Kathleen Smith 00:00
Hi, I'm Kathleen Smith.
Rachel Bozeman 00:01
And I'm Rachel Bozeman.
Kathleen Smith 00:03
Welcome to our podcast bonus edition on leveraging social networks, not only for connecting with others, but to gather information and research companies you want to work for.
Rachel Bozeman 00:13
And you can also research people who work at the companies you want to work for. I mean, it's not technically stalking, we call it preparation. I mean, really.
Kathleen Smith 00:23
Let's kick it off with some of our top tips with some social networking basics.
Rachel Bozeman 00:28
Tip number one, selecting your social network. They're not all built the same. LinkedIn is wonderful, but it's not the silver bullet for every cleared job seeker. So don't put all those eggs in one basket. If you're searching for a job, know that not all recruiters use LinkedIn. Many do, but often on the back end once they've already found you, versus using it on the front-end as a sourcing tool. So depending on your profession, there may be more specialized online communities that can provide fantastic value for you. For example, in the cyber community, X, previously known as Twitter, is often a great option. If you're a software developer, check out GitHub. Or if you want to work in state, federal, or local government, check out GovLoop.
Kathleen Smith 01:19
Tip number two, be a better applicant. Use social media as a research tool in your job search, following companies of interests on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Be sure you're joining industry groups to gather more information. It's very interesting how much information is shared as far as contracts and things like that. Before applying for a job, always be sure you're checking the social networks to see if you have any contacts that already work there, that can give you some intel on being a better applicant. Your ultimate goal is to be referred into the company rather than just being an applicant. One in seven employees are hired through referrals, versus only one in 100 general candidates get hired. So that brings us to tip number four, which is check your privacy settings. Maybe you want to use LinkedIn as your professional public profile, but you want to keep Facebook to just family and friends. Consider making your Facebook profile private in that scenario, but still maintain a level of discretion when you're posting. You never know who knows who, and you might rub someone the wrong way if you're sharing some information that you really shouldn't. There are privacy controls that are much more robust than they have been in the past, but you're still connecting with other people whom you don't control. Make sure you go back to regularly double-check your privacy settings, as anytime you do an update, your settings may go back to the default.
Rachel Bozeman 02:06
I like those odds. Tip number three, be professional. Realize you're in a public forum on every social media site. Think about what you like, what you post, and what you share as a reflection of your personal brand. So avoid liking, sharing, and commenting on things that are kind of controversial or unprofessional. Think of what you share as kind of like a first date. Leave out religion, leave out politics. Every action you take online is there forever, so always remember, you're in a public space. And our final tip on how to leverage that social network. It's one of my favorites, Google yourself. Search for yourself on Google. Do the image search too. It's always fun to see what immediately pops up and what might be looming out there from some random account you created in the past that you forgot all about. Right? Or other people might have posted something about you too. Do yourself a favor. Be aware of what's out there on you.
Kathleen Smith 04:02
So we covered some general tips as far as using social media for job search. And it's really interesting, we started sharing these tips in presentations that we do at many classes across the country for transitioning military. We've actually been doing those since 2008, it's been a while. But I wanted to share some specific tips just for LinkedIn. So let's start with your LinkedIn profile picture. If you're in job search, your safest bet is to have a headshot just as you would be dressed for an interview. If you're in the military service, transitioning into the civilian sector, skip the uniform and go for more civilian clothes, because that is the future you're looking towards. Some folks with security clearances don't choose to include a photo, and that's fine, especially if you're in the intel community, but realize that it is your profile picture. So I always recommend, use some kind of other picture. And consider having someone take a picture of you versus doing a selfie, because selfies are not necessarily very professional. And no props or anything like that in the picture. No action shots, you know, use your superhero pictures for something else.
Rachel Bozeman 05:35
And that professional headline, not only do you need a great picture, but you want to go ahead and demonstrate in that very prime territory, the type of value that you can offer to others. So your headline should really focus on your career and be forward looking. Take a look at the profiles of others in your desired profession and pull the best of what they have to offer. Use an actual, relevant job title, coupled with some of your key strengths, separated by a pipe character. If you could see me right now you would see me doing the pipe character. Steer clear of vague soft skills such as "people person" in this section.
Kathleen Smith 06:14
And that leads us next to your summary. Your LinkedIn summary is really a much more robust version of your elevator pitch. Don't go on ad infinitum. I always recommend no more than three paragraphs. I actually do two paragraphs, because you need to really quickly and effectively communicate who you are and the value you bring. But make sure you're also using the terminology that's in your industry. The other thing I always like to add in this area is, if you're interested in relocating or open to relocating, this is an area to put that in.
Rachel Bozeman 06:57
Experience, experience, experience. If you've listened to our resume bonus edition -- if you haven't check it out after this -- you heard us talk about the importance of the accomplishment statements. Just as with your resume, focus on what you accomplished with the responsibilities you were given. When describing your experience on your profile, the most recent 10 years are the most critical when it really comes down to job search.
Kathleen Smith 07:27
Tip number five, one of my favorites, personalized URLs. This is one thing I absolutely love, being able to have your personal URL. Your default URL for LinkedIn is just this long thing of numbers and everything. And what you really want is to shorten it down to what your name is. You may have to add a number if you have something very similar, like Kathy Smith, like mine. Use that shortened URL on your resume, in your email address signature. You can even have job search business cards set up that just have that shortened URL. It's a really great way to have sort of networking on the spot. This is a great way to show recruiters that you're up-to-date with today's technology.
Rachel Bozeman 08:18
Connecting with other users. Who you connect with, well, it really depends on your goals and your career path. If you're in the cleared community, you may want to connect with people you've met, or maybe folks that have been referred to you by someone you do know. But if you're looking to relocate to a new city, in a non-cleared position, you should be more open to building your network on LinkedIn. Real gold can be found in the second- or third-degree connections. So consider mining those contacts for new connections.
Kathleen Smith 08:54
Tip number seven, recommendations. It's interesting, LinkedIn sort of constantly is changing what it offers as far as your profile is concerned. And for a long time, there were attributes and things like that you could vote for other people. And I was really frustrated with those, but they've kept recommendations. And I think that this is a really great way to build your network, but also to be able to show hiring managers your skills. So be sure you go in and ask for recommendations. You can do that within the LinkedIn tool. Ask for recommendations of people you've worked with, previous managers, things like that. But then also remember networking is a two-way street, so offer recommendations to other people too. And when someone does do a recommendation for you, you get to review that before it's posted on your profile, and you can approve it or not.
Rachel Bozeman 09:57
And you know what? Don't put your security clearance on your LinkedIn profile. ClearedJobs.Net surveyed recruiters and hiring managers and found that one in five wouldn't even consider hiring someone who put their clearance on their LinkedIn profile. Not a good statistic. So don't be that person. It's viewed particularly negatively in the intelligence community. And the thing is, you don't know which companies, recruiters, hiring managers are in that 20% that will toss your application right out of the way.
Kathleen Smith 10:33
All really great comments, Rachel. Thanks so much for sharing your input on this. Thanks to everyone for listening. And please subscribe to this podcast if you liked what you've heard. Rate and review us on the platform you're listening to, so you can help us get a larger audience. Thanks, everyone.