Resume to Payday - Online Secrets to Find and Land Your ......instructor position posted at Indeed.com. I emailed my resume and cover letter last Monday and I’m calling today to

RESUME TO PAYDAY:

OnlineSecretstoFindandLandYourDreamJob

ByMirGarvyProfessionalResumeWriter

Copyright2011,Revised2016;JobMarketSolutions,LLC;AllRightsReserved.

Nopartofthisbookmaybeusedorreproducedbyanymeanswithoutthewrittenpermissionoftheauthor.2

TableofContentsINTRODUCTION:IKNOWSOMETHINGABOUTYOU…...............................................................................4

CHAPTER1:7WAYSTOKICKSTARTYOURJOBSEARCH.............................................................................5

HOWTOMAKEANOUTSTANDINGFIRSTIMPRESSION.........................................................................5

HAVEYOUCONTACTEDYOURREFERENCES?.........................................................................................6

HOWTOASKPEOPLETOVOUCHFORYOU............................................................................................6

WHYYOUNEEDASTRONGRESUME......................................................................................................7

ABOUTCOVERLETTERS..........................................................................................................................7

3TIMESAVINGTIPSYOUMIGHTMISS...................................................................................................8

THEBEST30MINUTESYOU’LLSPENDALLWEEK...................................................................................9

CHAPTER2:ONLINETOOLS,TIPS,ANDTRICKSYOUNEEDTOKNOWABOUT.........................................10

DON’TWASTETIMEWITHJOBBOARDS!DOTHISINSTEAD…..............................................................11

3SNEAKYWAYSTOGETYOURFOOTINTHEDOOR.............................................................................15

HOWTOMAKEGOOGLEALERTSWORKFORYOU...............................................................................16

GOOGLEIT!...........................................................................................................................................18

DON’TSPENDMUCHTIMEWORKINGWITHRECRUITERS,UNLESS…..................................................19

4FAIL-PROOFWAYSTOFINDNICHEJOBBOARDS...............................................................................20

CHAPTER3:YOU’REONLINKEDIN…BUTAREYOUREALLYUSINGIT?.....................................................21

ISALINKEDINPROFILEDIFFERENTTHANARESUME?.........................................................................23

WHYRESUMESANDCOVERLETTERSLOVELINKEDIN.........................................................................25

DOYOUKNOWHOWTOFINDJOBSONLINKEDIN?.............................................................................25

2WAYSTOGET“INSIDERINFORMATION”ABOUTACOMPANY.........................................................25

2RULESFORUPDATINGYOURLINKEDINSTATUS................................................................................26

THESECRETTOMAKINGNEWCONTACTSWITHLINKEDIN.................................................................26

AREYOUBUILDINGCRED?...................................................................................................................27

10THINGSYOUSHOULDNEVERDOONLINKEDIN..............................................................................28

CHAPTER4:HOWTOWORKTHESOCIALMEDIASYSTEM.......................................................................29

TIP#1-THESECRETTOBUILDINGAPOWERFULPERSONALBRAND...................................................30



TIP#2-WHATCOMESUPWHENYOUGOOGLEYOURNAME?...........................................................31

TIP#3-AREYOUINGOODCOMPANY?..............................................................................................32

TIP#4-FACEBOOKPRIVACY101..........................................................................................................32

TIP#5-HOWTOPOSTNON-TACKYJOBSEARCHUPDATESONFACEBOOK........................................32

TIP#6-TOTWEETORNOTTOTWEET?..............................................................................................33

TIP#7-HOWTOGENERATEBUZZWITHYOUREMAILSIGNATURE....................................................35

TIP#8-HOWTOMEETPEOPLEANDKEEPGROWING........................................................................35

TIP#9-SHOULDYOUCREATEANONLINEPORTFOLIO?.....................................................................36

TIP#10-SHOULDYOUSTARTABLOGORBECOMEALINKEDINPUBLISHER?....................................37

TIP#11-SKIPTHEVIDEORESUMEFORYOUTUBE.COMUNLESS….....................................................41

BONUSSECTION:AVOIDTHESETIME-WASTERS......................................................................................43

GETTINGSIDETRACKEDONSOCIALMEDIASITES.................................................................................43

APPLYINGFORJOBSYOUCAN’T—ORDON’TACTUALLYWANT—TODO............................................43

APPLYINGFORJOBLISTINGSMORETHANAFEWWEEKSOLD............................................................43

FAILINGTOFOLLOWUP.......................................................................................................................44

CONCLUSION:GOGET‘EM!.....................................................................................................................45

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR................................................................................................................................47

ABOUTTHEILLUSTRATOR........................................................................................................................47



INTRODUCTION:IKNOWSOMETHINGABOUTYOU…

Youare reading thisbookbecauseyouare in themarket fora job.Youandabout7.9millionotherAmericans.1But fortunately, YOUarewell on yourway to landing the job you’re after. Reading thisbookisagreatstart.AndifyoufollowthroughwiththesystemthatIrecommendoverthenextfewpages,you’llhaveahugeadvantageoverotherjobseekerswithcomparableexperience,education,andskills.Youareinoneoftwocategories:Youhaveeitherbeenlaidoff,letgo,orareunemployedforwhateverreason—or—youhaveajobbutwantadifferentone.Whateveryoursituation,don’tletthepressureoffindingajobkeepyoufromfindingtherightjob.It’sworthyour time—and you owe it to yourself—to find a job thatmakesyouhappy.Youmightevenfindyourdreamjob.Ifyoudon’tknowwhatyourdreamjobis,whoyourdreamcompanyis,andhowyourprofessionallifecouldbemorepassion-filled,takesometimetothinkaboutit.2I’m sharingwith youwhat I have learned in the years I havebeenwriting resumes,LinkedInmakeovers,andcover letters,andbasedon thehundredsof conversations I havehadwithmy clients about the job search techniques that worked forthem—and,justasimportantly,theonesthatdidn’t.Ialsospentcountlesshoursresearching,gleaningwhat’souttherebothonlineandinbooks.Sure,youcouldgo readall thatmaterial yourself—butyouneed to focuson findingandgetting that job. I’vedonethework,soyoudon’thaveto.You’vegotajobtofindandtimeisoftheessence,solet’sgetstarted.

1BureauofLaborStatistics,EmploymentSituationSummary,September2016.2BooksIrecommend:WhatColorIsYourParachute?(2016Edition)andDoWhatYouAre:DiscoverthePerfectCareerforYouThroughtheSecretsofPersonalityType.

IfyoufollowthroughwiththesystemthatI

recommend,you’llhaveahugeadvantageoverotherjobseekerswith

comparableexperience,education,andskills.



CHAPTER1:7WAYSTOKICKSTARTYOURJOBSEARCH

I’m an organized person by nature.Youhavetobeabitofaprecisionisttoworkonresumesforaliving,right?But even if you’re not a neatnik,your job search is too important tobe disorganized. There’s nothingworse than fumbling through yourpapers, trying to remember whichresume you sent out for whichposition when an HR rep calls toschedulean interview.Don’t let thathappen! The impression you’ll leavewith her is something like: “Dude,um…hangonasec…”whenwhatyoureallywant to sound like is:“Hi,Ms.Jones. Yes, I was very interested in

talkingwithyouabouttheProjectManagerpositionyouadvertisedonCareerBuilder.com.”Ifyou’rejustgettingstartedwithyourjobsearch,considerthisto-dolistasthefirst,bestplacetostart.And,ifyou’realreadyknee-deepinyourjobsearch,it’snevertoolatetogetorganized.HOWTOMAKEANOUTSTANDINGFIRSTIMPRESSIONIf youdon’talreadyhaveaprofessionalemailaddress,now’s the time tocreateone.Nonicknames([email protected]), no shared addresses ([email protected]), or family addresses([email protected]).Gowith something simpleandprofessional, like your first and lastname.Therearemanyfreeemailserviceprovidersfromwhichtochoose,but ifyouhaveanAOLorYahooaddress,youareagingyourself;IrecommendamorecurrentserviceprovidersuchasGmail.com.Next,recordanewvoicemailmessage.Again,keepitsimpleandprofessional.Stateyourfirstandlastnamesandassure the caller that you return callswithin24hours.Youmayalsowanttogiveyouremail address on yourmessage, as an alternateway for people to reach you.And, smilewhen yourecordyourmessage.Soundsgoofy,Iknow,butitmakesyourvoicesoundfriendlyandupbeat.



Andnow,hereareafewpointersforwhenyouhavetoleaveavoicemailforsomeone.Pleasedon’tmumble,talktooquickly,orfailtostateyourphonenumbertwice.Here’stheformula:Sayyournameandyourphonenumberat thebeginningofyourmessage, leave thedetailsofyourmessageandthenrestateyourphonenumber,niceandslowly,attheendofyourmessage.Soforexample,ifyouare calling to followup about an e-learning instructor position that you applied for lastweek, yourmessagewouldsoundlikethis:

Hi,thisisJohnDoeat202-555-1234andI’mcallingaboutthee-learninginstructorpositionpostedatIndeed.com.Iemailedmyresumeandcoverletter lastMondayand I’m calling today to followup.Could youpleasegivemeacallatyourearliestconvenience?I’djustliketomakesurethatyoureceivedmyresume.Again,mynumberis202-515-1234.Thankyou!

HAVEYOUCONTACTEDYOURREFERENCES?You’ll want to list three to five business references and three to five personal references on yourreferencessheet, sogoaheadandcontact thesepeople to request theirpermission.Makesureyouhave their current job titles, email addresses, andphonenumberson file.Of course, you shouldbesure—110percentcertain—thateachofthesepeoplewillgiveyouaglowingreference.HOWTOASKPEOPLETOVOUCHFORYOUI’m a big believer in collecting letters of recommendation, short testimonials, and LinkedInrecommendations.Youcanuseshortquotesrightonyourresume(atechniquethatIoftenuseonmyclients’resumes)andyoucanworkthemintothetextofyourcoverletters.If you’re already on LinkedIn, it’s easy to ask for a recommendation.3One of the easiest andmosteffective ways to build up your LinkedIn recommendations is to write a handful of unsolicitedrecommendations. Choose one or two people aweek—maybe youwant tomake this part of yourweeklyplan—andgivethemasparklingLinkedInrecommendation.Youmayfindthatsomeofthesefolksreturnthefavorwithouthavingtobeasked.

3AspecialnoteonsolicitingLinkedInrecommendations:ifyouarecurrentlyemployedandtryingtokeepyourjobsearchunderwraps,becarefulaboutpublishingaflurryofLinkedInrecommendations.Ifyou’reconnectedonLinkedInwithpeoplefromyourcurrentjob—andyouprobablyare—itcantipthemoffthatyou’replanningyourexitstrategy.Ithappens.YoucanstillrequestLinkedInrecommendationsbutyoumaynotwanttomakethempublicuntilafteryourpresentemployerknowsyou’releaving.



Alternatively,youcouldsendselectedcontactsanemailsimilartothisone:

AsIreviewandupdatemycurrentresume,I'dliketoaskyoursupportinthisprocess.I’mtryingtocollectacoupleofdirectquotesinanefforttoaddcredibilityandapersonaltouchtomyresume.Thesequotescouldbeaboutmyperformanceandcharacterwhileat[NameofCompany].Ifyoucould provide a brief quote and send it to me at this email address, Iwouldappreciateitsomuch!Thanksinadvance.

WHYYOUNEEDASTRONGRESUMEAsaprofessionalresumewriter, Ibelieveit’sworththemoneytogowithapro.Whenyouconsiderthat,shortofhavingapersonalcontactinsideacompany,yourresumeandLinkedInprofile(moreonLinkedInlater)maybeyouronlyopportunitytodifferentiateyourselffromothercandidates.It’satallorder, since you have to do it in one—or possibly two—pages, the competition is stiff, and hiringmanagersareextremelybusy.Once you and I have worked to create your new resume, Iencourageyoutoreworkyourresumeslightlyeachtimeyousenditout.Iseeyourollingyoureyes,buthearmeout.You’renot starting over; you are taking the resume that we wrotetogether and revising it in subtle ways to highlight specificskills, to give more visibility to the most relevant aspects ofyourwork history, and to emphasize—asmuch as you can—that you have all the required and desired skills listed in thejobadtowhichyou’reresponding.Typically, you can call attention toall of these things right in the resume’s summary. In those shortthreetofivesentences,youcanpointtothemostapplicableaspectsofyourprofessionalhistory;youcanalso listspecial skills,certifications,andcredentials that thehiringmanagerwillbescanning for.Anotherquickwaytoadaptyourresumeforaparticularjobopeningistorearrangetheorderofanybulletpointstomorecloselyalignwiththerequiredanddesiredskillslistedinthejobad.ABOUTCOVERLETTERSIt’samistaketowriteaone-size-fits-allcover letter.Clientsaskmeall thetime if I’llwriteagenericcoverletterforthemanddoyouknowwhyIsayno?Becausegenericcoverlettersdon’twork.Spend

Remember,genericcoverlettersdo

notwork.



anhourwritinga strong, targetedcover letterbeforeyousubmityour resume.Orhireme todo it.Then,eachtimeyouapplyforanewjobopening,reworkthatcoverletterforthespecificcompanyandopenposition.Your initial cover letter should be written for a specific job opening at a specific company. Then,movingforward,rewritethatletterforfuturejobopportunities.Takecuesandevenspecificverbiagefrom the job ad to which you’re responding. Clearly show that you have the specific skills andprofessional experience that the hiringmanager is looking for. Also, include specific details gleanedfromLinkedInorfromthecompany’swebsite.Another cover letter tip: do some sleuthing to find out the name of the hiringmanager, his or herpropertitled(Ms.,Mr.,Mrs.,etc.),andthecorrectspellingofhis/hername.Ifajobaddoesn’tnameaparticularpersontowhomyourlettershouldbeaddressed,gotheextramiletofindoutwhothatperson is.Make somephone callsor send someemails. You canbe sure that your cover letterwillstandoutfromalltheother“ToWhomItMayConcern”letters—andthatgivesyouabitofanedge.3TIMESAVINGTIPSYOUMIGHTMISSLaterinthisbook,I’llbetalkingaboutcreatinguseraccountswithvariousonlinejobsearchtoolsandsites.You’llsavetimeandheadachesbykeepingallyourprofileaccount information inoneplace.Thispasswordlistdoesn’thavetobefancy;aplainsheetofpaperwillwork,thoughyoucouldcreateanExcelfileorWorddocumentifyouprefer.Next,you’llwanttosetupasystemfordetailedjobsearchrecordkeeping.Aswiththepasswordlist,itmakesnodifferencewhetheryougoanalogordigitalwithyourrecordkeeping.Dowhatworksforyou.Maybethat’saspiral-boundjournal,maybeit’sanExcelfile,maybeit’saGoogleStreakpipeline.4(Here’sagreattutorialonhowtouseGoogleStreaktomanageyourcareersearch.)Howeveryoudoit,setupasystemtokeepdailyrecordsaboutyourjobsearch.Herearesomethingsyoumightwanttorecord;you’llhaveyourownideas,too:

• Jobtitle/IDnumberandcompanynameforjobsyou’veappliedfor,thehiringmanager’sname(ifyouknowit),what(ifany)responseyoureceived,andwhenyouplantomakeafollow-upphonecallorsendafollow-upemail.

4GoogleStreakisacustomerrelationshipmanagement(orCRM)toolthatisactuallyaplug-inforGmail.DownloadthefreeversionofStreakforusewithGoogleChrome(itdoesn’tworkinotherbrowsers).StreakcomeswithaCareerSearchpipeline,whichyoucancustomizeforyoursearch.



• Companiesyouareinterestedinworkingfor,thenamesofpeopleyouknow(orwanttoknow)whoworkthere,notesaboutthecompanies’productsorservices,andwhetherthey’vebeeninthenewslately.

Lastly,getinthehabitofrecordingyournetworkingefforts.Keepnotesaboutnetworkingeventsyouattend,eachpersonyoumeet,his/hercontactinformation,peopleyoubothknow,andinterestsyoushare(thishelpswithsmalltalkortoremindthemwhoyouarewhenyoutalkagain).THEBEST30MINUTESYOU’LLSPENDALLWEEKPickatimetospend30minutesplanningyourjobsearchactivities.Dothisweekly.You’regoingtousethistimetoidentifyspecific,measurablegoalsfortheupcomingweek.Whichnetworkingeventswillyouattend?Howmany,andwhich, jobswillyouapply for?Howmanycontactswill you touchbasewith?Whowillyouinviteoutforcoffee?Howmanyfollow-upcallswillyoumake?Whatprofessionaldevelopmentactivitieswillyouparticipatein?



CHAPTER2:ONLINETOOLS,TIPS,ANDTRICKSYOUNEEDTOKNOWABOUT

Let’stalkaboutjobboards.Therehasbeenalotofchatterinthejobworldover the last couple of years aboutwhetherornot jobboardsaredead.According to the 2015 CareerXroads“Source of Hire Report,” 5 9.85percent of external hires wereattributed to job boards. Otherreportsaren’tasfavorable,however,attributing between2 and 8 percentofexternalhirestojobboards.Whattheexpertsseemtoagreeonnowisthatjobboardsmaybeontheirwayout,butthey’renotdeadyet.Whatdoesthatmeanforyou?

Itmeansthattobeaneffectivejobseeker,youneedtoknowhowtousethejobboardsinasmart,efficientway—butthat jobboardsshouldbeonlyoneaspectofyouroverall jobsearchstrategy.So,what’sthesmartestwaytoplaythejobboardgame?WhatI’veseenworktimeaftertimeisacreativestrategythat’sahybridofjobboardsandpersonalnetworking.But,hangon,beforewegothere…Holdthatthoughtforjustfiveminuteswhilewequicklygothroughthebasicsofsigningupforemailalertswithmytwofavorite jobsites, Indeed.comandSimplyHired.com. If this is reviewforyou, feelfreetoskipdowntothenextsection,where I’ll tellyouallaboutthesmartestwaytousethese jobsites.

5Seethefullreporthere.Whilethisreporthasbeencriticizedbysomeforitsrelativelysmallsamplesize,theresultsarestillworthtakingintoaccountasyouconsideryourjobsearchstrategy.



DON’TWASTETIMEWITHJOBBOARDS!DOTHISINSTEAD…The first thing I’m going to ask you to do is to create an account with Indeed.com. In 2010,Indeed.com surpassedMonster.com as the largest job site in the U.S.6But whileMonster.com andCareerBuilder.comarebothtraditionaljobboards,Indeed.comis a site that aggregates job listings from thousands ofwebsites, including job boards (like Monster.com andCareerBuilder.com),newspapers,associations,companycareerpages,andevenCraigslist.com.The other reasons I like Indeed.com are that the site isextremely user-friendly and easy to use, the “Advanced JobSearch”letsyoucustomizeyourjobsearchquerybasedonallkinds of different criteria, and it’s not over-run withadvertising.ThenextthingyouneedtodoistouseIndeed.com’sjobalertfeature.WhenyouperformajobsearchonIndeed.com,you’llseea linkat the topof thepagethatsays,“Getnew jobs forthis search by email.” Click that link and enter your emailaddress.Soonyou’llbereceivingemailalertswheneverarelevantjobopeningisposted.Thekeyhereistoreallyusethat“AdvancedJobSearch”featuretocreatemultiple,highlyfocusedjobsearches.Letmegiveyouanexample.MeetDave.DavehasafewyearsofexperienceworkingasatechnicalwriterforasoftwarecompanybutreallywantstoworkatSASintheRaleigh-DurhamareaofNorthCarolina,becauseit’srenownedfor itsemployee-friendlybenefitsandcorporateculture.Hewouldbewilling to takeacut inpay tomake that happen. He creates a job search query at Indeed.com using the “Advanced Job Search”feature.Dave also has some experienceworking onwriting content for websites, since hewas taskedwithmaintainingthecorporateintranetathislastjobandhasdonesomefreelancewritingprojects;healsohasbasicskillsinwebprogramminglanguagesHTMLandPHP,buthedoesn’thaveexperiencewitha

6http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/17/indeed-monster-largest-job-site/

Tobeaneffectivejobseeker,youneedtoknowhowtousethejobboardsinasmart,efficientway—butjobboardsshouldbeonly

oneaspectofyouroveralljobsearch

strategy.



more advanced programming skill set called CSS. For this type of role, he is open to working atcompaniesotherthanSAS.Hecreatesasecondjobsearchquerybasedonthesecriteria.Here are Dave’s two job Indeed.com searches, which he created using the “Advanced Job Search”feature:

Davewillbeginreceivingemailalertsassoonasrelevantjobsareposted.AndnowIhopethatDavewill be able to resist the temptation to spend—dare I saywaste?—untold hours surfing this andother job sites. Ihopeyouwill resist thatsametemptation.Setupahandfulof targeted jobsearchqueries,subscribetoemailalerts,andlogoff.Really.Now,repeattheprocesswithSimplyHired.com.Thegoodnewsisthatonceyouhavemasteredhowto use Indeed.com, SimplyHired.com (an aggregate job site endorsed by PC Magazine andBusinessWeek)willbeapieceofcake.Thesetwositeslookandbehavealmostidentically.AfewthingsthatSimplyHired.comseemstohavegoingforitthatIndeed.comdoesn’t:

• It integrateswith LinkedIn and Facebook to let you know if you have any contacts at thecompanies that arehiring.Therearealso featuresandwidgets thatallowyoutoconnect toothersocialmediasitesforadditionalnetworkingpossibilities.



• Youcan“refineasearch,”evenafteryou’vesavedit.

• You can filter your search resultsmore specifically thanwith Indeed.com, selectingtoviewonly companies of a certain size, profitability, and even culture (dog friendly, green, 50+friendly,sociallyresponsible,andsoon).

At SimplyHired.com, you’ll find fewer but perhaps more “quality” job ads—though that opinion isdebated.Sometimesyoumayseethesamejobpostedwithbothsites,butbecauseyouarekeepinggoodrecordsof the jobadsyouare interested in,whereandwhenyou found them,andwhenyousubmitted your resume, you’ll be able to quickly and easily weed out any redundancies you comeacross.Duringyour30minutesofweeklyplanning time,assigna fewminutes tomanagingyour jobsearchqueries.Ifyouaregettingtoofewemailalerts,yourjobsearchmaybetoonarrow;broadenit.Ifyouare getting toomany alerts, refine your search so it’smoretargeted.Idon’tthinkit’samatterofwhichsiteisbetter.Irecommendusingboth.Both Indeed.comandSimplyHired.comhave theirprosandcons.Thebottomlineis:onceyousetupyouremailalerts,thesitesareworkingforyou.Andyoucanmoveontootherjobsearchtasks.Now, back to the best, smartest, andmost promisingway touse Internet job sites. As I said a few pages back, this is acreativewaytoblendjobboardsandpersonalnetworking.Asajobsearchstrategy,it’sactuallybeautifulinitssimplicity—buthardlyanyonedoesit.Thatgivesyouanedge.Here’sthesecret:Use the email alerts you signed up for to find out which companies are hiring for jobs you areinterestedin.Thenusegood,old-fashionednetworkingaswellastoday’ssocialmediatoolstofindoutifthere’ssomeoneyouknowwhoworksthere.

OnceyousetupyouremailalertsatIndeed.comand

SimplyHired.com,thesitesareworkingfor

you.Andyoucanmoveontootherjobsearch

tasks.



According to the Wall Street Journal, 90 percent of jobs are filled through employee referrals.7Combine personal networking with the power of job board email alerts, and you have a winningformulato:

• Findanopenpositionthat’sagoodfitforyourskills.

• Fast-trackyourresumetothehiringmanageratthatcompany. I knowthat it’suncomfortableandcaneven feela little smarmy tocontactpeopleyoueitherdon’tknowthatwellorhavelosttouchwithnowthatyouneedsomethingfromthem.ButI’mgoingtogiveyouthewords.Andrememberthatpeoplearegenerallygood-naturedandlikehelpingothers.ThislettercouldbesentasanemailoraprivateFacebookmessage(donotpostyourrequesttoyourcontact’sFacebookwall!).Itcouldalsobeadaptedintoaroughscriptforleavingavoicemailmessage.Asyoureadthe letterbelow,thinkabouthowitcouldbecustomizedforyoursituation,thecontactyouknow,andthecompanyyou’reinterestedinworkingfor.

It’sbeenawhile sincewebothattended [XYZEvent]. Ikeptmeaning toseeaboutgettingtogetherforacupofcoffee,butyouknowhowbusylifegets! I’msureyou’vebeenbusy,too. IsawonLinkedInthatyouarestillworkingintheR&Ddepartmentat[NameofTargetedCompany].Howisthat going? I have actually been looking for opportunities outside of[Name of Current Employer] and wondered if we could get togethersometimetotalk.[NameofTargetedCompany]isonmyshortlist,andI’dlovetogetyourtakeonwhatit’sliketoworkthere.Besides,itwouldbegoodjusttocatchup!Areyoufreeoneafternoonoreveningnextweek?

Askyourself ifyoureceivedasimilar letterwhetheryou’dbeputoff?Probablynot.Sure,youmaynothavebeengreataboutkeepingintouchwithyourcontactoverthelastyearorso,but ifyoudoendupworkingtogetheratthesamecompany,you’llbeabletosubtlyreassurethatpersonthatyourfriendshipisgenuine.

7http://julliengordon.com/50-job-search-statistics-successful-job-seekers-need-know.Otherreportsputthisnumberlower;forinstance,theU.S.DepartmentofLaborcitedthatalmosthalf(48percent)ofexternalhireswereattributedtoreferralsin2001.Whilethatstudyisoutofdatenow,itdemonstratesthatthenumberofjobsacquiredthroughreferralsfluctuatesovertimeandthatprofessionalnetworkingwas,is,andwillcontinuetobe,animportantandverystrategicmethodoffindingajob.



Hopefully,you’llhaveyour“in”atthecompanyhand-deliveryourresumetothehiringmanagerforyou.Ormaybeyou’ll deliver it inpersonyourself. (Asmallpercentageofexternalhireswerehiredafterwalkingthroughthedoorinthisway;8granted,onepercentisaverysmallnumberbutwhenyouthinkofwhatasmallpercentageofpeopleareboldenoughand/ortakethetimetotrythistactic,theratioofwalk-inswho’rehiredmightactuallybequitehigh.Foodforthought.)IfyoudoenduphavingtosubmityourresumethroughIndeed.comorSimplyHired.comoranonlinejob board, you are going to name-drop your company contact in the first sentence of your coverletter.9Yourlettercouldstartoffwithsomethinglikethis:

As a licensed social worker with more than five years experiencedeveloping individualized plans of care for patients at [Name ofCompany], I’m writing on the urging of Jane Doe in your CommunityOutreachdepartmentabouttheavailableSocialWorkerposition(JobID#123456).

3SNEAKYWAYSTOGETYOURFOOTINTHEDOOROkay,thesetipsaren’treallysneaky—butIamgoingtoaskyoutoputonyourPrivateInvestigatorhatandplaydetective.Thistargetedjobsearchstrategyistoidentifyashortlistofcompaniesyouwanttoworkfor—andstartstalkingthem.FictitiousDavedidthiswithSAS.Daveidentifiedjustonecompany;youmayhavethreeorfour.Writethemhere:

8http://www.slideshare.net/gerrycrispin/2015-careerxroads-source-of-hire-report-568476809Also,asIsaidinChapter1,seeifyoucangetthenameandcorrectspellingofthehiringmanager;ifthejobaddoesn’tgiveacontactname,youcanbesurethatyourcoverletterwillstandoutfromalltheother“ToWhomItMayConcern”letters.



Howareyougoingtostalkthesecompanies?

• Visitthewebsiteregularlytoseeiftherearenewjobopenings.Ifacompanyishiring—evenifit’s forpositionsthataren’tagoodfit foryou—at leastyouknowthatthey’rehiring;that’sagoodsign.Keepgoingbackregularlysothatyou’rethefirsttoknowwhentheyposta job inyour areaof specialty.While you’re at thewebsite, skim recent corporatepress releases.Asyou learnmore about the company, you’re gaining insight you can use in your cover letterwhenit’stimetowrite it.Andwhenyouare invited inforan interview,you’llbeabletotalkintelligentlywiththehiringmanageraboutthecompany’slatestnews,whetherthat’sanawardthey’vewon,aproductthey’vejustreleased,oraconferencetheyco-sponsored.

• Connectwithpeopleatthecompany.AsItalkedaboutinthelastsection,findoutifanyoneyouknowworksatyourtargetedcompaniesandthenconnectwiththosepeople.Whatifyoudon’t already know someone? In the next section I’ll share my tips for making an insideconnection.

• Know what’s going on at the company. I recommend setting up a Google alert for eachcompany you’re stalking. When a targeted company is in the news, you’ll know about itbecauseyou’llgetanemailwithalinktothenewsstoryorblogpost.Youmightfindoutaboutaneventyourtargetedcompanywillbeattending;attendthateventtoo,ifpossible.

Obviously,youcan’tdothistypeofstalkingfor10—orevenfive—companies.Trytolimityourlistoftargetedcompaniestofouratthemost.Scheduleyourstalkingactivitiesintoyourweeklyplan.HOWTOMAKEGOOGLEALERTSWORKFORYOUSetupafewGooglealertsandletthemsaveyoutimebysearchingtheInternetforyou.Youcouldsetupacoupleofalertsforjobtitlesingeographiclocationsyouwant.So,ourfriendDavemightsetuponeGooglealert for “CorporateCommunicationsSpecialistNC.”Try it for yourself and seewhatkindofresultsyouget.Ifyoudon’tgetany,broadenyoursearchterms.Also,setupaGooglealertforeachofthecompaniesonyourshortlist. TosetupaGooglealert,gotohttp://www.google.com/alerts10andenteryoursearchphrase(jobtitle,companyname,etc.).ChoosewhetheryouwanttobealertedaboutNews,Blogs,Videos,Discussions,or Everything. Choose how often you want updates. Choose the volume of alerts you want (I

10Ifyoudon’talreadyhaveaGoogleaccount,youwillneedtocreateonefirst.



recommend“Onlythebestresults”).AndchoosewhetheryouwantyourpostsdeliveredtoyouremailaddressortoanRSSfeedreader.Whenyouclick“Previewresults,”youwillseetypicalresultstotheright.Youmightwanttorefineyoursearchterm.Forinstance,“SAS”producedtoomanyresultsbut“SASsoftware”providedfewer—andmoreaccurate—results.Takealook:

Checkoutthefirstresult.ItlinkstoapressreleasefromMarketWatchthatannounces:

SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services, has beenrankedNo.1 in softwaremarket size fromGartner Inc.'sMarketTrends2011report.

ThisissomethingDavecouldworkintohiscoverletter,bringupwhilehe’snetworkingovercocktails,orworkintohisresponsetoaninterviewquestion.Thesecondresultlinkstoanarticlewhichisaboutanewservicethecompanyhasjustintroducedandincludesthisstatement:

“Over the past three years, we’ve seen how organizations realize thatanalyticswillmake thedifference,”Ms.Garin said,adding thatSAShasbeenachievingsignificantrevenuegrowthovertheyears.



This isgoodnews; thecompany isgrowing,expanding,and if it’snothiringnow, itprobablywillbesoon.And…Who’sMs.Garin?Whatdepartmentdoesshemanage?Whodoyouknowthatmightknowher?MaybeyouwanttosetupaGooglealertforhername,orsomeotherpersonyouwanttomeetatyourtargetedcompany.Seehowitworks?You can also do a bit more comprehensive research on aspecific company at LinkedIn. More on that in a minute; fornow, I’m going to wrap up this section on Google alerts byreiteratingthat,injustafewminutesaday,Googlealertswilllet you skim the blog posts, news articles, and onlinediscussions that will help you stay abreast of the jobs youwantwiththecompaniesyouwant—andthepeopleyouneedtomeetwho’llhelpyougetthere. GOOGLEIT!Your next strategy: theGoogle search.What do you get if you type your desired job title and yourdesiredgeographiclocationintoGoogle?Turnsout,alotofgoodstuff.Let’suseourfriendDavebywayofexample.Hetypes“technicalwriterdurhamnc”intoGoogleandgets:

• AlinktoSimplyHired.com’ssalarysurveyfortechnicalwritersandalinktoacomparablesurveyfromIndeed.com.Goodinformationtohave.Davebookmarksthembothforlater.

• A link to a search-results page within SimplyHired.com that shows 124 jobs that fit thisdescription.DavehasalreadysetupSimplyHired.comemailalerts,sohemoveson.

• Alinktoasearch-resultspagewithinLinkedInthatshows393technicalwritersintheDurham,NCarea.Goodpeopletoknow.Davebookmarksthispageforlater,too.

• Threelinkstonichejobboards(moreonthoseinaminute…staytuned).

• ABusinessWeekarticleaboutthehealthofthetechwritingindustryintheDurhamarea.SinceDavehasalreadysetupGooglealertsfornewsarticleshe’sinterestedin,heskipsthis.

Googlealertswillhelpyoustayabreastofthejobsyouwantwiththecompaniesyouwant—

andthepeopleyouneedtomeetwho’llhelpyougetthere.



Thereareafewplacestospringboardfromhere.ButIwantyoutonoticeabouthowDaveisusinghistime, here. He’s not getting sidetracked by interesting, but not necessarily timely, bits ofinformation—like the salary surveys. He bookmarked thembecause, when it’s time to interview with a company andnegotiatehissalary,he’llwanttocomebacktothesesurveys.But for now he needs to stay focused on the task at hand:targeted,efficientjobsearching.Daveisalsonotclickingonsearchresultsthatareduplicatingwhathe’salreadysetupalertstoautomaticallymanage:theSimplyHired.com job listings and the Business Week newsarticle. In fact, sinceheused the “Advanced JobSearch” featurewith SimplyHired.com, the jobadshe’llgetalertedaboutwillbemuchbettermatchesforhimthanthesemoregenericresultsbasedonthesimplekeywordphrase“technicalwriterdurhamnc.”Googlingshouldmakeupapart,albeitaverysmallpart,ofyouronlinejobsearchefforts.Typeinyourjobtitleandlocation,andseewhatyouget.Whilewe’reonthesubjectofGoogling,youshouldalsoGoogleyourself.Moreonthislater.DON’TSPENDMUCHTIMEWORKINGWITHRECRUITERS,UNLESS……You have a very specific, technical area of expertise; you are in executive leadership or salesleadershipandhaveskillsthatarehardtofind;oryou’relookingforajobinanareawhereyoudon’tliveandthatyou’reunfamiliarwith.According toCareerXroads, third-party recruitersaccount foronly2.3percentofallexternalhires.11The flip side of that statistic really hammers it home: 97.7 percent of jobs aren’t filled throughrecruiters, so formost jobseekers, themajorityofyour timeandenergy isbetter investedonmoreproductive,promisingtactics.Thatsaid,connectingwithandkeepingintouchwithafewwell-connectedprofessionalrecruiterscanbe an effective, albeit relatively minor, part of your job search strategy. Good recruiters will beknowledgeable about specific roles that are open right now—and that could be an asset for you.

11http://www.careerxroads.com/news/SourcesOfHire11.pdf

Over97percentofjobsaren’tfilledthrough

recruiters.



Recruitersmayalsohavedirectconnectionstothehiringmanagersatthevariouscompaniesthatyouaretargeting.Weknowthathiringmanagersarebusy,oftenhavingtosiftthroughahundredormoreresumestofindcandidates,sowhenarecruitertheyknowandtrustcallstosuggestacandidate,thathiringmanagerislikelytopickupthephone.4FAIL-PROOFWAYSTOFINDNICHEJOBBOARDSTherearebasicallythreetypesofniche jobboards:regional jobboards, industry-specific jobboards,andspecialinterestjobboards.Recruitersandhiringmanagersliketopostjobstonichejobboardsfortwomainreasons:

• Thereareoftenfewerapplicants,andthoseapplicantsareprobablymorequalifiedsincejobsarebeingpromotedonindustry-specificsitesto,presumably,peoplewithspecializedskillsets.

• For regional sites, applicants are more likely to be local, which means it’s easier and lessexpensiveforcompaniestointerviewprospectsandbringanewemployeeonboard.

Howdoyoufindthesenichejobboards?Googleaspecificjobtitlewiththeword“jobs”tackedontotheend.You’llprobablyfindafewnichejobboardsinyoursearchresults,sometimesonthesecondorthirdpagessince“thebigguys”aregoingtoruletheresultsonpageone.Trythesametechniquewithacityandstateandtacktheword“jobs”ontotheend(e.g,“bostonmajobs”).Also,findout—ifyoudon’talreadyknow—whattheprofessionalassociationsinyourindustryare.Ifanassociationhasalocalchapter,12andthatchapterhasawebsite,checktoseeifthere’sajobboardthere.Inaddition, someof thepersonal interestblogs thatyousubscribe toand readona regularbasismayhavejobboards integratedontheirwebsites.Checkandfindout.Thereareanumberofblogsthat have already taken this approach. One example is the job board hosted at GigaOM, a site fortechnologynews,trends,researchandanalysiscoveringthedigitalworld.

12Whileyou’reat it, askwhether the local chapterhostsnetworkingorprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesandgetpluggedin.



CHAPTER3:YOU’REONLINKEDIN…BUTAREYOUREALLYUSINGIT?

LinkedIn.com has more than 450millionusersaround theworld.13AreyoulinkedintoLinkedIn?Ifnot,now is the time to join. If youalready have a basic LinkedIn profileand a few connections, take theinitiativetooptimizeyourprofile,addmore connections, 14 and requestsomerecommendations.15Here are the reasons I recommendLinkedIntomyclients:Reason #1: Ninety-four percent ofhiring managers, recruiters, and HRreps use LinkedIn at some point

during the job search process.16This may be the biggest reason of all for you to spend a decentproportion of your job search time and energy creating your LinkedIn profile, building a healthynetworkofconnections,andstayingactiveonthesite.MoreandmoreemployersareusingLinkedIn—andothersocialmediasites—tofindtalent.In2015,92percent of recruiters surveyed used social media as part of their process, with 87 percent usingLinkedIn,55percentusingFacebook,and47percentusingTwitter.17

13https://www.statista.com/statistics/274050/quarterly-numbers-of-linkedin-members/14Somethingtokeepinmindistotry,asmuchasyoucan,tobalancetheamountofconnectionsyouhavewiththeprofessionalreputationofthepeopleinyournetwork.Trytomakeconnectionswithleadersinyourindustry,asthiswillhelpboostyourreputation—andislikelytoopendoorsforyouinyourjobsearch.Beingconnectedto75leadersandmanagersmaybemoreimpressivethanbeingconnectedto500+peopleatorbelowyourownprofessionallevel.15Imentionedthisearlier,butitbearsrepeatinghere:ifyouarecurrentlyemployedandtryingtokeepyourjobsearchunderwraps,becarefulaboutpublishingaflurryofLinkedInrecommendations.YoucanstillrequestLinkedInrecommendationsbutyoumaynotwanttomakethempublicuntilafteryourpresentemployerknowsyou’releaving.16http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/linkedin-job-statistics/17http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/survey-96-of-recruiters-use-social-media-to-find-high-quality-candidates/627040



Inaddition,employersuseLinkedInasapassiverecruitingtooltofindtalentedpeopleandwoothemawayfromtheircurrentpositions.Companiesarevaluingtalentandabilityovera“perfectmatch”injobexperience,sothepersontheyhiremayactuallybesomeonewhodoesn’thavetheexactjobtitles,skillssets,andexperiencethatthecompanywasinitiallylookingfor.Totakethiskindofrisk,theseemployersaregoingtoberelyingheavilyontherecommendationsofpeopletheytrustandtheabilityofthecandidatetocommunicatehisorhervalueinacompellingandpersuasiveway.LinkedIncanhelpinbothinstances.Reason #2: You can advertise your availability. You can quickly let everyone in your professionalnetworkknowthatyouarelookingforanewposition.YoucandothisbypostingastatusupdatedtoyourLinkedInprofile.18Reason #3: You can easily collect recommendations. LinkedIn makes it easy to requestrecommendations.Go toyourprofileandclick thedownarrowto the rightof thebuttonnearyourprofilepicture.Click “Ask toBeRecommended” fromthedropdown.Follow theprompts to requesttherecommendation,thenclick“Send.”IfyoulistyourLinkedInprofilepageonyourresume—andyoushould—hiring managers can easily read these recommend-ations. Strong recommendations can be an effective way to"sell" softer skills that sound like fluff when you say themaboutyourself: thatyou’reanexpertcommunicator, thatyouhandle business meetings well, that you're an engagingpresenter, that you're a good collaborator, or that you’re acreativeproblemsolver.Ifyouself-assessthatyouarea“teamplayer,”hiringmanagershavetotakethatwithagrainofsalt,butifyourlastmanagersaysit,itcarriesmoreweight.There’snostigmatoaskingforarecommendation;peopledoit all the time. And if someone recommends you, definitelyconsiderreturningthefavor.

18Keepitupbeatandshorttoavoidsoundingdesperateorneedy.

There’snostigmainaskingfora

recommendation;peopledoitallthe

time.Andifsomeonerecommendsyou,definitelyconsiderreturningthefavor.



Reason#4:Youcanpresentyourselfinamuchmorewell-roundedwayonLinkedInthanyoucaninaresume.Atthemostbasiclevel,justhavingapictureofyourselfaddsadimensionofwhoyouarethatyourresumecan’t.Butthere’ssomuchmore.WithLinkedIn,youcandeliverthemessagefromyourresumeinamorecasual,conversational,personalway.Youcantalkaboutyourprofessionalstrengthsand interests, you can convey a sense of why you’re passionate about your industry, and you cansubtlyreassurehiringmanagersthatyou’dbeagoodfitfortheircompanyandcorporateculture.whatInaddition,youcanincludeallsortsofmultimediaandsocialmediaextrastohelpshowwhatyoudowell.Reason #5: You can use LinkedIn to find out whichprofessional associations you should join. What groups dothe industryexpertsandthought leaders inyourfieldbelongto?Aretherelocalchaptersinyourarea?Ifyoucanaffordtojoin one or more of these groups (sometimes annualmembershipfeescanbequiteexpensive),youmaygetaccessto members-only job boards, networking events, andprofessionaldevelopmentpublicationsandworkshops.Attendanymonthlymeetings, sponsoredworkshops, or networkinglunches;thesearegreatplacestodoface-to-facenetworking.Reason #6: You can stay in contact with former co-workers and managers. Perhaps better thananyone else, your former colleagues and managers know your professional skills, interests, andabilities. If they’vemovedon togreenerpastures sinceyoubothworked for the sameorganization,theymaybeinapositiontohelpyoufindajobwiththeirnewemployer.Remember,about90percentof jobs are filled through employee referrals19—to say nothing of unadvertised positions. Stayconnectedwithprofessionalpeoplewhoknowyouandyourskillswell.RecommendthemonLinkedIn,stay informed about where they are and what they’re working on, and otherwise nurture thoserelationships.ISALINKEDINPROFILEDIFFERENTTHANARESUME? Your LinkedIn profile and your resume are two very different documents—because they have twodifferent purposes. Sure, they have some things in common, but your LinkedIn profile and yourresumeshouldpresenttwouniquefacetsofwhoyouareasaprofessional.Here’swhatImean:

19http://julliengordon.com/50-job-search-statistics-successful-job-seekers-need-know

Remember,about30percentofexternalhirescomethroughreferrals—tosay

nothingofunadvertisedpositions.



YourLinkedInprofileshouldenthusiasticallypresentyourpersonalbrand,whileyourresumeshouldbemore restrained and impersonal.Conventiondictates that your resume followcertain rulesandbreakingtheserulesbygettingtoocreativewithyourresumecanbackfire.However,oneofyourgoalswithyourLinkedInprofileshouldbetogiveasenseofwhat it’s liketoworkwithyou,soshareyourinterests and give a sense of your personality. Don’t misunderstand: LinkedIn should still be 100percent professional—but it can be more personal than aresume.SometimessharingapersonaldetailonLinkedInmakessensefrom a professional standpoint. For instance, I worked on aresume and LinkedIn profile for the executive director of anautismawarenessgroup.Onherresume,wedidn’tsharethatshegrewupwithabrotherwhohadautismbut,onLinkedIn,including that onepersonal detail immediately conveyed thattheworkshedoes,shedoesforalltherightreasons.Your LinkedIn profile shouldn’t have the exact sameinformation as your resume. Here’s an example: on yourresume, you should try to pare down your job accomplishments and professional experiences toinclude only the most relevant information, but on your LinkedIn profile, you can include morekeyword-richdetailtohelpyourprofilerankforyourstrategickeywordsandkeywordphrases.Here’s another example: on your resume, you shouldboil downyour summary to just three to fivehigh-impact sentences, but on LinkedIn, you have 2,000 characters to tell your story. If you’recomfortablewith it,20use thatspacetocommunicate thevalueyouaddto thecompaniesyouworkfor,expressyourcareergoals,andbuildexcitementaboutwhatyoudo.Therearetwoplaces,however,whereyourresumeandLinkedInneedtobeidentical:(1)thejobtitles,companynames,andstartandenddatesincludedinyour“Experience”sectionand(2)theinformationin your “Education” section of LinkedIn should be match exactly with your resume. This means,wheneveryouupdateyourresume,updateyourLinkedInprofile.Don’tgetcaughthavingtoclarifyadiscrepancyinaninterview.20Weallfallsomewhereonthespectrumofhowcomfortablewearepostinginformationaboutourselvesonsocialmediachannels.Ifyoutendtobeamoreprivateperson,it’sokaytobemorecircumspectonyourLinkedInprofile.

Wheneveryouupdateyourresume,updateyourLinkedInprofile.

Don’tgetcaughthavingtoclarifyadiscrepancyinan

interview.



Whileyourresumeislimitedtoone(ormaybetwo)pagesoftext,yourLinkedInprofilecanincludeallsortsofextras.Linktoyourwebsite,blog,orTwitteraccount(onlyifthecontentisprofessionallyrelevant).UploadSlideSharepresentations,conferencetalks,PDFs,portfoliopieces,andsoforth.JoinLinkedIngroups,whichletyounetworkbyparticipatingindiscussions, liking/sharing/commentingonotherpeoples’posts,andgivingprospectiveemployersan ideaofwhoyouarebasedonthegroupsyou’vejoined.WHYRESUMESANDCOVERLETTERSLOVELINKEDIN Atthetopofyourresume,alongwithyournameandcontactinformation,youshouldincludetheURLofyourpublicLinkedInprofile.Itlookssomethinglikethis:www.linkedin.com/in/mirgarvy(that’smine).Ifyou’vedeliveredyourresumeasaPDF,thislinkshouldbeclickable.Whenwritingyourcoverletter—which,asIsaidearlierinthisbook,willbeuniquelytailoredforaspecificcompanyandspecificposition—youcanuseLinkedIntoresearchthecompanyandhiringmanager.LookupthejobposteronLinkedIntoseeifyouwenttothesameschool,haveworkedatsimilarcompanies,havebeenmembersofthesameprofessionalgroups,orshareanyotherinterests.Anysharedexperiencesorcommonnetworkingcirclesshouldbesubtlyworkedintoyourcoverletter.DOYOUKNOWHOWTOFINDJOBSONLINKEDIN? LinkedInhasitsownjobboard,whereyoucansearchforjobsthatareinlinewithyourexperienceandcareergoals.ButwiththeLinkedInjobboardyou’vegotacoupleofextraadvantages:

• Youcancheckthecompanyforanycontactsyouhavewithintheorganization.

• Youcanlookatthenameofthepersonwhopostedthejobtoseeifthey’rea1stor2nddegreecontact.(Thenfollowthesestepstomakeaconnectionwiththatperson.)

2WAYSTOGET“INSIDERINFORMATION”ABOUTACOMPANYOnewayyoucangetinsiderinformationaboutacompanyistoclickthe“FollowCompany”linknexttothecompany’sname.You’llimmediatelybegintoreceivealertsdirectlytoyourLinkedInhomepageaboutnewhires,promotions,anddepartures.Ifyouseea1stdegreeor2nddegreecontactthathasleftapositionorbeenpromoted,youmaybeinanidealspottoswoopin—ifyou’requalifiedenough,boldenough,andquickenough—andapplyforthatjob.



Anotherwaytofindcompanieswhereyoumightknowsomeoneistosearchyourpersonalnetworktoseeifanyoneyouknowiscurrentlyworkingatoneofyourtargetcompanies.Goto“MyNetwork,”thenclickon“Connections.”Usethesearchfieldtosearchforacompanyname,suchas“Amazon.”Contactpeopleyouknowandseeiftheycantellyouanyinformationaboutopenpositions;perhapstheyknowsomeonewhoworksinadepartmentthat’shiringandcanarrangeanintroduction.2RULESFORUPDATINGYOURLINKEDINSTATUSBecauseyou’llbegettingGooglealertsaboutyourfield’snews,blogs,articles,anddiscussions,you’vegotfodderforgreatLinkedInstatusupdates.AnothergreatplaceforrelevantnewsisLinkedIn’sownnewsfeed:www.linkedin.com/pulse/.Statusupdatesaremeanttobeshort(600charactersorless),soa simple link to an interesting article with an insightful comment is all that’s needed. (Use a linkshorteningtoollikewww.bitly.com.)Witheachinformed,relevantstatusupdate,youarebuildingyourpersonalbrand,lettingpeopleknowthatyouareplugged-intowhat’strending,thatyou’rewell-readand professionally involved, and that you’re contributing to the dialog. As a rule of thumb, yourLinkedInstatusupdatesshouldbe:

• Relativelyfrequent(onceortwiceaweekatleast;onceortwiceadayatmost).

• Professionally relevant, news-making, interesting, or timely—and should make you looksmart.Beveryselectivehereandpostonlythe“bestofthebest”updatestoLinkedIn.LesserpostscangoonFacebookorTwitter.

THESECRETTOMAKINGNEWCONTACTSWITHLINKEDINIfyoualreadyhaveacontactatoneofyourtargetedcompanies,great.Butwhatifyoudon’t?YoucanuseLinkedIntomakeanewcontactinacompanyyouwanttoworkfor,especiallyifyoualreadyhaveasharedconnection.FromtheLinkedInheader,clickthepulldowntotheleftofthesearchboxandchoose“People.”Typeinthenameofyourtargetedcompany,andyouwillinstantlyseewhichofyourconnectionsworksatthecompany,orknowssomeonewhodoes.Youcanfiltersearchresultstoshowyoujust1stlevel,2ndlevel,3rdlevelconnections,andsoforth.Fromthispointyouhavetwooptions.Youcan:



1. Contactthepersonyouknowandaskthemifthey’dmindarranginganintroduction.Youcouldcallthemdirectlyorsendthemanemail.21Thisiswhatyou’reaskingfor:

I’ve been looking tomakea careermoveand, specifically, I’m trying togetafootinthedoorat[NameofCompany]. IseeonLinkedInthatyouknow [Name of Contact], and I'd like tomeet [him/her].Would you bewillingtosendaquickemailintroduction,cc’ingusboth,sothatIcanbuy[him/her]acupofcoffee?Iwouldappreciateitsomuch!

2. Emailthecontactatyourtargetedcompanydirectlyandaskiftheycanspendafewminuteswithyouonthephoneorletyoubuythemacupofcoffee.Mentionthepersonyouhaveincommon.Again,peoplearegenerallyagreeabletohelpsomeone,especiallyifthatpersonisafriend-of-a-friend.Notonlythat,butmanycompaniesrewardtheiremployeeswithbonusesorextra vacation days when they refer successful hires to the company. So be confident andpolite,andjustaskforafewminutesoftheirtime.

When you domeetwith them, respect their time by preparing specific questions about thecompanyandabouttheperson’swork(peoplelovetotalkaboutthemselves).Keepyourphonecallorcoffeedateshortandsendthemanemailthank-younotewithin24hours,beingsuretomention some specific bit of the conversation that you especially appreciated. Here’s anexample:

LetmesayagainhowmuchIappreciatethetimeyoutooktotalkwithmeonthephoneyesterday.Itwasespeciallyinterestingtolearnabout[insertdetailsfromyourconversation].It’sdefinitelyanexcitingtimeofchange.I’llbesuretokeepyoupostedonhowmyjobsearchgoesand,maybeoneofthesedays,I’llbeseeingyouaroundtheofficeat[NameofCompany].Fingers crossed! Again, thanks for your time and insights. It was greatmeetingyou!

AREYOUBUILDINGCRED?JoiningdiscussionsinLinkedInGroupsisanotherwaytoshowthatyouareengaged,intelligent,andwilling togiveback.Browsethequestionsthathavebeenpostedand, ifyouhaveahelpfulanswer,write out a well-crafted, well-resourced response. You can ask clarifying questions to keep the21IfyoudecidetosendaLinkedInmessages,beawarethatsomepeopledon’tuseLinkedIneverydayandmaynotgetyourmessageuntilmuchlater.Considerfollowingupwithaphonecalloranemailifyoudon’thearbackfromyourconnectionwithinadayorso.



discussiongoing,andlookforopportunitiestoshowthatyouareanexpertinyourfield.Becarefulnottoover-promoteyourself.Besmart,berelevant,andbehelpful.Lettheresttakecareofitself.Thisstrategycanbeapartofyourongoingnetworkingandpersonalbrandstrategy—evenafteryoulandyournextjob.10THINGSYOUSHOULDNEVERDOONLINKEDINAsLinkedInhasgrown,ithasdoneaprettygoodjobofmaintainingaprofessionalvibe.Thisisdueinlargepart to itsmembers respecting itsprimary functionandprofessional nature. Borrowing from applicant.com’s “The“Don’tDoIt”GuidetoUsingLinkedIn”(nowoffline),hereisalistoftips:

1. Do not use LinkedIn like you would use Facebook.Thesearetwodifferentplatforms:Oneforprofessionalnetworking and other to stay connected with friendsandfamilies.

2. Donotsendoutinvitationforthesakeofaddingconnections.

3. Donotusedrunk,excited,andotherformsoftoo-friendlyimagesasyourprofileimage.

4. DonotshareyourthoughtsandwhatyouaredoingasyouwouldonTwitterorotherplatforms.

5. Donotjoingroupsforthesakeofaddingonemoregrouplogoonyourprofilepage.

6. Donotfeedyourblogpoststoyourprofileunlessthecontentonyourblogisrelevant.

7. Donotbegforrecommendations.Ifyoufeellikeaskingforarecommendation,makesuretheperson you are asking is a good colleague whose words actually bear some weight whenpossibleemployerslookatyourprofile.

8. Donotbragtoomuchwhilewritingyoursummary.

9. Donotforwardprofilestoyourconnectionsjustsotheycouldhavemore“connections.”

10. DonotuseLinkedInifyoucan’tfollowtheaboveninerules.

Ifyouhaveahelpfulanswer,writeoutawell-crafted,well-

resourcedresponse.



CHAPTER4:HOWTOWORKTHESOCIALMEDIASYSTEM

Social media—LinkedIn, Facebook,Google+, and Twitter, along with ahostofothertools—haschangedtheway we make and retain friends,business contacts, and casualacquaintances.Howwe interact, thenumberof peoplewe keepupwith,and the speed at which wecommunicate have all dramaticallychangedbecauseofsocialmedia.And every year, social mediacontinues to change the wayAmericansfindandapplyforjobs,aswell as the way companies locateandvetpotentialhires.Accordingtothe2015RecruiterNation,moreand

morehiringmanagersandrecruitersareusingsocialnetworkstorecruitcandidates:

• Only4%ofrecruitersdon’tusesocialmediainrecruiting

• 55%willspendmoreonsocialrecruiting

• 64%usetwoormorenetworksforrecruiting

• 78%expectincreasedcompetitionforhiresIn this chapter, I’m going to share my 10 favorite social media strategies. Sure, there are othertechnologies,othersites,othertips—butIrecommendyouconcentrateyoureffortsonthese10tips.Zero inon these10 tactics,do themwell, do them regularly, andyou’ll beproactivelydevelopingastrongpersonalbrandthatwillsignificantlyboostbothyoursearchenginevisibilityandyourappealtoprospectiveemployers.



TIP#1-THESECRETTOBUILDINGAPOWERFULPERSONALBRANDThinkofallyoursocialmediaprofilesworkinginconjunctiontobuildyourpersonalbrand.Whatisapersonalbrand? It’s your name, it’s your face, it’s your skills and experience, and it’s howyou’vepositionedyourselfontheInternet.Partofbuildingastrongpersonalbrand is todoanynecessarydamagecontrol.Theotherpart is tointentionallycreateanonlinereputationthatpositionsyouinapositiveandaccuratelight—andthat’seasilyfoundbyhiringmanagersandrecruiters.YoumayalreadyusesocialmediaoutletsaboveandbeyondtheonesI’mrecommendinghere; ifso,includetheminyourpersonalbrandingprogram.Otherwise,dothesethings:

• Usethesamenameonallyouronlineprofilesthatyouuseonyourresume—forexample,useRobertM.Smith,RobertSmith,orBobSmith,butnotallthree.

• Usethesamepictureonallyourprofiles.Gowithaprofessional,appealingphotoofyourself.No kids, no pets, no full-body shots (since they’re indecipherable at smaller sizes), nosunglassesorhairinyoureyes.

Consider paying to have a professional shot taken or even just having a friend shoot lots ofphotosandthenjustchoosethebestone.Tryafewshotswiththephototiltedjustabitforamoreportraitlook.ImprovethecontrastorcolorusingafreeonlinetoollikeGooglePhotos.

Some “don’ts”:Don’t use aphoto inwhich anotherpersonhasbeenobviously croppedout.Don’tuseanolderphotoofyourself(whathappensifyou’readisappointmentwhenyoushowupfortheinterview?).Anddon’tuseanoverlyprocessed/retouched“glamourshot”oraphotothat’sevenremotelysexy.

• CreateaGoogleprofile,ifyoudon’talreadyhaveone.Gotohttps://profiles.google.com/andclickon“CreateMyProfile.”Buildoutyourprofileabit,addingaprofessional,attractivephotoofyourself,linkstoindustryblogsyoufollow,andsoon.Keepitprofessionalandmakeyourselflooksmart.

• Create a LinkedIn profile, if you don’t already have one. There’s so much on how to useLinkedIn,I’vededicatedawholechaptertoitearlierinthisbook.

• Be a contributor. When you tweet, blog, comment on social posts, participate in onlinediscussions, and answer questions on LinkedIn, you are building your personal brand.Makeyourcontributionssubstantive,relevant,timely,andinteresting.



• Don’tslackoff.Considertheprocessofbuildingyourpersonalbrandasanongoingproject;itdoesn’t endwhen you land a job. Youwant to stay in touchwith your networking contacts,keep your LinkedIn and Google profiles up to date, and continue to work on building youronlinereputation.

TIP#2-WHATCOMESUPWHENYOUGOOGLEYOURNAME?WhatdoyoufindwhenyouGoogleyourself?22Whatever it is, that’swhatpotentialemployerswillseewhen theyGoogle you.Andmoreandmore, employers and recruiting firmsareGoogling jobcandidates.YouwanttodoallyoucantoensurethatwhenyournameisGoogled,thesearchresultswon’thurtyou.Herearesometipstohelpmanageyouronlinereputation:

• OnceyoucreateanddevelopyourGoogleprofile,itwillmostlikelyshowupinthe#1or#2positiononsearchengineresultswheneversomeoneGooglesyou.Inthisway,youareableto“decidewhattheworldseeswhenitsearchesforyou,”asGooglesays.

• SetupaGooglealertforyourname—andforcommonmisspellingsofyourname—sothatyouknowwhatpeoplearesayingaboutyou.

• TakeactionifyoufindsomethingnegativeaboutyourselfontheInternet.23

• CheckFacebookphotosinwhichyou’retagged.EvenifyoumakeyourFacebookprofileprivate,youcanstillbetaggedinotherpeoples’publicprofiles.Managethisbyupdatingthesettingsofpicturesinwhichyouaretaggedorremovingtagsfromapictureyoudon’twanttobetaggedin.Toremoveatagfromaphotothatsomeoneelsehastaggedyouin,clickthepulldownmenuiconinthetoprightofthepostandselect“RemoveTag.”24

• Requestyourcreditreport.In2006,theSocietyforHumanResourceManagementpolleditsmembersandfoundthat43percentoftheircompaniesrancreditchecksonsomeorallpotentialhires,25butinthelastfewyears,somesignsindicatethatpoliciesallowingcreditchecksmaybechanging.Forexample,in2015,theNewYorkCityCouncilpassedthestrictestcredit-checklegislationinthecountry,effectivelybanningmostemployersfromdiscriminatingagainstjobapplicantsandcurrentworkersbasedoncredithistory.

22Digdownafewpagesdeep.Alsorunsearchesonless-commonsearchengines,likeYahooandMSN;youmayuncoverdifferentinformation.23Here’sagoodarticleonhowtomanageyourdigitalreputationshouldyoufinddamaginginformationaboutyourselfonline:http://ezinearticles.com/?3-Quick-Tips-for-Online-Damage-Control&id=4924963.24Moreonremovingtagshere:https://www.facebook.com/help/140906109319589?helpref=search25http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/how-bad-credit-can-cost-you-a-job.aspx



Untiltherestofthecountryfollowssuit,however,it’sagoodideatopullyourcreditreportyourself(useAnnualCreditReport.com,theonlysitethat’strulyfree),soatleastyou’llknowwhatpotentialemployerswillsee.Ifthereareinaccuraciestoclearup,youcangoaheadandstartworkingonimprovingyourcreditscorerightaway.

TIP#3-AREYOUINGOODCOMPANY?With a critical eye, look at the people you are connected to on LinkedIn, check who your Twitterexchangesarewith,scanthecommentsonyourFacebookorGoogle+profile,andsoon.You may need to go through your digital histories and delete certain offensive or questionableconversations,blockpeoplewhoarelikelytopostinappropriatecontentonyourFacebookorGoogle+profile again, and otherwise act as a more diligent gatekeeper of your personal and professionalreputation.TIP#4-FACEBOOKPRIVACY101

I recommend that, at least while you’re searching for a job, that you make your Facebook andGoogle+profilesfullyprivate.Yourname,gender,profile,picture,andnetworkswillalwaysbevisibletoeveryonewhosearchesforyouonFacebook,butifthesefoursettingsarepositiveandprofessional,you’vegotnoworriesthere.All other privacy settings on Facebook and Google+ can—and should—be managed. Again, thesechangesdon’thavetobepermanent,butfornowyoushouldsetallparametersto“FriendsOnly.”

TIP#5-HOWTOPOSTNON-TACKYJOBSEARCHUPDATESONFACEBOOKUpdate your Facebook and Google+ status about your jobsearch regularly—butnot too regularly.There’sa finebalance,here. We all know that one annoying Facebook friend whoupdates their status way too often. Don’t be her. When youhavesomethingmeaningful tosayaboutyour jobsearch,postanupdate.Somegoodexamples:

• Whenyou’regoingonan interview,youcouldpostthisupdate:“Interviewingtodayat[NameofCompany].Fingerscrossed,everyone!”

Alwaysphraseyourupdatessothatthey’reupbeatandpositive.



• Posta link toa jobad that looksperfectwith thisupdate: “Keepingmyeyeout for jobs likethis…”

• Posta linktoapositivenewsarticleaboutoneofyourtargetedcompanieswiththisupdate:“OnemorereasonIwanttoworkat[NameofCompany]…”

Becareful toalwaysphraseyour jobsearchupdatesso that they’reupbeatandpositive.Bespecificaboutthekindofjobyou’relookingforand,again,limithowoftenyoudothis.TIP#6-TOTWEETORNOTTOTWEET?DoyouhaveaTwitteraccount?Ifso,shouldyouadvertise—orevenleavepublic—yourtweets?Well,itdepends…IfyouhaveaTwitteraccountthatispersonalinnature,orifyourtweetscouldnegativelyreflectonyou in any way, make your Twitter profile private. Here’s how to manage your Twitter privacysettings: Log in to your Twitter account, click on “Settings” from the drop-downmenu on the righthandsideofthescreen,choose“SecurityandPrivacy,”andchecktheboxnextto“ProtectmyTweets.”Thensaveyourchanges.IfyouhaveaTwitteraccountthatisprofessional innature, itcoulddefinitelyhelpyouinyourjobsearch.26Readoverthetipsbelowandyou’llquicklyseehowTwittercanbeavaluableassetinyourjobsearchrepertoire:

• Rank well. If your Twitter account name is your actual name, you’ll get great results fromsearchengines;ifyou’vealreadygotaTwitteraccountnamethat’snotanexactmatchforyourgivenname,thenputyournameintoyourTwitterprofile.

• PackyourTwitterprofilewithkeywords.Whereareyougoingtofindthesekeywords?Fromthejobadsyou’reminingandfromthetargetedcompaniesyou’restalking.Remembertokeepitto160charactersandpackitchock-fullofkeywords.Here’sanexample:

Businessanalystandprojectmanager,skilledinusecasesandworkflows.Agile and Waterfall expert. MBA with 10+ years experience replacinglegacysystems.

26Ifyou’renewtoTwitter,here’satutorialtogetstarted.



• Putafacewithaname.Besurethatthephotoofyourselfthatyouuseisthesamephotothatyou used on your LinkedIn profile, on your Google profile, on your Facebook page, on yourGoogle+ page, and so on. As part of building your personal brand, it’s important to beconsistent.Alternatively,youcouldhaveusetwophotos,solongasyou’reclearlyrecognizableasthesameperson;thisway,youcangowithsomethingveryprofessionalforLinkedInandabitmorecasualorfunforFacebookandGoogle+.

• Startfollowingindustrythoughtleaders.You’llpickuponkeytrends,news,anddevelopmentsinyour field.Youwillbeamore informed jobcandidateandcanhelpyouspeak intelligentlyabout your field in an interview. And you’llmake inroadswith peoplewho are important inyourindustry—peopleyouwanttoknow.

• If you have something interesting or noteworthy to tweet about, your tweet may beretweetedbyyourfollowers—helpingyoubuildyourreputationandpersonalbrand.Trytomakeyourtweetsrelevant,interesting,andtimely.

Just as you can use Google alerts to help give you ideas for smart-sounding Facebook andGoogle+statusupdates,youcanalsousethemtohelpyoucreatetweets.InadditiontoGooglealerts,collecttweetideasothersocialmediaoutlets,thecorporatewebsitesofcompaniesyouarestalking,aswellasothercompaniesinyourfield,alertsfromnewspapersyousubscribeto,andblogswrittenbypeopleinyourfield.

• SearchonTwitter for recruiters at your targeted companiesor in your industryand followthem.Youcanusethe“@”signtocommunicatewiththemdirectlyonoccasion.

• Sign up for Twellow. Twellow is a great tool for identifying companies and contacts withinthose companies. Sign up for an account, and then follow people directly from the Twellowdirectory. Twellow allows you to search by industry (i.e., government), which makes it anawesomejobsearchtool.

• Build your network.Most people you followwill follow you back, but keep inmind that tomaintainthisnetworkyouwanttobeinterestingandengaging.Bearegularcontributor,postinsightful comments, retweet (use the “RT” abbreviation) interesting tweets you read, andengagewithyournetwork.Itmatters!Youarebuildingcred.

• UseaTwitterclient.IrecommendHootsuiteorBufferbecausetheyarethemostuser-friendlyandfeature-richofthesocialmediamanagementclientsavailabletoday.Whilethereisagreatdealyoucando inHootsuiteandBuffertomanageyouraccount,thetwofeaturesyou’llusemost—atleastinitially—arethekeywordmonitoringfeatureandthetweetschedulingfeature.



Keyword monitoring lets you tune into specific keywords you want to track, like trends,companynames,andpeopleyouwanttomeet.Tweetschedulingisgreatbecauseyoucansetupaseriesoftweetstopostthroughoutthedayorweekinsteadofpostingfourorfivetweetsallatonce.

TIP#7-HOWTOGENERATEBUZZWITHYOUREMAILSIGNATUREInyouremailprogram,edityoursignature—whichwillbeautomaticallyaddedtoeachemailyousendout—sothatitincludeslinkstoyoursocialnetworkingsites.When you send out your follow-up emails a couple of weeks after submitting your resume, thissignaturewillbeattheendofyourletter.You’llmakeiteasyforhiringmanagerstocheckoutyourcarefullycraftedpersonalbrandatyoursocialnetworkingsites.Inaddition,everyoneelsewhoreceivesemailfromyoucanseeyoursocialnetworkinglinksandbereminded that you’re looking for work and in what field. It’s a subtle, effective way to keep“touching”yourpersonalcontacts.

Hereisanexample:

--JaneDoeComplianceandOperationsProfessional

H:202-555-1234|C:202-555-5678

www.linkedin.com/in/janedoewww.twitter.com/janedoe

TIP#8-HOWTOMEETPEOPLEANDKEEPGROWING Becauseofsocialmedia,industryexpertsandthoughtleadersaremore accessible now than ever before. You can ask theexpertsforadviceaboutyourjobsearch,abouthowtokeepdeveloping your skills, and about professional developmentopportunitiesthatwouldbeagoodfitforyou.Thinkofawaytobehelpfultothepersonyou’rereachingoutto.Isthereany

Peoplecansniffoutself-promotional

spammersamileaway,socontributeina

meaningfulwaytothediscussion,behumble,anddemonstrateyourwillingnesstolearnfromothersinyour

field.



helpfulinformationyoucanprovidethemwith?Canyouintroducethemtoapersonwhoshouldbeintheirpersonalnetworkbutisn’t?Overtime,youmayactuallydevelopaprofessionalrelationship inreal life(IRL)withoneormoreofthese experts. If someone tells you about an upcoming conference orworkshop, find out if they’regoingandarrangeatimetomeetthemfacetoface.Theseareimportantpeopletohaveonyourteam;trytomakethetransitionfromvirtualtoIRLfriendwithasmanyofthemasyoucan.Asyoupositionyourself asknowledgeableand skillful inyour chosen field,balance itby showingthat you are an enthusiastic learner who is eager to build up your skills. Contribute to onlinediscussions (you’ll findoutaboutonesthatarerelevant toyouthroughtheGooglealertsyou’vesetup),askingquestionsandthankingpeoplefortheirinsights.Postcommentstorelevantsites,andmakesure thatnotevery comment is self-promotional. People can sniff out self-promotional spammersamile away, so contribute in ameaningfulway to the discussion, be humble, and demonstrate yourwillingnesstolearnfromothersinyourfield.Through your social media connections, you’ll find out about networking events, professionalconferences,workshops, associations, private consultants for hire, volunteer opportunities, and ahost of other professional development and continuing education opportunities. These offlinenetworkingopportunitiesareinvaluabletobothyourpersonalbrandandyourjobsearch.TIP#9-SHOULDYOUCREATEANONLINEPORTFOLIO?Youmaychoosetocreateaportfoliosite,eitheronyourownoratanindustry-specificplatformbuiltforthispurposesuchasGitHubforprogrammersandengineers. Ifyoubuildyourownwebsite,useyournameasyourURL ifpossible (www.YourName.com is ideal, if it’s available). This could includesamples of your work, if your work-product lends itself to samples. For some professionals—likegraphicdesigners, videogamedevelopers,writers,user interfacedesigners,webdevelopers,and soon—samples are a must. If you can put together a clean, professional-looking, and easy to usewebsitetoshowcaseyourresumeandportfolioofworkthenbyallmeans,doso.YoucanpromoteyourportfoliositeonyourresumeandatLinkedIn,Twitter,Google+,andFacebook.



TIP#10-SHOULDYOUSTARTABLOGORBECOMEALINKEDINPUBLISHER?Blogging about your industry—whether you do it on yourown blog, as a LinkedIn Publisher, or both—is anoutstandingopportunitytobrandandpromoteyourselfandyour expertise. Particularly if you are in a new media orweb-based field, or are applying for jobs that requireknowledge in socialmedia tools,ablogprovides increasedsearchenginevisibility,givesyouacompetitiveedgeoverother candidates, and reinforces your reputation as aleaderinyourfield.Otherreasonstoblog?

• Youcanshowcaseyourworksoapotentialemployercanviewitashisorherconvenience.

• Youmake iteasy forpeople topass thewordaboutyou; theycaneasily senda link to theircontacts.

• Youget tocreateyourownbrandandmakeyourself favorablyunforgettableeventopeoplewhohavenevermetyou.

• Youshowthatyoucanbedependedon(youcanbackdatepoststomakeitappearthatyourblogisolderthanitactuallyis).

• Youdemonstrateyour involvement inyour industrybypostingcurrentfactsaboutyourfield,alongwithyourownintelligentcomments.

• Youcanprovideapermanent recordofyourskillsandassets, somethingmorevaluable thanemailsorphonecalls.

• Youhavecontrol,becauseyoucanalwaysgointoyourownblogarchivesandupdateorcorrectwhatyou’vewritten.

• Youwillbe forced tostaycurrentwithyour industry.You’reactuallymakingyourselfamorevaluableemployee.

• You’ll connectwith other bloggers in the same field.One contact leads to another, and thiscommunitycanbecomeasourceofsupportorasoundingboardforyouwhenyouneedit.

• You’llbeabletoaddthenameofyourblogtoyourresume,andincludeanyfavorablestatsorattentionitgets.

Withablog…employersmaycometo

you,sinceyou’vebrandedyourselfasa

contentproducerinsteadofjustanother

contentconsumer.



• You’ll experience increased confidence in yourself, because you’ve learned a new skill—blogging—andyou’llfeelmorealignedwiththemoversandshakersinyourfield.

• Yougettoexpressyourselfinacomfortablesetting—yourownhome—sothatevenifyouarenotanextrovertoracomfortablenetworker,youcanstillpresentyourselfinthebestlight.

• Youcanemphasizewhatyouseeasyourbestqualifications,whether it isyourknowledgeofyour field, past successes, sense of humor, positive attitude, thoroughness, your experience,abilitytomakefriends,yourwillingnesstoworkhard,orevenyourgoodlooks!

Don’ttrybloggingif:

• You can’t create and maintain one that makes you look good to the people you need toimpress.

• Yourwritingskillsarepoor—forinstance,ifyoudon’tknowthedifferencebetween“there”and“their,”you’vebeentoldyouhavepoorgrammar,oryouarestilllearningEnglishasasecondlanguage.

• You don’t have at least one person who can double-check your work for grammaticalcorrectness.

• Youhatetositatthecomputertoreadandwrite.

• You have difficulty “puttingwords to paper,” never have anything to say, or have perpetualwriter’s block. (If this is the only thing stopping you, considermicrobloggingwith Twitter orLinkedInstatusupdates;itmaybemorepracticalforyou.)

• Youdon’thavetimetoresearchandpostregularly.

• Youhavesuchprimitivecomputerskillsthattheblogwillmakeyoulookunskilled.(Ifthisisthecase,spendyour timetakingcomputercoursesata localcommunitycollege,sincecomputerskillsareessentialintoday’sjobmarket.)

To start ablog in just a fewsimple steps, go towww.WordPress.comorwww.Blogger.com.Bothoftheseblog toolsare freeand straightforward touse.Youcangowithabasic templatedesign;bothWordPressandBloggergiveyouafewfreeonestochoosefrom.Or,foramorecustomlook,hireanaffordablewebprogrammerwhocancustomizeanexistingWordPressorBloggertemplateforyou.



Whenlookingforawebprogrammer,askifheorsheknowsCSS(aprogramminglanguagerequiredtocustomizeWordPress/Bloggertemplates),asktoseesamplesoftheirwork,andaskfortwotothreepeopleyoucanemailorcallforrecommendations.Again,bothWordPressandBloggerare free—as longasyouusetheir freedomainname,whichwilllook something like this: www.yourname.blogspot.com or www.yourname.wordpress.com. To rankbestwithsearchengines,youcanbuyadomainnamethatlooksmorelikethis:www.YourName.comforanaffordableyearly fee.Myfavoritedomainnameregistrar isGoDaddy.com.SetupthedomainnamesothatyourwebaddressautomaticallyredirectstoyourWordPressorBloggerblog;thedomainnameregistraryouusecanhelpyouwiththis.Tomakeyournewblogand/orLinkedInPublisherpostssuccessful,followthesetips:

• Readotherbloggers.ReadbloggersandLinkedInPublishers inyourfield.Learnthestyle,thetone,thecontent,andthedominantplayers.

• Backdatepostswhenyou’restartingout.Writeaseriesofpostsbeforeyoutakeyoursitelive.Remember, you can backdate these to create the illusion that you have been a blogger formonths.

• Post at regular intervals. Once a week is about right. Tuesday morning is good for mostprofessions,butyoucanreviewyourstatsonceyouareupandrunning,anddeterminewhenmostpeoplereadyourblog.

• Be relevant. Be current.Makewhatever you post,whether it’s graphics or text, relevant toyourfieldandcurrent.

• Keepitsimpleandmobile-friendly.Keepthelookofyourblog’spagescleanandeasytoread,nothing too fancyor distracting.Make sure your blog is responsive,meaning it displayswellacrossmultiplemobileplatforms,suchastabletsandsmartphones.

• Followaleader.Copythestyleofablogthatisappropriatetoyourmarket.

• Be classy. Never criticize or get snarky. Never use abbreviations, slang, profanity, or sexualreferences.

• Proofread,proofread, andproofread.Thenhavesomeoneelseproofread.Anytypographicalerrorsmakeyoulookcareless.

• Beeasytoreach.Makesurethereisaneasywayforpeopletocontactyouthroughyourblog.Makesureyoureadcommentsandemailfromyourblogdaily,andrespondquickly.



• Be findable. Tag your blog posts with your name to help your name rank well with searchengines and to make sure your blog ranks at the top of the list of results when someoneGooglesyourname.

• Educateyourself.StudyarchivepostsfromCopyblogger.comtoimproveyourskills.You’llfindarticles on SEO, headline writing, sales copy, gathering information, finding your distinctive”voice,”commonmistakes,andjustabouteverythingyouneedtoknowtoturnoutadynamiteblog.

• Promoteyourself.PromoteyourblogonyourresumeandonLinkedIn,Twitter,Google+,andFacebook.SinceyourFaceboookpageisfullyprivate,onlyyourFacebookfriendscanseeyourblogpromotions,soconsideralsocreatingaseparateFacebookPageforyourblog.

I’d like toshareanexampleofhowone job-seeker,awomanwe’ll callKathryn, isusingherblog topositionherselfasathoughtleaderinherfield:

Kathrynwantsajobassalesmanagerintheretailfurniturebusiness.Shegaveherblogatitlethatwillshowupinsearchengines,andpostsweekly.Eachposthasonegoodphoto“abovethefold”tokickitoff,andendswithherdistinctivesignatureforafriendlysignoff.Shebreaksuphercopywithinvitingsubheadsthatmakethereadinglookeasy.

IfyouspendalittletimeatKathryn’sblog,you’llfindavarietyofpostsonrelevant topics, including:A reviewofanewbookabout themarket foroutdoorfurniture;herpersonalcasestudyofastoreshemadeasuccessof in thepast; aphotoessayon futondesign;an interviewwitha localdecorator,areportofanewmattresscompanystart-up;aroundupofthelatest fabric designs; quotes from her favorite business guru; hercomments on a Wall Street Journal article about Chinese furnitureimports;acollectionoftriviaaboutAmericanfurniturehistory;anopinionpiece on what makes people buy; a review of some new software forinventory control; a write-up about a recent re-structure at a majorfurnituredistributor;aguestpost fromawomanwhoblogsaboutmid-centurymodernfurniture;alistofcolortrendsforthecomingyear;andareport from the big furniture trade show, which she makes a point toattend,armedwithahealthysupplyofbusinesscards.

Kathryn is establishing a niche in the market as someone interesting,knowledgeable,andconnectedinherindustry.



Agreatblogisapowerfultoolinyoursocialnetworkingtoolkit.Whenyouhaveablog,youbecomeamuchmoreproactivejob-seeker.Infact,employersmaycometoyou—itdoeshappen!—sinceyou’vebranded yourself as a content producer instead of justanother content consumer. The same holds true for being aLinkedInPublisher:youarepositioningyourselfasanexpertinyour field.Foryourpurposes,yourblogdoesn’tneedtohavethousandsoffollowers,itjustneedstoattracttheattentionofpeopleinyourfield.Thegoalof yourblog is to favorably impress thepeoplewhoare in a position to hire you or recommend you. Rememberthat. Employers seek people who will work for them. Therefore, in your blog, project yourself asseriousandloyalemployee,neveraradical,over-opinionated,goofyguywho’sfuntohangwith.Ifallthisbloggingbusinesssoundslikeatallordertoyou,youareright.Bloggingcantakeonalifeofitsown,andyouneedtodoitinabusiness-likefashionoritcanblowupinyourface.Proceedwithaserious sense of commitment. If youdecide to start ablogorbecomea LinkedInPublisher, I hopeyou’llkeepyourblogaliveafteryoulandthatdreamjob,soyoucancontinuetobuildastellaronlinereputationandpowerfulpersonalbrandforyourself.TIP#11-SKIPTHEVIDEORESUMEFORYOUTUBE.COMUNLESS……Youareapplying forapositionwithin theonline, social,media,or creative industries. Ifyouarelooking forwork inmore conservative fields, like finance,medicine, education, ormanufacturing, avideoresumeisnotagoodfit.Videoresumescanbeasmartsocialmediastrategybecausevideosrankwellonsearchengineresultsand because, if you can use your full name when creating your YouTube.com channel, your videoresumewillcomeupwhenhiringmanagersGoogleyou.Evenifyouareinacreativeindustry,letmesayrightupfrontthatvideoresumesarenotforeveryone.It’sverytrickytopulloffavideoresumethatdoesn’tlookamateur,thatisn’tboring,andthatmakesyoulookgreatandsoundsmart.Currently,ifyousearchfor“videoresumes”atYouTube.com,thereare146,000results.Someareprettygood,somearejustplainsad,andsomearespoofs—whichjustgoestoshowyouhowcommonitisforavideoresumetogohorriblywrong.Andthen,evenworse,togoviral.

It’scommonforavideoresumetogohorriblywrong.Andthen,even

worse,togoviral.



So,there’syourdisclaimer.Ifyoudecideyouwanttogiveitago,hereareafewtipstokeepinmind:

• Dressasyouwould foran interview.While interviewingtechniquesandtipsarebeyondthescopeofthisbook,letmesharejustabitaboutinterviewattirehere.

Since I’m recommending that you skip video resumes unless you’re in a creative industry, itfollowsthatinterviewattireisslightlylessformaltobeginwith.Ideally,youwanttodressabitmoreformallythanemployeesatyourtargetedcompaniesdress.Andyou’llwanttocomeoffashipandtrendy,butundeniablyprofessional.

• Don’t justrestatewhat’salreadyonyourresume.Ifyourepackagethesameoldinfo,you’remissing the point of a video resume. Your video should give potential employers an idea ofwhat you’re like (funny, creative, witty, talented, etc.) and what you’re capable ofaccomplishing.Focusonthevalueyoucanbringtoyourtargetedcompanies—andlessonwhatyou’vealreadyaccomplishedforothercompanies.

• Keep it brief. Your video resume should be less than 90 seconds in length, or thereabouts.Makeafewkeypoints,smile,andleavethemwantingmore.Thinkofyourvideoresumeasateaser,togetthehiringmanagertocallyouforaninterview.

• Showsamplesofyourwork.Sinceyou’reinacreativefield,goaheadandshowsomeofyourportfoliopiecesinyourvideoresume.Whileyourvoiceovercontinues,cuttosamplesofyourwork—logosyou’vedesigned,websitesyou’vebuilt,andsoon.

• Beprepared,butnotscripted.Trytospeaknaturallyandconversationally.Knowwhatyou’regoingtotalkabout,butnotexactlyhowyou’regoingtosayit.



BONUSSECTION:AVOIDTHESETIME-WASTERS

GETTINGSIDETRACKEDONSOCIALMEDIASITESWiththebestofintentions,youlogontoFacebooktosendaquickmessagetoanetworkingcontactand, before you know it, you’re clicking through photos of your cousin’s high school reunion. Ithappens.Have aplan to keep yourself on track. Ifone taskonyourweeklyplanwas to touch fiveFacebookfriendseachweekaboutacareer-relatedtopicofinterest,you’llbemorelikelytostayfocusedonthatgoal—andlesslikelytogetsidetracked—ifyouhaveaplantostayontrack.Isuggestusingyoursmartphonetimer.Setthetimerfor10minutesandseeifyoucanmessagethosefivecontactsbeforethetimerbuzzes.SamegoesforTwitter,LinkedIn,andalltherest.APPLYINGFORJOBSYOUCAN’T—ORDON’TACTUALLYWANT—TODOApply only for jobs you are actually qualified for because you’re justwasting your time—andhiringmanagers’time—bysendingoutresumesforjobsoutsideyourareaofexpertiseand/orexperience.Onlyapply for jobsyouwouldactuallyaccept ifoffered. Iusuallyadvisemyclientsnottoapplyforback-upor“planB”jobs.Again,you’rewastingthehiringmanagers’timeand,really,doyouwanttospend40+hoursaweekon“planB”?Do not apply for every job that sounds remotely interesting. The scattershot method of resumesubmissionwon’tgiveyouasatisfyingreturnonyourinvestmentoftimeandenergy.Stayfocusedonthe types of positions you’re looking for, keep stalking your targeted companies, and keepworkingyourpersonalandvirtualnetworks.Thatistheformula.APPLYINGFORJOBLISTINGSMORETHANAFEWWEEKSOLDInthejobhunt,theearlybirdgetstheworm.Maximizeyourjobsearchtimeandenergybyfocusingsquarelyonjobadsthathavebeenpostedwithinthelastthreeweeksorso.



AStartWire™researchstudyfoundthat50percentofnewhiresappliedwithinthefirstweekofajobposting and, of those hired, 27 percent applied within the first two days after a job was posted.Approximately75percentofallhiredcandidatesappliedwithinthreeweeks.27FAILINGTOFOLLOWUPOneyou’vesentinyourresume,youneedtofollowupwithinaweek.Thisiswhereyourorganizedrecordkeepingwillpayoff,helpingyouefficientlykeeptrackofwhereyouapplied,when,andwhetheryou’vesentafollow-upemail,mailedhandwrittenthankyounote,orplacedafollow-upphonecall.You’vealreadyspentthetimetotailoryourresume,tocraftacustomizedcoverletter,andtosubmitbothtoacompanythat’shiring.Nowtakejustanother15minutestofollowup.Itcounts.Here’sasampleletterthatyoucanrewritetofityoursituation:

Dear[NameofHiringManager],

Last week, I sent in my resume for the [Job Title] position. I am veryinterestedinworkingat[NameofCompany]andhopetodiscusshowmy[List Software or Skills or Experience You Have] can benefit your team.Whendoyouanticipateyou’llbeschedulinginterviews?

If I can answer any questions you may have, please call me at [InsertNumber] or email me at [Insert Email]. I look forward to hearing fromyou.

Sincerely,

[YourName][YourSocial-Media-SavvyEmailSignature]

Rememberthatthesqueakywheelgetstheoil,soletthehiringmanagerknowwithoutadoubtthatyouwantthejob.

27http://www.startwire.com



CONCLUSION:GOGET‘EM!

That’s it.That’syoursystemtosuperchargeyouronlinejobsearchwithsocialmedia.Beforeweendthough,allowmetoreiteratesomeofthethemesofthisbook,justtomakesureyoudidn’tmissthem!Put technology to work for you. Whether it’s aggregate job sites like Indeed.com andSimplyHired.com, or Google alerts, or a paid resume submission service, use the automatedtechnologiesandservicesthatareavailabletoyoutosaveyourselftime.Andgolow-tech,too.Rememberthetimerthatwillmakesureyouaren’twastingtimeonFacebook?Andwhataboutthecalendarthatwillremindyoutohaveyour30-minuteplanningsessioneachweek?Theselow-techtoolswillsaveyoutimeandkeepyoufocusedonyourgoals.Usethem.Target and customize. In your job search, you are going to target certain companies, and go aftercertaintypesofpositionsthatareasolidfitforyou—jobsthatyou’llbegenuinelyexcitedaboutdoingforcompaniesthatyou’llbesuperjazzedaboutjoining.Right?Youarealsogoingtocustomizeyourresumefordifferenttypesofpositionsyou’regoingafter.So,youmayhavetwoorthreedifferentversionsofyourresume.RememberDave—hehadaTechnicalWriterresumeandaCorporateCommunicationsSpecialistresume.BelikeDave.Andyourcoverletters?Youaregoingtocreateauniquecoverletterforeachcompany/positionyouapply for. Much of the research you’ll be doing on LinkedIn and via Google alerts will help youcustomizeandtargetthelettersyou’rewriting,withtheaddedbonusofmakingyouamoreinformedcandidatewhenyougoforyourinterview.Personalbranding.Youareaproduct.Championyourbrand.Yourjobwhileyou’relookingforajobistopackageyourproduct—you!—asano-riskchoicethat’saperfectfit.Beconsistentinyourbranding,makingsurethatyourname,yourface,theuniquevalueyouprovide,andtheskillsyoubringarereiteratedacrossmultiplechannels.Youownyourbrand, somakesure tomanageyouronlinepresence. If you findsomethingnegativeaboutyourselfonline,dowhatyoucantoexpungeit.Ifyoucan’tdothat,out-competeitbyputtingsomuchpositive branding out there that anything negativewon’t showup until page twoor three ofsearchengineresults.



And remember, yourpersonalbrandingeffortsdon’t stopwhenyouget a job.Keepmanaging youronlinereputation. Beproactive.Inthisbook,Isharedmanyideasforbeingmoreproactivewithyourjobsearch.Tonamea few: listing the people youwant tomeet and systematically finding away to connectwith them;researchingcompaniesandpeoplewithinthosecompanies,soyou’rereadytostrikewhen“yourjob”isposted;findingoutaboutjobsthataren’tevenpostedyet;blogging,answeringLinkedInquestions,tweeting, and posting comments on industry sites to build up your credibility; springboarding fromonlinenetworking tomeetpeople in real life, to attendevents, and to keep learning.However youdecidetogetproactive,don’twait.Starttoday.Be professional at every step. Every communication that comes from you—written, verbal, andvisual—should be professional. Proofread everything. Think twice before posting. Contribute in ameaningfulway.Don’tbreaketiquetterulesatLinkedInorspamyourfriendsonFacebook.It’softenoutofdesperationthatpeoplepostneedystatusupdates.Beconfident,keepworkingthesystem,andstayupbeat.



ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

Professionalresumewriter,LinkedInexpert,andonlinejobsearchbloggerMirGarvyfoundedJobMarketSolutionsin2009aftermorethan10yearsasawebmarketingwriterandonlineusabilityconsultant.Sheholdsamaster’sdegreeinTechnicalCommunicationfromNorthCarolinaStateUniversity,isaCertifiedProfessionalResumeWriter(CPRW)andisamemberoftheNationalResumeWritersAssociationandtheSocietyforTechnicalCommunication.

Mir has written over 2,000 resumes and has a high referral rate due to the effectiveness of theresumes shewrites andher recordof stellar customer satisfaction.Mir’s unusual talent for craftingLinkedInprofiles givesher clients a competitive edge, and is the reasonwhy she is often tapped tospeaktoontopicsrelatedtoresumeandLinkedInwritingatvariousindustryconferencesandevents.

ABOUTTHEILLUSTRATOR

AndrewBosleygraduatedfromtheIllustrationprogramatSanJoseStateUniversity,wherehestudiedcharacter design, visual development, painting, and story. Andrew has worked for companies likeHallmark Cards and international gamedeveloperUbiSoft. Seemoreof hiswork at his blog, SketchHunter:TheArtofAndrewBosley.

Documents

Resume to Payday - Online Secrets to Find and Land Your ......instructor position posted at Indeed.com. I emailed my resume and cover letter last Monday and I’m calling today to