Creating and Managing Your On-Line Presence An Introduction to Using Social Media Professionally

Agenda Introduction to Social Media Social Media & Employers Building Your On-Line Presence/Brand – Activities – Videos – ABC Challenge!!

Who Is Using Social Media? Facebook? Linked In? Twitter Google Pinterest Academia Edu?

Social Media and the Graduate Student Grad students don’t need to be on the Internet; focus should be on research/writing, studying, teaching Introvert – quiet and private; don’t want their private information on the Internet No time Perception that it has no value Not for “real” academics Source: Dr. Katherine Brooks, University of Texas at Austin

Don’t need to be on Internet Social media sites are excellent places to showcase your skills, experience, publications, and research Could lead to consulting work, recognition by colleagues, even a job!

Want to Keep Privacy So don’t put everything out there! Keep private what you want; focus on your professional life Contain what you write about to professional topics

No time for social media Decide how much time you will invest; work it into your schedule May need to invest a bit more time in the beginning to choose kinds of social media, set up, and determine your schedule

No value to social media Your name, research, knowledge, expertise available for employers, and colleagues Ability to connect with people you admire in your field, commenting on blog posts or following someone on Twitter: – Ideas – Resources – Exposure to new leaders in the field – Maybe a personal connection!

Academics don’t use social media… Dr. Michael Wesch Dr. Charles Burton (Brock - Political Science Dept.)

Social Media and Employers/Job Search How many employers are using social media for candidate selection? What are they looking for? What are the implications for job seekers?

Social Media and Employers/Job Search recruiting-real-video/

Why Employers Use Social Media Generate awareness and raising an organization’s profile online Branding Monitor what is said about an organization Mine for potential candidates from a ready, willing and interested audience/fan base Post jobs

How many employers are using social media for outreach and recruitment? 92 % of employers use social media for recruiting (up by 3% from 2011 and 10% from 2010) 73% of recruiters have successfully hired a candidate who was identified or introduced through a social network or social media 86% of recruiters are likely to use social profiles when interviewing

How Employers View Social Media Research from Jobvite’s Social Recruiting Survey 2012: 49% of employers saw an increase in quantity of candidates 43% of employers saw an increase in quality of candidates 20% reported it took less time to hire 31% saw an increase in employee referrals

What Social Media Platforms are Employers Using? LinkedInFacebookTwitter Recruiting93%66%54% Hired89%26%15%

More Reasons Why Employers Use Social Media Conduct background searches on candidates Monitor the behaviour and communications of prospective or existing employees

Social Media Pitfalls Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work. Who is the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.

More Pittfalls

Employers screening profiles Reasons for Rejection % Rejected Posted provocative/inappropriate photos/info 49 Provide info about drinking or using drugs 45 Poor communication skills 35 Bad-mouthed previous employer 33 Made discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc. 28 Lied about qualifications 22

Building Your On-Line Presence Have you ever Googled your name? What did it show? What images did you find?

Social vs. Professional PersonalProfessional Find and connect with friends and acquaintances and make new friends Find and connect with professionals, decision-makers or “people in the know” Get information and updates about and from your friends Gain industry or organizational information, updates and insights from professionals Keep in touch quickly and conveniently across time zones Keep in touch with contacts in your professional network more efficiently and across time zones Connect with people who share your personal interests Connect with professional groups who share your interests/expertise

Creating Your Web Presence Familiarity – what sites, understanding the uses of data, privacy concerns, how site “community operates” Consistency – same image/persona over multiple sites Participation – you only get as much benefit as you put in

Facebook (personal/professional – Branch Out) LinkedIn (professional) Google Profile/Circles (professional) Academia.edu (professional) Twitter (personal and/or professional) Blogs (personal web site, Wordpress, Tumbir, Posterous, etc. It’s important to just pick one and start! Where to start?

LinkedIn

LinkedIn A professional social network that helps people make the most of their trusted professional relationships Start by connecting with the people you already know then use LinkedIn tools to connect with the connections of your connections for mutual benefit Over 60 million LinkedIn users; 200,000+ organizations; over 150 industries; 2.1 million students; 37,000 university groups – approx. half of LinkedIn users are outside of North America

LinkedIn

How to Build a Strong LinkedIn Profile Display a professionally appropriate photo Create a clear, concise headline that has impact Include a summary that highlights your key skills, experience, accomplishments and goals Update your status frequently Get recommendations Tie your LinkedIn profile to your other job search/networking efforts Use LinkedIn applications to showcase samples of your work

Making Connections Do NOT use the template for LinkedIn Networking Message – create a personal one! Mention your connection to the person directly in the subject line Provide a very brief introduction re: who you are and why you want to connect Ask for general career advice or information into a particular company or industry – do not ask for a job Politely thank the person for considering your request

How to Network on LinkedIn Connect with current professional colleagues Reach out to alumni and industry members Build and maintain new connections

How to Research Career Options on LinkedIn Type terms of interest to you in LinkedIn’s Advanced Search function Join groups Explore LinkedIn’s Company Pages

How to Turn LinkedIn Relationships into Opportunities Reach out to your network Connect to LinkedIn job postings Network your way into a company

Homework! ABC Challenge: A – Assessing Your On-Line Presence (see handout) B – Begin with LinkedIN C – Cultivate Relationships! Reach out to 5 on-line professional contacts.

QUESTIONS

Thank You for Participating! A follow up survey will be sent to participants via – please take the time to complete it! For other resources related to career planning and job search, please visit our Resource Centre in the Learning Commons and/or visit our website: