Harness Social Media for Your Job Search

Here's a simple technique that Social Media Managers use to explain social media methods to small business owners - one that can alternately be used for a personal job search. (This is very similar to bloggers who are recognized for their work with subsequent mainstream book publishing contracts.)

The short version goes like this:

• Use accurate contact information in your Twitter and LinkedIn profiles.
• Synchronize Twitter with LinkedIn.
• Post updates at LinkedIn that automatically tweet.

The Long Version - in 3 Easy Steps:

1 Everything centers on you. This technique attracts attention that is highly focused on you:

• That means that you must list accurate contact information and no typos in your resume. The way you check for typos is to print a copy and read the text out loud - to yourself, correctly pronouncing (enunciating) each word as you say it (the mistakes you find when you do this will be funny, trust me).
• Keeping personal privacy in mind, highlight your current town and state (town and province, town and country, town and international region) - and the type of job you're looking for - within your profile and contact info at LinkedIn and Twitter.
• The resume information that you list at LinkedIn should include all past jobs (that make sense with respect to the job you are seeking).
• Allow the messaging systems at both sites to work.

Here are examples of short blurbs to list in Twitter and LinkedIn profile areas.

Twitter: Patty Smith seeking employment as a Gourmet Cook in Dallas, Texas. Google me. Contact via LinkedIn or Twitter.

LinkedIn (in the Professional "Headline" section): Gourmet Cook Job Search - Dallas, Texas.

2 Synchronize LinkedIn and Twitter.

• Log on to your LinkedIn account (create an account if you don't already have one).
• Log on to your Twitter account (create an account ...).
• Click on the Twitter symbol in the "Share an update" box in the "Network Activity" section of your LinkedIn home page.
• Follow the online instruction that tells you how how to grant access between LinkedIn and Twitter.
• Be patient with the permission-granting system that connects the dots between the two sites. It often takes a couple of tries before the two sites correctly synchronize. (Many of the social network web sites are slightly glitchy in this way - be persistent - the stuff works.)

Now that you have one set of similar contact information - and two social media web sites working for you:

• Post information about what you are doing to look for jobs in the LinkedIn "Share an update" section.
• Describe past accomplishments in the same section.
• Describe the specific skill sets (that only you possess) that employers need these days.
• Describe things that specific businesses need that managers may not be able to see, because they are stuck on the inside looking out - things you can see from your outer perspective (create a job, per se).
• If you want to get really fancy, pen HubPages that detail your expertise in a particular career field, placing your LinkedIn and Twitter profile links in your HubPages profile area.

The LinkedIn "Share an update" posts will generally remain at LinkedIn - within whatever groups and discussions you join and take part in - and as part of your online profile, as readers scroll down the web page.

The tweets end up all over the Internet - which is what you want - because they are search engine-friendly.

3 When a potential employer stumbles across one of your posts that illustrates how employable you are - a post, for example, that was sent from LinkedIn as a "Share an update" - and that was automatically tweeted - you may be contacted asking when you are available to start work.

Cool, huh?