The Election and the Job Search: Button Down Your Social Media Accounts

What a week! Political pundits are calling the 2016 Presidential Race one for the record books. The displeasure or pleasure with President-elect Trump’s win continues to be splashed all over social media and polite and impolite conversations are still going on days later.

As a job coach I thought I’d pass along this bit of advice. If you are looking for a job or if you are currently in a position that you love and have no intention of leaving, you might want to check your social media security; especially on LinkedIn and Facebook. Why take a chance on messing up your chances for receiving or even keeping a great job?

Here are a few steps to button up your accounts if using a laptop. If you are using the app the steps are similar.

Facebook

1. Go to your named page (the one with your name on it) and click the three buttons next to the words Activity Log.

2. Click “View As”

3. Go towards the top of the page, right above your photo to see, “This is what your Timeline looks like to: Public or View as Specific Person

4. Click Public to see how you would look to a potential hiring manager.

5. Correct your security measures by clicking the lock icon on the top right of your page where it says, “Who can see my Stuff”

6. Where it says “Who can see my future posts”, click friends.

LinkedIn

Stop posting political or personal things. If you insist on using this forum for personal messages do the following.

1. Go to your Profile page and by your photo, click View Profile As

2. Up on the top, under the banner you will see, “This is what your profile looks like to:” and a box with a drop down menu.

3. Click Public

4. If you don’t like what you see, click Return to Your Page

5. Click the little gear icon under your photograph and LinkedIn URL. This takes you to your Public Profile page.

6. On the top right it will Your Public Profile URL. Change your settings by checking or unchecking what you would like the public to see and hitting Save..

Check your Instagram account too and any others that might be iffy. Remember, a hiring manager may Google you after receiving your resume. Make it easier on both of you by buttoning up your profiles. This goes for anything; not just politics. Why take unnecessary chances? 

There are a number of articles on the legality of hiring or firing based upon political beliefs. Please take a look at these for additional information.

Creating a Personalized LinkedIn URL

If you want to be found in your job search, you will need a LinkedIn profile and that profile needs a personalized URL. If you leave your profile as LinkedIn has it, it will be full of unnecessary letters and numbers.

Personalizing your profile is easy and once you do it, you can copy it onto your resume. 

Here's how:

   1. Go to your Profile Page.  

   2. Bring your cursor to your current URL (found under your photograph) and a gear will     appear. Tap the gear.

   3. Where it says “Enhance your personal brand by creating a custom URL for your LinkedIn public profile” you will see the blue edit pencil. 

   4.  Create your personalized URL; it is usually your full name and perhaps a number.

   5. Click Save.

 

Dunkin' Donuts Nightmare: A Lesson Learned

I saw an article this morning about a woman who went on a racist, profanity laced rant on a couple of workers in a Dunkin' Donuts in Florida.  She didn't get a receipt for her order the previous day so she returned video camera in hand to record the episode.  She proudly proclaimed that she would immediately post her outburst on Facebook. It is also on YouTube. What she didn't expect was that the tables turned and rather than supporting her, millions of people on social media now scorn her.

Supposedly the ranting woman (I'm not even going to name her) is a college grad who is now in law school.   I Googled her and guess what I found? I found a page full of unflattering articles about her now infamous rant.  Of course, this being a job search blog, you can imagine the first thing that went through my head…

What law firm would want to hire her after seeing that?

The lesson to be learned here has nothing to do with her because I honestly don't think that she is worth our time.  Other than her tirade of brainless, dense and embarrassing rantings, she is also an example of minding how you use social media.  It can come back to bite you in the butt.

PS: The two Dunkin’ Donuts co-workers are being recognized for their outstanding customer service.

Watch What You Say in Social Media

My friend John Fox, The Golden Rule Guy posted an interesting link today that reiterated the point that a whopping 91% of employers are using social media to screen perspective employees. He also stressed that what you post is out there for all to see. Please check out his blog – it is very thought provoking.

John’s post got me thinking not only of the employment process but also of the thousands of high school kids who are right now applying to colleges. Our family went through the college application process last year around this time of year. We had to remind our son that he had to be careful of his Facebook posts and pictures. It’s very easy for a college to look up someone. Even if the security setting protects the “Wall”, the pictures may be open for all to see. Is a college going to think highly of someone with a beer in their hand or openly displaying ummm, affection for someone? And while we’re on the subject, remind your kids that if they leave their Facebook or Twitter pages open and walk away, one of their friends may think it’s funny to write something really gross or inappropriate on the page. I’m probably preaching to the choir here but this is something you may want to stress to your children.

Of course the same rules apply to the internships and the job search. It’s best to look at your profile and ask yourself if based on what you see, you would hire yourself. If anything there makes you question yourself; take it down. While you are at it, take a look at your friend’s posts. If there is anything inappropriate and it shows on your wall, hide it (go to the post and towards the upper right of it, you’ll see a small downward facing arrow. Click it and then click Hide Story).

With social media our words and actions are out there for anyone to see. It’s hard enough to find a job or get accepted to a choice college as it is. Why mess around with it because of something you or someone else posted to a social media outlet?

How Does the SPCA Do It?

I follow the Monmouth County SPCA on Facebook.  After all, my very first dog, a Springer Spaniel named Rebel came from that special place back when I was in the fifth grade.  Over the years I have checked in, but since I don't live in the area anymore it's been difficult to keep up. Lately though, through Facebook, I can see the amazing love they give to their charges on a daily basis. 

Today I read a post that over the weekend, twenty five animals were adopted. Those are really good odds and the new pets now have wonderful homes.  How do they do it?  I think a lot of it comes from the way the staff expertly uses social media.  They have Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts and a great website that rates each pet based upon many factors including temperament and energy level. 

Every day the Facebook followers (all 6,443 of us) get to see a variety of pictures of cats and dogs, all with names and a story.  The pictures are posted and then the comments pour in.  I wouldn't be surprised if after seeing a picture, someone gets in the car and drives right over there to adopt a special pet. In addition to this, an SPCA staff member answers any questions that may come up in the comments section and encourages people to call in with any specific concerns.

Like the SPCA, anyone looking to get back into the job market should also make use of social media.  We've talked about it in previous articles and it doesn't hurt to repeat. 

1. Join LinkedIn and create a complete account.  Join groups, ask and answer questions.  Let it be known that you are a subject matter expert. 
2. Get a Twitter account and link it to your LinkedIn page.  Follow the job search, interviewing, resume and TweetMyResume pages.
3. Post a professional picture on all of your social media accounts.
4. Start a blog and provide articles about your professional expertise.  Link that to your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
5. Take a cue from some of the sites that you follow; what do they do that draws in a crowd?

All of us, like the folks over at the Monmouth County SPCA can draw attention to our strengths by using social media; how have you used it? By the way, in the 20 minutes that I used to create this blog, they got another follower.

Becoming Socially Connected For Your Job Search

If you are reading this, chances are you are somewhat technically savvy and I'm just preaching to the choir.  If you know someone who is not socially connected, perhaps you can point them to this article or at least print out it for them.

I've been giving a lot of training sessions for the age 40+ job seeker lately and the folks in these classes have to be some of my favorite people.  Still, when I mention social media, many of the aged 50 and over in the crowd freeze, roll their eyes or poke the person sitting next to them.  I can understand as I was in their shoes just a few years ago.  Other than opening a LinkedIn account using my name and position, I let it sit there and well, do nothing.  It wasn't until I was released from my former position that I learned the value of diving head-on into social media. 

Now, most of you reading this don't know me.  If you did, you'll know that several years ago I wasn’t interested in the internet. I didn’t really use it much at work except as a research tool and at home, I didn’t bother with it.  Well, times have changed and I have become a full fledged fan, especially when it comes to helping people find jobs.

After using the worn out phrase, "Google yourself at least once a week", at a Job Search for the Age 40+ Seeker the other night, some of the people started snickering.  Of course a few years ago, if I had said that, I might have blushed. It hit me then that for whatever reason; they too were not connecting (no pun intended) with the value of this remarkable technology.  Unfortunately, they will be left behind unless they catch up.

The bottom line is this.  Research shows that in 2011, many companies will move away from recruiters and job boards to list open positions and find prospective employees through LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.  If you don't have a strong presence in these groups then your chances of finding employment will start to decline.  Where should you start?  I would suggest you start by creating a LinkedIn profile.  Here are a couple of ideas:

1.   Follow the directions on the LinkedIn profile page to create a profile. Take a tutorial if you're uncomfortable just jumping in or read an article about creating a strong on-line presence.   About.com has some good, easy to follow articles.

2.  After creating a profile, look for personal contacts and let them know that you want to connect.  In your invitation, explain how you know each other and modify the standard LinkedIn greeting to reflect how you know one another. 

3.  Join groups representing your interests and experience.  You might also want to join some of the job search groups and perhaps a group representing another area of interest.  The other day I joined a Sales Training Group.  I don't know anything about sales training but thought I might learn something if I joined.  Finally, join a group where you can learn how to use LinkedIn properly.  I suggest the group called, Linked Strategies.  It is excellent.

All it takes is for you to make the first move and get started.  You’ll be amazed at the information and people at your finger tips and you will be creating a social presence.   There will be more to learn but this is a good place to start.

Twitter and the Job Search

Today I read a report from Jobvite, Inc. (a recruiting platform).  It stated that in the upcoming year, 80% of companies plan to recruit through social networking with 78% using LinkedIn, 55% using Facebook and 45% using Twitter.  The report also notes that many companies are eliminating the added expense of posting job openings to job boards or working with recruiters and plan to move ahead with a push to recruit through social media. 

We've talked about using LinkedIn in your job search but haven't really said much about Twitter or Facebook.  Today I thought I would give you a couple of links to some helpful articles on using Twitter.  While the article from CIO article was published in 2009, it still contains some very useful information on setting up your Twitter account and using it in a way to get you noticed.  I've been Tweeting for a while and I learned a couple of new things from this article. One thing it stated is when setting up your Twitter account, you can link it to your LinkedIn profile.

Another one of my favorite, easy to follow, "go to" sites is About.com.  They have an interesting article about using Twitter to find various job sites. E-How also has some very easy to follow steps on starting up Twitter and using it for your job search.  It even lists some Twitter addresses to get you started.  Finally, I’ve listed Twit Job Search so that you can enter some job titles and see where it takes you.

I’ll have more on this subject soon but I suggest getting started if you haven't already.  That 45% rate is pretty high. My Twitter name is @Nancy_1, feel free to follow me!

Social Media: How Do I Know You?

Today I received an invitation to connect on LinkedIn from another person that I don’t know.  Now since they check the box marked “Friend” when they initiated the contact, I figured I must know them from somewhere, right? No, I clicked their profile, read their profile and couldn’t figure out how or where our paths had crossed. I’m sure that many of you get similar requests and can’t seem to figure out what to do with them.  Keep them in your inbox for a while? Delete them on the spot?  The same thing can happen with Facebook.  At least with Facebook, if the contact is a suggestion from another friend, you can contact your real friend and ask them how we both know this person.  So what are some of the social media connection rules?  I did a bit of research on this and found an article in CIO Magazine that provided some useful tips.  My personal tip? Always personalize your invitation – even if you know the contact.  If you use the boiler plate template, customize it to reflect your connection with this person.

Social Media, Blogging and the Job Search

We all know how social media is the "it" tool.  It helps market your business, spark the interest of current and future customers, provide training and education and of course, help you network and find jobs.  It was through a LinkedIn group and Facebook that I was introduced to Louise Edington. We have never met as we both live on opposite sides of the country but we have found through social media that we have a lot in common. First of all, we are both moms and we are both run businesses.

Louise uses Facebook for her business and always poses the most interesting questions.  The responses from her fans are interesting as well and the conversation never stops. One thing that Louise does is feature a "Fan of the Week". She chooses the fan based upon the number of "Likes" and responses they provide to her Facebook queries.  Clever, I'd say. People like to be recognized and they like to see their responses acknowledged and their questions answered. Louise featured me on her blog, Lou Loves Learning.  Her blog is very cool.
 
The same can be said for using social media for your job search.  Use it wisely by:
1. Completing/updating your profile
2. Asking questions
3. Answering questions
4. Joining groups
5. Using key words to describe what you do

Take a tutorial to find out how to use social media to help you in your job search. Look at the training provided by the site or go to your local library for help. Whatever you do, jump in!

Using Social Media for Your Development

When I was working full time with an organization, I never thought about social media. I guess it’s the same for most people steaming ahead at their respective workplaces. If someone asked to connect on LinkedIn I usually put it off because I was too busy doing something.  Plus, I didn't really know how it worked.  It meant that I would have to create a LinkedIn page, something that I didn't think I had the time or energy to do. Then I thought, "Hummmm, is that person leaving their job and letting people know that they're looking?"

Fast forward a couple of years, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Xing and other sites are common place and yes, people are using them to find a job. It’s been splashed all over the place that networking, including social networking brings up to 85% of new jobs. What I never knew back then, is how helpful social media is in keeping up with the newest trends, technology and even buzz words in the industry. There are groups for everything and if a free membership to LinkedIn allows you up to 50 groups, then why not take advantage of them? Here is how I see social media helping both the employed and the active job seeker:

1. If you work full time, it is sometimes hard to keep up with current findings in your field.  You're either too busy putting out fires, creating something, servicing something, attending meetings, etc. While you are toiling away for those 8 - 10 hours a day, your field is changing. By joining a couple of LinkedIn groups or on-line professional discussion groups, you can read/learn/speak of the current opportunities in your industry.  Here's an exmple.  For years I was the only learning and development specialist in my organizational unit of 4,000 employees. I didn't have anyone to bounce ideas off or share tips. I just designed, developed and plowed ahead. Attending a conference was eye opening since there were hundreds of other professionals just like me! I always came home refreshed, energized and excited to try something new.  The same can be said about social media (without the trip to Orlando). The ideas, concepts and sharing are energizing and you can apply tips and share the results immediately.

2. If you are actively seeking work, your deep understanding of the current state of your field and industry can only help you. Your ability to speak comfortably about your past use of certain skills and the future outlook for certain technology, services, and your particular area of expertise will not disappoint.

3. As an independent contractor these same strategies hold true.  Why work in a vacuum when you can research, share information and stay on top of your industry?

Times are rapidly changing and within the past few years social media has become more common.  By taking advantage of it, you can stay current and active and feel as if your are making a contribution.

LinkedIn Groups

If you are reading this, chances are pretty high that you have a LinkedIn account and I am just preaching to the choir.  If you don't have a LinkedIn account, it's something you should seriously consider, especially for help in your job search. The main reason is because more and more companies and recruiters are turning to this particular social media site to help them find qualified candidates.  If that’s not enough, LinkedIn is a fantastic networking source.

This week in one of my job search classes, a participant who happens to be a registered nurse asked if LinkedIn has a group for nurses. Yes, in fact there are 631 nursing groups.  (I just checked.)  Many of the groups offer job search assistance while others help keep the nurses inside the groups on top of their games.

Take a look for groups in your area of expertise or interest.  You'll be pleasantly surprised at the number of members to share information and network with.  There really is something for everyone!  Some general guidelines are:
1. Follow the stated group rules
2. Don't SPAM
3. Ask and answer questions
4. Join conversations
5. Share information that you think the members might find helpful
6. Learn the difference between Discussion and Promotion

Finally, if you are looking for a job, be sure to join the many job search groups within LinkedIn. The newest suggestions are posted and there is terrific advice for the entire job search cycle. It is also a great place to network.

Using Social Media for Your Business

There is a great article in the Newark Star Ledger today about using social media to enhance your business prospects. The article chronicles a real estate agent who juggles Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  The same rules can be used for using social media for your job search.  Did you know that many recruiters and companies use social media to find the right candidates?  Many are stepping away from on line job boards in favor of social media.

The rules of social media haven't changed much:
1. Know your audience.
2. Clean up all of your social sites.  This means hiding those people who make the inappropriate comments or have the "unusual" photos.
3. Stay away from certain topics such as religion and politics.
4. Never bad mouth anyone including your former boss, company or peers.
5. Update.  Always update.  Also make sure that your profiles are 100% complete.

Here's another thing to think about.  In social media your voice is going everywhere.  Any remarks that you post in groups (Facebook) can be seen by anyone who Googles you. If you sign up for a MySpace account and put in the required information such as name, date of birth, etc, the whole world will see that too.  Again, tread gently with your comments and information.

Go Google Yourself

I read an article on Forbes.com about using social media for your job search. It was good and it mentioned many of the things we've talked about such as using key words, not blasting your resume, being specific to your skills, etc. What caught my eye was something I haven't done as often as I should and that is to Google or Bing yourself weekly. You'll be either delighted, disappointed or upset at what you'll see. Your LinkedIn profile is there as are your Facebook, Twitter and any other accounts you may have. You might also see your donations to political groups, your college or other public listings.

Last year I had a MySpace account because I wanted to comment on some of the songs my son had written and posted (good mom!). I entered my age, location, basically everything it asked for to find out that all that information was listed in Google. Yikes! I didn't want to whole world to see my age or my motherly comments to my son. I immediately went into MySpace and cancelled my account. It took a few days to go away.

Needless to say, clean up all your accounts including pictures and language and stay away from taboo subjects in your messaging. You never know what will come up.