Twitter Your Way to a Better Job
If you’re not using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to advance your career, you’re losing out to competitors who are. Here’s how to take advantage of each service’s best features – and avoid their pitfalls.
Things you will need:
* An updated resume. Have this handy so you can transfer relevant information to different social-media sites quickly.
* A digital photo of yourself. Get a good head shot of yourself showing you at your professional best to use in your profiles.
* Your e-mail contact list. Once you join a network, you’ll want to quickly send invitations to connect to your professional contacts. In many cases, this can be done automatically using tools on each site.
If you aren’t using social-media sites to tap into career and business opportunities in today’s tough economy, you should be. A survey released in January by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that more than one-third of all Americans now have profiles on social-networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, up from just 8 percent in 2005. And it’s not primarily kids, either: The average LinkedIn user is 40 years old; most Twitter users are now 35 and older; and people from 35 to 54 now represent the biggest group of users on Facebook. “You get access to people via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter that you can’t get in other ways,” says Sharon Rich, founder of outplacement consulting and coaching firm Leadership Incorporated. “I think it’s mandatory to be on there.”
Social-media sites can become a time suck, so you’ll need to limit the time you invest in them each week. But done right, social networking is a powerful way to build your professional reputation, find out about job opportunities, and keep abreast of the latest news and gossip in your industry.
Build a Powerhouse Profile on LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s business-only focus makes the site popular with successful professionals (so far, the site has 43 million members in more than 200 countries), so it’s the best place to start your social-media push. LinkedIn’s large amount of traffic also means that your profile there is likely to be the first thing that potential employers and clients see when they google your name, so it’s important to invest some time in building a strong profile. “Why not tell the story your way?” says Randy Hain, managing partner of Bell Oaks Executive Search in Atlanta. Hain knows firsthand the value of a good profile: He recently signed a client (who will do an estimated $100,000 to $200,000 worth of new business this year) when the client searched for Hain’s LinkedIn profile after reading an article he wrote in a trade publication.
Checklist
How to Shape Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
* Seek out recommendations from past bosses, key clients, colleagues, and direct reports to create a 360-degree picture of your strengths. Tell them that you’ll be happy to do the same for them.
* Instead of a generic job title at the top of your profile, such as “Owner of John Doe and Associates,” use a short description of valuable credentials that you can quantify, such as “20-year veteran of $100 million in high-tech mergers,” advises Chris Muccio, author of the book 42 Rules for 24-Hour Success on LinkedIn.
* Fill out the “Interests” section with pursuits, such as charitable projects, that reinforce your value to potential employers and clients.
* For consistency and branding, use a good head shot of yourself as your photo, and use the same photo on other social networks, advises Megan Hendricks, director, employer relations at the College of Business at the University of South Florida.
* Opt for a free vanity address for your profile that uses your full name, such as linkedin.com/in/janedoe, so colleagues can find your profile easily.
To read the rest of this article, especially the Twitter How To and the Facebook How To click here
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Local Google Advertising Consultant David Bruce Jr of Frederick Web Promotions Offers Company Facebook Page Ghost Writing
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