November 30, 2016October 2, 2016

Social Media for Job Seekers Part 3: Lessons Learned

Every day people are finding new ways to use social media to get a job. As a job seeker, creativity will get you noticed. This is the last post in our Social Media series, and we wanted to share some of the successes and failures we’ve come across. I Take a moment to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our series if you haven’t already.

Socially Awesome

Facebook Ads & a Trending Hashtag

About ten years ago, my close friend Scott decided he wanted to work at ThoughtWorks Australia. He had a tendency to be a bit impatient back then, so instead of waiting for them to get back to his application he decided that he wanted to help expedite the process. He launched a campaign to get hired that included two Facebook ads that led to microsite complete with a slide show and the ability to prank call people.

The slideshow he created demonstrated how his values aligned with those of the organization and included his accomplishments. Scott’s campaign became so popular that the ThoughtWorks Australia employees started #DearScott, which trended on Twitter briefly in Australia. He made it through their interview process and signed on as an employee not long after.

Scott did a lot of things right. He was intentional about his word choices for the advertisement, focusing on being a part of the team instead of being an employee (with/for). When people clicked, the site didn’t just lead to a resume; it was interactive and engaging. He connected to the company values and focused on his accomplishments instead of his previous duties. The prank call aspect let his personality show through in a fun, harmless way.

Lego Girl Gets a Job!

About two years ago a recent college graduate used Legos to apply for internships at creative agencies. She created a mini-scale Lego model, complete with packaging that she used to apply for jobs at her top two companies. She customized the colors on the packages to match the agency branding and included an “instruction book” highlighting her skills. In addition to sending the kits, she posted the photos to Reddit, which got a lot of attention from the industry. Her initiatives worked, and a few weeks later she posted this follow-up.

Socially Awkward

It’s important to be careful because mistakes on social media can cost you a job, or worse, your professional reputation. The next story is about another job seeker using Facebook advertising to get noticed by an employer. This time, it didn’t work out quite so well. The second example is a good reminder to be cautious of everything you post online, not only on your professional social media accounts.

You, Your, You’re…OUT!

One of my marketing friends told me about a failed ad campaign that an applicant tried. The company name and job seekers name are hidden for privacy purposes. From what she tells me several employees spotted the ad, first appearing on their personal Facebook feeds. Then it also popped up in at least one article or blog post an employee was reading.

The ad might have worked if it weren’t for one mistake. The position was in marketing, and this candidate used the wrong version of you’re, not once, but twice in the same advertisement. In a job where attention to detail is so important, the candidate pretty much guaranteed they won’t be getting a callback.

OKCupid to Facebook to LinkedIn to NOPE

An interesting article came across my news feed from SHRM, a professional organization for HR people. The article headline was “Vulgar Comments on Dating App Cause Recruiter to Dismiss Candidate.” The short story is that a recruiter was cruising Facebook when she saw her friend shared a Not Safe For Work Screenshot of some vulgar and threatening messages she received from a man on her Facebook news feed.

The recruiter thought the guy looked familiar, so she did a reverse google image search of his OKCupid photos. It turned out that the picture search led her to the guy’s LinkedIn profile, with the same photo. She rejected him from the candidate pool and sent a note telling him to be nicer to women. Her actions in dismissing the applicant were completely legal. If she had decided to move forward with the candidate given what she had seen and some issue happened at work, the company could be held liable for negligent hiring.

What’s the key takeaway here? Don’t use your professional profile photos in places you don’t want your employer to see. Be careful what you post online in general. There is an increasing blend of people’s personal and professional lives. Anything you put out into the world can be captured and shared. Think about what you’re putting out in the world and who you’re sending these things to. And honestly, just be a nice person.

Attention to Details

The other day this came across my Facebook feed just in time for this article. A friend of mine works at Zulily, and he recently received a mysterious hand delivered letter. Before he opened it, he posted a photo on Facebook. His name and photo are blurred for privacy. The person sending the message put in a lot of work and thought into his efforts. He researched the company, and he included an original signed recommendation, and he followed up on LinkedIn after it was delivered.

Unfortunately, there were critical errors. Remember when we talked about proofreading? Here is another example of a spelling error. It comes across as a lack of attention to detail. The second error was that he had the wrong hiring manager. My friend did end up passing the information along to the right person in the end, but those two mistakes might be a deal breaker for the hiring manager.

Oh, and as far as my friend’s informal survey? Two people said creepy/unprofessional because of the spelling along with sending it to the wrong person, and one person voted for being a go-getter.

Thanks for sticking with us through the series. Have you ever tried any of these tricks? We’d love to hear if they worked out for you. Tell us about them in the comments.

November 30, 2016September 26, 2016

Social Media for Job Seekers Part 2: Using Social Media to Get a Job

In the first part of our Social Media series, we talked about platforms job seekers should use to build connections and find positions. In part two we’re giving you our best tips on how to use social media to get a job, networking and building an audience.

Introduce Yourself

If you want to use social media to get a job, you need a summary. Use this section to talk about your professional skills, experiences, and what interests you. This information should be public, so double-check your settings. If you haven’t told your boss you’re looking for a job, don’t mention it in your profile, unless you are ready for an awkward conversation later.

LinkedIn: Focus on your summary, work history, education, certifications and volunteer experience. LinkedIn allows plenty of space to create an engaging summary and walks you through setting up a complete profile.

Twitter: You only get 160 characters, so focus on your career, industry, and interests, but avoid buzzwords that aren’t meaningful (perfectionist, strong performer, etc.).

Facebook: You can make the “about me” section public, but keep personal details out of it. Recruiters don’t need to read about your home-brew hobbies or the heavy metal band you play in unless it’s related to the jobs you’re applying for.

It’s best to leave out personal information, especially in your summary. Marital status, children, sexual orientation, age, religion and political views are illegal to ask about in the hiring process. Yes, it might be easy to tell from your name or photo some of these things but providing extra personal details isn’t going to help you get a job.

Be Active

Get noticed by posting new content, starting meaningful conversations and asking thought-provoking questions. By engaging with others, you’ll increase your audience and your chances of getting noticed by a recruiter. Search for industry-specific groups to join and events in your city where you can network in person. These groups will help you stay on top of your industry and learn about jobs before they get posted.

Once you landed the job, stay engaged. You’ve spent a lot of effort building a network so don’t abandon it. Keep your network open and post to it at least weekly. You never know when you might need help, or be able to be a resource for someone in your network. Also, hiring managers love to engage passive job seekers, people who aren’t looking for a job because they’re already employed. The next fantastic opportunity could be around the corner

Be Professional

Anytime you are using social media to get a job; your profile should be professional. That includes user names, photos and ‘about me’ sections. Use your real name and a professional email address like first.last@email.com for all professional communications. Ensure that you are using professional usernames, vanity URL’s, and photos for these accounts. Anyone can still click-through your previous profile pictures on Facebook, even if your profile is private.

Ask yourself if you’d be okay with your supervisor seeing your content or comments before you post it. If not, don’t post it. Recruiters and hiring managers will judge you based on your posts. Proofreading is especially important when you are looking for a job. Double check spelling, grammar and content to make sure it’s work appropriate.

Be On Topic

You’ve started a Twitter account, LinkedIn profile, and joined some Facebook groups to begin networking, Fantastic! Now the next step is to make sure that the content you’re posting is on-topic and relevant. Use caution with controversial topics; they are tricky, and it might be better off to avoid them, at least at first. If you decide to go down that road, they should be related to the industry, promote thoughtful discussion, and a have balanced perspective. Watch the content carefully and shut it down if it becomes offensive.

It’s important to keep in mind that just because you have separate personal accounts doesn’t mean that recruiters won’t find them. Recruiters are getting excellent at researching candidates these days. When you post content on your personal accounts, there’s still a good chance it could be seen. Double check your privacy settings and beware, even if you do have strong privacy settings, someone could take a screenshot, and your post could end up all over the internet.

Be Positive

We all know the one person from work or school who is ALWAYS complaining. This person might be fantastic at what they do, but their attitude affects everyone around. Don’t be that person on social media. Consistently complaining or posting negatively will drive hiring managers away fast. Yes, we’re looking for individuals who can do the job, but we don’t want to kill the culture at the same time. So, don’t badmouth your bosses or companies, and don’t vent. It’s okay to disagree with someone as long as you’re respectful. Stay away from personal attacks and negative comments because they’ll just make you look bad.

Be Resourceful

Are you curious about what it’s like to work at a company? Most companies have social media accounts that you can follow. You’ll learn about their values and the initiatives they have in work. Search for people who list the company as their employer and see what they are saying. If you are using LinkedIn, personalize any connection requests that you send!

To connect, send a friendly note introducing yourself and ask a few questions. After you’ve had a successful exchange, consider asking if they’d be open to a short (15-20 minutes) informational interview on the phone. If they agree, prepare questions about the work, company, the challenges & why they like it. The intent is to learn about life at the organization, not to try to sell yourself.

If you have an upcoming interview, you can search for the interviewers to learn about them. Look for things you have in common so you can bring up topics to casually build a rapport. For example, If you learn that the hiring manager is a big baseball fan, you can ask if they saw the game last night (without mentioning you looked them up of course!). Be tactful in how you approach these conversations, though, you don’t want to come across as creepy.

We concluded our Social Media series in Part 3, with examples using social media to get a job (and some that didn’t work so well). Be sure to subscribe to our blog, so you don’t miss out!

November 18, 2020September 21, 2016

Social Media for Job Seekers Part 1: The Basics

More and more companies are using social media as a method of attracting qualified candidates to their positions. In our Social Media for Job Seekers, we explore the what, why, and how to maximize these sites to find your next job.

Why Social Media

A 2016 Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) survey, found that 84% of companies are using social media as a recruiting tool and an additional 9% of organizations are planning to. This number is up from 56% in 2011. The most common sites that are being used by recruiters, in order, are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Companies are using social media for three main reasons:

They’re seeking out passive job seekers.
They want to attract candidates by showing up as a top place to work.
They are looking for specific skills for some harder to fill jobs.

Social media is a great way for you to connect with an organization. When you apply for a job online, your resume gets thrown into a system that scans and ranks it. It can take weeks to hear anything back if you hear anything at all. The benefit of social media is that you can talk to a real person and build a relationship. However, as companies and recruiters are becoming more engaged on social media, you have to be much more careful about how you are perceived. Everything you post publicly and even sometimes privately can affect your potential employment. According to the same SHRM study, 36% of organizations have rejected candidates based on their public social media profiles.

The Big Three

The most well-known social media platforms are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. As an applicant, you can use one or all of them to engage with employers. If you decide to use these tools to help with your job search you have to proceed with a bit of caution. Getting noticed by an employer can be excellent for your career, but it’s also easy to make the wrong impression.

If you only choose one social media platform, it should be LinkedIn. It is the most popular recruiting site used by employers. When you set up a profile, include the URL in your resume heading. Since LinkedIn doesn’t follow the normal “resume rules,” you can add additional information that may not make the cut on your resume.

LinkedIn also allows for skill endorsements and recommendations. You have the ability to ask people you’ve worked with to provide a recommendation or to endorse you. Recommendations show up on your profile as a reference or testimonial. LinkedIn is much more professional and work-related. It isn’t the place to debate politics, catch up with your long-lost cousin, or to share cat videos (except for this one).

Facebook

While Facebook can be a successful tool to engage with organizations, it also can expose much more of your personal information than LinkedIn. From an HR perspective, Facebook has been a useful tool in avoiding potentially bad hiring decisions and catching cases of worker’s comp fraud.

If you have a Facebook account, you need to update your privacy settings before you begin applying for jobs. Given my HR experience, I strongly suggest limiting the audience to your Facebook profile. You can still connect in Facebook groups or engage on company pages; it just prevents employers and the public from viewing your wall and other private details. Unless you’re Facebook profile and posts are squeaky clean, do not to friend your employers or coworkers.

Twitter

Twitter can be a great place to interact with organizations and leaders. It’s limitation being that it’s all in 140 characters or less. It’s easy enough to set up more than one Twitter account to keep your personal and professional tweets separate. When setting up a professional Twitter account, create a short username. If you’re going to include a photo, make sure it’s professional. One plus about using Twitter is that companies tend to be pretty responsive. Some executives and business owners manage their accounts directly. A lot of businesses have accounts set up specifically for job seekers. Microsoft runs @MicrosoftJobs and Amtrak has an account specifically for Veterans @AmtrakVets.

Other Social Media

Companies are trying to entice applicants on other social media platforms as well. GE’s recruiting campaign featuring a guy named Owen accepting a developer job has moved into Snapchat. Marriott has the @MariottCareers Instagram account featuring happy employees both at work and enjoying life. To get a good idea of what life is really like at a company you can search for hashtags used by both the company’s page and employees, like #facebooklife, #Lifeatkohls.

Be sure to check out part two and part three of the Social Media for Job Seekers series. We’re focusing on the top ways you can use social media to attract employers and creative examples of job seeker campaigns.