Aspire! Empower! Career Strategy Group Unveils 5-Step Plan for Using Social Media in a Job Search

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Aspire! Empower! Career Strategy Group Unveils 5-Step Plan for Using Social Media in a Job Search »

Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) January 27, 2012 To get a job today, it is imperative for job seekers to create a purposeful and professional web presence. But, despite this clear directive, many job hunters still find it distressing, due to privacy concerns, or lack of confidence in—or comfort using—the social media tools, and decide to opt-out of social media altogether. According to Laura M. Labovich, Founder of Aspire! Empower! Career Strategy Group, a DC-based career firm, “Companies are turning to social media sites [to look for candidates] at a breakneck pace, and to catch the attention of prospective employers, and to be viewed favorably when stacked up against the competition, job search must be paired with a proactive social presence.”

In a recent article entitled “No More Resumes, Some Firms Say,” the Wall Street Journal showcased the recruiting protocol of Union Square Ventures, a New York venture-capital firm that recently posted a position for an investment analyst. “Instead of asking for resumes,” the VC firm asked applicants to “send links representing their web presence.”

Don’t get caught with no online presence when looking for a job. Follow the 5-steps below to easily launch an online job search:

Search inside before proceeding outside. Job seekers who spend ample time on soul search, tend to conduct a job search with greater efficiency and fewer stumbling blocks, and the reason for this is simple: empoloyers expect candidates to know what they want. So, it’s important for job hunters to be clear about the value offered. Assessments can help struggling job seekers to crystalize positioning and get clear on value. Once the soul search is out of the way, it’s time to share it with the world.

Join LinkedIn.com and complete the profile to 100%. Keep it up to date with a recent (and professional) photo, recommendations, and a powerful, authentic and personable LinkedIn profile that speaks to the target audience. (Get help from a professional writer or career coach if this becomes tenous.)

Share expertise. Participate in online groups and answer questions on LinkedIn to demonstrate knowledge in a particular field or industry. Becoming an “insider” can yield more contacts, at a faster pace, and help job seekers stay abreast of industry trends and challenges.

Figure out the Twitter “thing.” Pair a LinkedIn strategy with a Twitter one to engage in personal dialogue with company insiders and industry experts. Hone in on a marketing message, create a 160 character bio, begin tweeting (keeping tweets 75% professional and 25% personal, as a general rule) and, finally, seek out other experts to follow, by using directories such as: ExecTweets, WeFollow and Twellow. Most imporantly, be generous by retweeting what others say, and creating interesting and original content that is on point with career target and valuable to the Twitter community.

Add video to the mix. For job seekers with little to no presence, who are “ungoogleable” or considered invisible to the search engines, a good rule of thumb is: “video is king.” One quick way to be found online is to create a video, as it will find it’s way to the top of Google search results.

Aspire! Empower! Career Strategy Group Unveils 5-Step Plan for Using Social Media in a Job Search