On April 7, AWNY hosted its “How to Use Social Media to Enrich your Job Search and Enhance your Professional Reputation” workshop, kicking off a three-part career development series sponsored by the Meredith Corporation. The event featured guest speaker Regina Angeles, a 10-year recruitment and executive search veteran, and CEO of the multicultural talent recruitment firm, Talent2050.
Following introductions by Advertising Consultant Robin Butner Weidy and More magazine’s Advertising Director Vanessa Cognard, the evening began when Angeles took the floor and asked how many guests were already using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter in their everyday lives. Almost all of the nearly 50 attendees - who varied in age and career level - raised their hands. Nearly half of the room said they were actively in a job search, most hoping to use social media to gain some edge in their efforts.
Job seekers have already scaled their resume to a single page, with the most diligent candidates able to articulate their accomplishments in a 30-second elevator pitch. Now, with the help of social media, today’s savviest hopefuls have learned to communicate their skills using 140 characters or less. That is because Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter - the three social platforms Angeles focuses on in her presentation - require concise communication that stands out in an audience of hundreds. And, although increases online, for job seekers, being there increases the likelihood of connecting with the “right” person who can refer them to their next job.
Angeles said that having an online network of hiring managers, peers, and alumni networks is key to maximizing one’s professional Web presence. This “audience” serves as a third-party recommendation that can make, and sometimes break, a candidate’s chances of getting a job.
She used a slideshow presentation to illustrate the popularity of social media and the growing trend of hiring managers using social communities to identify potential employees. Angeles offered helpful facts, for instance, that “there are approximately 35,000 available jobs in the media and newspaper industry currently posted online.” She recommends using targeted and niche job boards like Jobvite to find new listings; and, even more innovative, using aggregators like Tweetajob and Tweetdeck to receive updates directly.
Angeles shared some unique tidbits including her “6 Career-Killer Facebook Mistakes” (which she posts with the rest of her presentation here http://bit.ly/d0wHr9), along with advice about diversifying your online references, and spending only one hour per day responding to online job posts.
The strategies Angeles spoke on sparked a great deal of interest among the audience, who eagerly engaged in Q-&-A breaks with her throughout the presentation. Obvious topics addressed issues of privacy, to which Angeles responded with techniques on keeping information that is shared online controlled. She recommends keeping separate online accounts for personal and professional purposes; managing the privacy settings within the social media platform; and setting up Google alerts on your name to monitor what is being said around the Web.
Although maintaining a social presence may seem a daunting task, Angeles advises that having some presence is more helpful than having no presence at all. Social media can be a great tool to establish credibility and build relationships outside of your current network. The key is to tailor the social networking to your own industry, and to continue to build and expand upon it as your career grows.
With 96% of recruiters using LinkedIn to find potential hires, joining the site seems to offer a clear advantage to those who are looking. Not only does it allow candidates to find a company that is perfect for them, but it also makes them searchable to employers faced with the task of finding the right candidate. The more active a job seeker is on the Web, the more likely they are to be found.
The workshop closed with a raffle drawing, through which one AWNY member won an opportunity to meet with Angeles for a one-hour session. Each attendee received a copy of the April issue of More magazine on behalf of the Meredith Corporation Back to Events List