Backpack to Briefcase Recap: How to Leverage Your Online Presence to Land a Job

Backpack to Briefcase Recap: How to Leverage Your Online Presence to Land a Job

By: Mike Wong
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When it comes looking for work today, the rules of engagement in this modern job-finding battle have changed with the advent and assimilation of social media. Gone are the days of simply dropping off your resume at the organizations you want to work for; now you have to apply for jobs that have stream-lined application processes. Employers now have the power and omnipotent ability to shortlist applicants simply by searching for your name online. To combat this, you must be present online, and by present, you must have a positive and an established online brand to differentiate yourself and prove to a prospective employer that you are the best of the best. So how do you leverage your online presence to land a job?

Kelvin Claveria, an SFU alumnus, who presented “Advanced Tips on How to Use Social Media to Find Your Next Gig” at SFU Career Services’ Backpack to Briefcase conference offered the following:  

  1. Have a consistent, online brand – Many of you have multiple online profiles, such as Facebook Twitter, etc. Ensure that you use consistent and appropriate user names when opening these accounts. Additionally, use your real name, fill out your profile and make sure you have a professional photo! This makes it easier for recruiters to search for you, and what they pull up will help create a positive image of yourself.
  2. Follow potential employers – The fastest way to find out when an employer is hiring is when they post it. On Facebook, add the company page to your “Interest Lists”, create private lists on Twitter to follow employers and monitor keywords such as “hiring” and/or “#jobs”.
  3. LinkedIn – A new social networking tool which is now the defacto tool that almost all employers are using before they shortlist you for an interview. The most important thing to work on is your “Summary”, which is equivalent to your cover letter. This catches the employer’s attention and encourages them to read the rest of your virtual resume. 

According to Claveria, 98% of recruiters are on social media, and 97% of those recruiters are now hiring through LinkedIn. A former Co-op student from Work Integrated Learning reported that the British Columbia Lottery Corporation approached him about a position when they stumbled upon his LinkedIn profile.

If you would like to find out more about how to further bolster your online personal brand, and how to use social media to actively search for your jobs, visit Kelvin Claveria’s blog where he discusses how to use social media to find your next job.

Photo credit: kcclaveria.com

Additionally, you can follow his presentation from last weekend below:

 

Backpack to Briefcase Conference

Storified by Mike DjMikxter Wong· Tue, Mar 19 2013 10:56:39

Welcome back #SFUB2B! Up next we have @KCClaveria from @DunnPR and @GlobalBen talking about Using #SocialMedia to find a job! ^mwSFU Career Services
98% of recruiters are on #SocialMedia. 97% check LinkedIn, 51% check Facebook #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
Coincidence? I think not! @CareyMcbeth, @JillEddy and @KCClaveria all say that you should establish your online brand #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
Share relevant, interesting and unique content (with right keywords). Control your brand; think before you tweet! #PersonalBrand #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
Balance professional, industry tweets with personal tweets. #SFUB2BSophie T
Monitor potential employers closely. Create twitter lists and Facebook interest lists to follow your favorite companies! #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
You can use @HootSuite's geolocation feature to find job tweets that are nearby! #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
SEO optimize your LinkedIn profile by using keywords! Remember to write for people not search engines. #PearlsOfWisdom #SFUB2BAswin Kumar
#LinkedIn tip: Join groups, and on their page, you can find jobs that they post internally #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
#LinkedIn tip: In your contacts tab, you can see categories that your contacts are in. Want to find someone who works for Telus? #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
#LinkedIn company pages are more up-to-date and detailed than anywhere else. They post their jobs here #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
Don't be afraid of approaching pros. Most of the time they'll be flattered to share their exp/insight #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
#LinkedIn tip: have a public profile so that ppl can see it! #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
@kcclaveria: Keep consistent with usernames across social media platforms so you can be found. #SFUB2BHifsa A
If you're not on #LinkedIn...GET ON LINKEDIN! Recruiters are now hiring through LinkedIn. So get on LinkedIn! #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
#LinkedIn tip: Ppl can see who viewed their profile; viewing their page shows that you've done your research! #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
Use http://Slideshare.net to create a portfolio/slideshow and show off your best work #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
Finally I have a use! “@SFU_Career: Ohhhh #Pinterest users rejoice! Create boards that also showcase your work! #SFUB2B ^mw”Mike DjMikxter Wong
.@KCClaveria shouts out @SFU_OLC! Volunteer to guest write a blog for exp/exposure #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
Use #SocialMedia to find the right ppl, learn more about org's, enhance what employers see of you, and learn about the org! #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
#SocialMedia tips: be helpful. Social media is a supplement; network offline. Be professional, but most of all, BE YOU. #SFUB2BSFU Career Services
@kcclaveria "If you're ok with your tweet being used in a newspaper, it's an ok tweet." #SFUB2B #privacyHifsa A
Thank you @kcclaveria for insight into using social media for job searches. Learned more about Linkedin and Pinterest. #SFUB2BHifsa A
What a productive Saturday at #SFUB2B. Learned lots on networking, career tips, and social media.Sophie T

Posted on March 20, 2013
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Submitted by Mike Wong on Wed, 2013-03-20 12:51 by Mike Wong