms to work in a way that benefits them and gets them pushed to the top of the job pool. In this article, I will discuss using Facebook, LinkedIn and About.me to re-brand yourself into who you want to be!
Have you ever heard how important it is that one has their own online portfolio? Well it is, but not only that, it is equally important that your portfolio is search engine optimized. This will ensure that your website makes it to the top of an employer's search results every time! Take me for example. I use Wix as my online host for my portfolio. When you purchase the premium Wix account for your website, you are given your own domain name and advertising coupons. These coupons can then be used towards Facebook, Google+ and other social media sites. Have you ever seen ads in the sidebar of your Facebook account? You can be one of those people! In addition to using Facebook as a means for advertising your portfolio, you can also create "Like" pages. Like pages can be used to market you as a brand, becoming more visible and accessible to employers.
Just as the business card is crucial for professional networking, so is having an about .me. About.me is a social media platform that allows you to create your own online business card. It looks just like a business card with your contact information entailed, as well as your resume, letters of recommendation, portfolio, social media accounts, QR codes and anything else that you want to display. About.me is also a great site to connect your Pinterest or Instagram to. It is a good idea to get one of these social media platforms as well; as it illustrates that you have a creative side as well as a professional one. After all, employers not only want to see that you integrate well with their organization professionally, but also on a personal level.
Keeping an updated LinkedIn account has become so essential in the last few years that it has almost come to the point that if you do not get a job! LinkedIn is full of ways that you can market yourself as a brand. Your headline, alone, can attract more attention than you ever imagined if done correctly. Have you ever scrolled through a plethora of profiles and find them all seem the same? That is because most people do not use their heads correctly. The default setting for a LinkedIn profile is your name and the company that employs you. To market yourself further, it is important to have an attractive headline. Be descriptive and specific using creative dialogue that attracts an employer to your profile.
The lack of jobs nowdays does not give us job-seekers any room to be slacking in the branding process. If you employ these tips, I can guarantee that you will get more job offers than you ever thought was possible.
