A Job Hunter’s Guide to Social Media About Tish Grier AC ’01  Started blogging     professionally in 2006 for Corante.com Chief community officer for Placeblogger.com Blogged at “The Constant Observer” for 5 yrs Currently, contributor to Poynter.org and blogger for Telefonica’s developer blog Has cultivated her professional network through multiple social media channels If you would like additional coaching on social media matters, contact me at: Email: tishgrier@yahoo.com Or on LinkedIn After the webinar, answers to your questions will be posted on Twitter: smithalumnae Facebook: Smith College - Alumnae CareerBuilder.com surveyed managers across the U.S.  45 percent research job candidates on social networking sites  Another 11 percent plan to start using social networking sites to vet job candidates  63% of hiring managers in information technology check social networking sites  53% of hiring managers in professional and business services check social networking sites Where are employers looking in social media The bad news 35 percent of employers surveyed said they found content on social networking sites that caused them NOT to hire a candidate. How not to get the job         Provocative or inappropriate photos Content about drinking or using drugs Bad-mouthing a previous employer, co-worker, or client Demonstrating poor communication skills Discriminatory comments Lies about qualifications Sharing confidential information Using text abbreviations or “emoticons” in e-mail or job applications The good news  18 percent of employers found information on social networks that resulted in hiring a candidate.  You can control how you present yourself online and what information a prospective employer finds about you. What does Google say about you? Gain control of your online identity  Do a thorough Google search  Check other search engines: Yahoo! and Bing.com  Update or delete any profiles on social networks or other web sites  Check your Twitter stream  Clean it up! Making Friends with What can a complete LinkedIn Profile do… Increases your searchability and visibility Add new content often Make updates without “permission” Invite contacts and discover new ones Display recommendations you get and give Search for jobs directly from LinkedIn Ten more cool things you can do with LinkedIn           Organize your connections Join and create groups! Answer and ask questions Find and create events Add applications like Slideshare Sync your Wordpress blog to your profile Add your Twitter stream (caution!) Browse for jobs by industry Follow companies Find out more about potential employers and co-workers by searching their profiles Can I use Facebook for a Job Search? Your profile should contain only information an employer can legally ask in an interview. If you want to be personal, keep it private Use Facebook to investigate potential employers After you get the job, make sure you keep it! Don’t get hung by what you said on Facebook Using Twitter…. Yes, you can use Twitter for a job search  See where Twitter comes up in your search results  Make sure your Tweets reflect who you are professionally and personally  If you want to be totally personal, make it private: lock your tweets  If troubled by Twitter, delete your account Blogging for fun and work! Five good reasons to start a blog 1. Demonstrate your expertise Five good reasons to start a blog 1. Demonstrate your expertise 2. Create more visibility Five good reasons to start a blog 1. Demonstrate your expertise 2. Create more visibility 3. Break your isolation Five good reasons to start a blog 1. Demonstrate your expertise 2. Create more visibility 3. Break your isolation 4. Boost your creativity Five good reasons to start a blog 1. Demonstrate your expertise 2. Create more visibility 3. Break your isolation 4. Boost your creativity 5. Stretch your communications skills Most popular blogging platforms  Blogger—owned by Google and easiest to use  Wordpress–great if you’re in it for the long haul  Posterous—a small, “lifestream” style blog platform that allows you to post from web-based e-mail accounts (gmail, yahoo, etc.)  Tumblr—another “lifestream” blog tool with its own community Promote your blog!        Technorati Alltop Blogged Blog Catalogue Wikio BlogTopList Kirtsy.com: digg-like site for topics of interest to women Further information on blogging  About.com’s Weblogs Page  Google Blogger for Dummies  Wordpress for Dummies  Problogger.net: information for the serious blogger Do you need a visual CV? Before you start your job search  Check your online presence and reputation  Clean it up if necessary  Be aware of which social networks allow you to control your privacy  Make sure all visible communication is precise and professional  If you want to remain personal, make it private.  Use combinations of social media and job search tools