Student Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel » Corporate Recruitment

Job Rejection…..Until We Meet Again

Ronisha Goodwin — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:49:18 +0000

In the world of campus recruiting, it’s likely that a recruiter will see a student multiple times. Between interviews, professional functions, and on-campus recruiting efforts, a student could have several interactions with the same recruiter.

Depending upon the outcome of these interactions, seeing a recruiter again may or may not be an experience a student views as pleasant, particularly if the recruiter did not select the student for an internship or employment opportunity.

Don’t take it personally.

Rejection is hard and as a student, coming face to face with a recruiter who rejected you can be awkward. Recognizing that this is a common situation for many students, my best advice is to take the emotion out of the experience. You may not have been selected for the opportunity, but once you’re in the room with the recruiter, your focus should be on demonstrating to them that there are no hard feelings. This is definitely an exercise in professionalism! Smile, shake their hand, be cordial, make small talk. Your recruiter will be impressed with your ability to navigate what could be a tough situation and may see you in a different light as a result.

Sometimes, it’s just not the right time.

As a recruiter, I’m open to keeping in touch with candidates I didn’t select, because although they were not the right candidate for one role, another opportunity may arise that the fits the candidate perfectly. Although it’s difficult, consider that sometimes rejection isn’t actually a “no”–sometimes it’s a “not right now”.

I meet many students who love the Hyatt brand and see themselves working within one of our hotels. If enthusiasm was the sole criteria for selection, they would be the perfect candidate! But our college programs are very competitive and a student may need more time to develop or mature professionally in order to ensure they’ll be successful within our organization. Therefore the opportunity to see and network with the student again is definitely one that I’m open to. If we didn’t meet again, how would I ever have the opportunity to see their growth and hear about the experiences that have shaped them since the last time we met?

Stay connected.

Embrace the opportunity to stay connected. Although you were rejected, you may still want to work for the specific organization; therefore, seeing the recruiter again may help to maintain a relationship. You could also be in a place where the company no longer interests you, but recognizing that industry is small, it is very likely that you and your recruiter will run into each other again. Take advantage of an opportunity to say hello. If a situation changes, it will make it easier for you to reach out to them.

Rejection is difficult. Moving past the emotion connected with rejection is even harder. Facing the recruiter who rejected you is a test in professionalism, but one you can definitely pass.

Author

Ronisha is one of Hyatt’s College Recruiting Managers. Hyatt’s College Recruiters visit more than 30 college campuses each year recruiting top talent at hospitality programs across the country. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Ronisha begin her Hyatt career as a Human Resources Corporate Management Trainee. During her ten years with Hyatt, she has worked at Hyatt Hotels in Orlando, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey. To learn more about opportunities with Hyatt please visit hyatt.jobs, follow Hyatt on twitter @hyattcareers, become a Hyatt Facebook fan at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts Careers and follow the Campus Recruiter blog at blog.hyatt.jobs.

Build Relationships to Build a Career

Jonathan Petrino — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:25:28 +0000

If you’re coming up on graduation, and you’re looking to start your career–this post is for you. If you are a year or more away from graduation, then this post is really for you!

Starting and building a career can be a daunting task…that is, unless you invest time and effort upfront to build meaningful relationships. I think if you do this early, and often, you’ll find that your career will develop over time. This will help you avoid a ‘start-from-scratch’ approach every time you want to make a change.

You might be saying: “Meaningful relationships? I just need a job!” And, that’s a fair statement–but I think it’s one that won’t serve you well in the long-run.

The days of blasting out resumes online are dead. Instead of waiting until a few weeks before graduation and digging through job postings– start making a point to build relationships with people that you can learn from. Online tools for networking (websites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Blogs) are great–and they can be used to reinforce your relationships made offline.

Where to get started?

Your personal network: Friends and family are your closest existing relationships. Everyone knows someone. Make sure you tell your family and friends what you want to do or learn about. (I actually landed an internship through a family member’s connections).
Professors: A few things make your professors and faculty valuable to your job search.
It’s likely that they know many people in the industry around the subject they teach. They also know other professors–who know other professionals! The best way to approach this? Ask your professors if they know anyone you can set up an informational interview with.
Professional organizations: A few minutes spent researching online can turn up a list of organizations that you may be interested in joining. Most of these groups have special rates (if not free) for students.

Getting started is the only hard part here. Once you have built a small number of meaningful relationships, I think you’ll find the value you receive is enormous over time. Graduating and starting a career can be intimidating, but building relationships and connections will really help you navigate through your future.

Author

Jonathan has broad ranging experience and currently works as a Customer Success Manager at Responsys, Inc. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University where he majored in Marketing. He previously worked for Thomson Reuters, where he also had an internship during college, and he worked for Expedia in an account management role for their North American lodging business. Jonathan is an avid enthusiast of all things marketing, economics, and travel. And, he is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Connect with Jonathan on Twitter (@jonathanpetrino), LinkedIn, and his website.

Tips for Introductions and Networking Offline

Michele Posehn — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:14:49 +0000

In your everyday world, the casual encounters of your daily routine can open up a network of connections with limitless possibilities. Consider some of the common–and not so common–places where people are networking offline in my last post, “Advance Your Career with Community Contacts.”

So, now that you know where to look for contacts, how can you maximize your opportunity?

Start off slow.

Remember to be friendly and ask questions during the conversation that let you learn more about the person. If there are mutual areas of interest, offer a business card or ask if the person can share his or her business card with you. Ask if it is ok to contact him or her in the future.

Remember that social settings require social tact.

While the person you just met has great potential as a business contact, remember your environment and keep the conversation light. You don’t want to come on too strong or pushy at, say, a July 4th celebration at a park. Save the tough questions for a later time.

Change the topic if the person seems uncomfortable or not willing to talk about work in a social setting.

Look for cues like looking away, over or around you; or physically edging away from you and/or towards others. Or, maybe they provide you with very short answers and try to change the subject back to something related to the social outing. If this happens, ask if it would be better to speak with them back at the office and offer your contact card.

It’s okay to talk about your interests, your career goals and plans. But try to stay within points of mutual interest. If the person doesn’t feel too pressured, he or she will be open to future contact or even provide you with a referral to someone they know is hiring.

With all of these opportunities to meet people, you might feel pressured to have your resume in your back pocket at all times.

An easier approach may be to have a personal business card that includes your LinkedIn profile URL or even a QR code that takes users to any of your online profiles. QR codes can be scanned by a smartphone to take users directly to a specified web page. Sites like Qurify.com can generate the codes for you. Even better, a new, fun contact card is called a Meme Profile Trading card . These cards provide a snapshot of your skills and a link to your online profiles and often have a QR code included on their design.

Seizing opportunities to network in person is essential to a successful career and job search. Take the time now to mentally prepare for these exchanges and you’re sure to leave an impression.

Author

Michele is a Senior Recruiter for Sodexo, a world leader in quality of daily life solutions that contribute to the progress of individuals and the performance of organizations. As a former assistant director at the University of Maryland University College’s Career and Cooperative Education Center, she’s no stranger to students trying to plan their careers. During that time, she worked with non-traditional college students to gain school credit for on the job work experience. Michele also taught seminars on job searching, resume writing and interview techniques, and partnered with local employers to help students gain employment. At Sodexo, she has continued her interest in shaping student careers by serving as a mentor to an intern in the company’s Future Leaders Program. Michele began her recruitment career in 1999, joining Sodexo in 2008 where she recruits for a range of food, facilities and environmental services positions. Michele holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland College Park (go Terps), is a charter member of a Baltimore area Toastmasters chapter, and a Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) and Certified Diversity Recruiter (CDR). When not giggling with her two girls, Michele enjoys writing … and watching the Yankees win, much to the dismay of her husband. Join her on LinkedIn or just Network with Us at Sodexo.

Do You Have Room to Negotiate Salary?

Ronisha Goodwin — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:24:34 +0000

Although I’ve had students ask my opinion about negotiating starting salaries, I was somewhat caught off guard when a student I offered a position to actually called me back to negotiate. I’m a big believer that “a closed mouth doesn’t get fed”, so I definitely respected the student for initiating the conversation.

Similar to many Management Training programs, the starting salaries for our programs are set and nonnegotiable. Recognizing that many recent college graduates may be in a similar situation, wondering if there is room to negotiate, I’d like to offer the following:

Consider the entire offer.

When evaluating an offer, it’s easy to focus solely on the starting salary. However, it’s essential that you consider the entire offer. For example, in addition to health insurance benefits, our company provides paid sick days, vacation days, holidays, tuition reimbursement, as well as a company match in the retirement savings plan. We also give 12 free hotel room nights per year and free meals in the Associate Dining Room. These are benefits that if converted to monetary value, they would easily be worth more than $10,000.

In my opinion, there is limited room to negotiate when you’re a recent college graduate. Especially if you are applying for a Management Training program, it is very likely that the salary will be firm. But there could be the opportunity for you to receive other benefits. For example, companies offer relocation assistance or perhaps a “signing bonus.” If these benefits weren’t included in your offer, you could inquire about them and their availability.

Consider quality of life.

I encourage you to also consider what your life would be like if you accepted the offer. Assuming the salary offered is not as high as you desire, will you be living within your desired geographic location? Does the work schedule allow you to continue participating in activities that are important to you? Your happiness outside of work is priceless and may justify accepting an offer, because you’ll be able to ensure a richer quality of life.

Consider raises and promotional opportunities.

Looking beyond the salary and benefits, you should also consider opportunities for growth and future raises. Does your potential company evaluate their employees regularly? Are salary increases given annually? What are the opportunities for growth if you wanted to move up within the company? These are all questions you should ask your recruiter and carefully consider when you’re evaluating an offer. The potential to move up within the organization, may outweigh a salary that you feel is on the lower end of the spectrum.

You may not be able to negotiate the salary of your first professional opportunity, but remember sometimes all you need is an opportunity. You can then allow that one opportunity to catapult you into even greater roles and higher salaries.

Author

How to Navigate the Online Job Search

Desiree Hack — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:14:40 +0000

It seems like every company is telling you to visit their website and apply online. Can you personally hand them your resume? Sure, but it’s best for you to see what opportunities are available and apply online. The truth is an electronic application and resume goes much farther than a paper one. In some cases your paper resume may be sitting in a pile on a recruiter’s/hiring manager’s desk for much longer than it needs to. An electronic application and resume is able to be sent to multiple recruiters/hiring manager in different locations.

Let’s try to get beyond the “black hole” idea. Here are a few tips for your next application.

1. Complete your profile.

Sounds simple right? You’d be surprised how many people don’t complete the full application process. At times you don’t know how long the position has been posted. You’re thinking oh I’ll come back and finish my application tomorrow. Well if the position has been up for 60 days, the company may be getting ready to take it down and review the applications received thus far. An incomplete application will almost automatically be declined. Make sure to follow all instructions when applying including: attach a resume, transcript, and recommendation letters; and answer screening questions.

2. Apply to a position(s).

Again, very simple! Now that your profile is complete, be sure to search for interesting positions and apply to them. Completing a profile does not mean you’ve applied directly to a position. With the overwhelming amounts of candidates in these systems, recruiters don’t have the bandwidth to select your sole profile and choose it for their positions.

3. Find a contact.

After you’ve gone to the website and applied for a position. There are many avenues to let company contacts know you’re interested. Social media can be a great way to find a contact person. Most companies have Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts. Your school’s career services center may also be a good resource. They usually have the contact names and email addresses of recruiters they’ve worked with in the past. When contacting a recruiter, let them know you’ve already been to the website and have applied directly to a position. You can even let them know which position and job number you’re interested in.
Hope this helps! Happy Applying!

Author

Desiree is a University Recruiter at T-Mobile USA. She is currently responsible for developing and implementing effective recruiting and branding strategies related to short and long term needs. She does this by partnering with business line leaders to build relationships and establishing realistic expectations. A big part of being a recruiter at T-Mobile is striving to position T-Mobile as an “employer of choice” and facilitate a world class recruiting experience for candidates. Desiree is also responsible for training managers and recruiters on the University and Internship Program. Desiree spends her free time spending time with family and friends, traveling, and volunteering with various groups. She also loves to read and trying anything that is new and fun.

Who is Invested in YOUR Success?

Jonathan Petrino — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:40:56 +0000

Since my last post here I’ve had a lot of changes in my career, all for the better. This got me thinking about how some of these new opportunities came my way and I thought that might make a good post.

A personal brand isn’t just about starting a blog, posting on twitter, and updating your resume. It’s about building relationships around what makes you unique and talented, in my opinion.

When you build ‘your brand’ it allows people to get to know you on a more personal level. Once people get to know and respect you on a deeper level, they can start to become invested in you. Once people become invested in you, they have extra motivation to see you succeed.

Going back a few years, when my internship had ended I had made several strong connections. Some based on friendships and some on work performance. A few years later, when I was looking to make a career move, these connections all came through and rallied to help me. Two people reached out about opportunities at the company, three others offered to make recommendations on my behalf, one put me up in their house while I moved, and another helped me move into my new place.

These people, with whom I had worked with and gotten to know over a few months, had become invested in my success and wanted to help me. I am forever grateful to these people.

Find people with common interests, people you admire and want to associate with, and people who you feel you can learn from. Then, you’ve found your audience. Align your time to connect with and learn from this group and you’ll soon find people who have, on some level, become invested in you.

By the way, this isn’t a one way street – you just might find yourself becoming invested in others as well.

So, who is invested in your success?

Author

Mobile Apps Help Job Seekers on the Go

Michele Posehn — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:10:26 +0000

You may be enjoying a cup of coffee as you read this post on your iPad. Or, you may be walking to class and reading it on a smartphone. Either way, it’s evidence that our society is becoming more and more mobile. In fact, it’s estimated that 77% of job seekers are using mobile devices to conduct job searches and 24% of those people are college grads or entry level candidates.

What’s more, a recent survey showed that 4 out of 5 smartphone users are using an iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or Windows phone to conduct a job search. And considering that over 100 million people own one of those devices, that is a lot of searching!

With the rapid expansion of apps, job seekers now have more resources at their fingertips than ever. Sites like CareerBuilder and Monster have downloadable apps to alert you on up to the minute open positions in your area. LinkedIn also has an app that allows you to accept invitations to connect or read and comment on LinkedIn Group posts. Whether you’re eating lunch in the campus cafeteria or waiting for a movie to start in the theater, you can now build your network and search for jobs virtually any time, anywhere.

Corporate Mobile Apps

If you have your sights set on a specific company where you’d like to work, companies are starting to optimize their career web sites for mobile access to make the search process easy. A few companies have even developed a mobile app. Often these apps provide you with the ability to search for jobs but then you must return to your computer to actually apply for a job.

The good news is that this technology is quickly advancing. As a testament to that, Sodexo recently became one of the first companies to launch an app that allows candidates to apply to jobs directly from their smart device. Not only can candidates search and apply for jobs, but they can join our Talent Community and connect with the touch of a finger to our recruiting team through social media channels. The app is an incredible portal that provides a glimpse into the company’s culture, while allowing full access to our world, 24/7.

Even more, corporate apps like the Sodexo Jobs App provide company employees quick access to explore, build and grow their careers within their company. Corporate apps help make it as easy as possible for all candidates–both external candidates and internal employees–to help manage their careers and job search strategy.

As the mobile world continues to evolve, so will mobile recruiting. Today’s savvy job seekers have tremendous opportunities to be in the know about career opportunities much faster than just a short year or two ago. It goes without saying that mobile job seeking is convenient and quick.

Have you used a mobile app to search for jobs? Share your experiences! And, if you’ve tried the Sodexo Jobs App, we’d love your feedback.

Finally, a job search tool you can take and use anywhere.

Author

Social Networks and Your Job Search (Part 3)

Sejal Patel — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:17:39 +0000

I started off by introducing some of the newer ways employers are using social networks in my first post, Social Networks and Your Job Search (Part 1). In my next post, Social Networks and Your Job Search (Part 2), I gave you some tips on what you can do with your profiles and networks to get connected. In this post, I’ll tell you how and where to connect and engage with potential employers.

It all boils down to three steps: follow, engage, connect. And they’re done a little differently depending on what network you are on. Allow me to demonstrate…

The Obvious Choice: LinkedIn

LinkedIn is hailed as the professional networking site, and with good reason. Whether you are job hunting or not, keep your LinkedIn profile updated and use it to connect with anyone and everyone you come across during your career.

Follow: Companies have their own profile pages on LinkedIn where you can “follow” them to get the latest news and updates. (Example: this is the Intel page.) Company pages give you an overview of what’s happening, connections you have to the company and career opportunities. Whether you’re interested in hearing about the latest and greatest from a brand that you’re a fan of or you’ve picked an ideal employer and are simply waiting for the right opportunity, following a company page is the first step. If you can’t find a company page, search for groups associated with a specific employer. Proceed with caution though, there are some groups that aren’t “officially sanctioned” by the company but it’s pretty easy to figure that out once you poke around.
Engage: If someone came up to you and said something, would you just walk away from them? Usually someone says something to you to start a conversation. The same applies to discussions or status updates. They’re there for you! Whether you like it or not, if you have something to say or ask, do so! That’s the beauty of social media: it gives everyone a chance to engage. Most companies also have their moderation policies listed so you know what to expect.
Connect: Did you get into a really good discussion with an employee? Find a recruiter who encourages people to connect with him or her? LinkedIn profiles have a section called “Contact for:” where the user will list all the reasons they are open to connecting with people for. Read the profile, decide if your request fits one of the reasons they are open to, and send (or don’t send) an invite. If you do send an invite and you don’t know the person too well, it’s a good idea to include a message introducing yourself and why you’d like to keep in touch. If the person declines your invitation, there’s a reason for that–let it be and move on.

The Not-So-Obvious Choice: Facebook

I know, Facebook is for your friends. But really, if you’re comfortable with it (and use your settings appropriately), it can be used to connect with any and everyone.

Follow: Like LinkedIn, companies have their own pages on Facebook called fan pages. These pages are similar to a personal profile, giving companies a chance to behave just as a normal user would. While on LinkedIn companies have one page, many companies have several presences on Facebook. Pages can be divided by location or by their business. For example, some companies have their own Careers or Jobs page–which is what you would want to follow as a job seeker. By following their page, you get updates to your newsfeed on the latest news about the company, be it cultural or products or even jobs!
Engage: Comment on status updates. Share news with your network. Write wall posts. These are all ways to engage with a company. In the past, the only way to have direct access to a company was through meeting representatives at career fairs or only available to the elite group that moved forward in the recruiting process. Social networks level the playing field and allow anyone a chance to ask questions and get in touch. However, depending on the volume, you may or may not get a response. When you do ask a question or make a comment, make it as easy to understand the first time around so you can get a response after it’s read. If you’re not clear about your question and/or the recruiter/moderator needs to ask follow-up questions to even get you an answer, you might miss your chance to engage.
Connect: Let’s say you get into a conversation with a recruiter on Facebook, do you friend them? What I’ve heard is that most people DO NOT want to connect with a recruiter on Facebook because they have a lot of personal information and photos that they’d prefer those outside of their social circles not see. Completely understandable–but either 1) don’t post those pictures online for people to see or 2) use your security settings! It’s ultimately up to you on whether you want to befriend a recruiter on Facebook or not. I would recommend doing so, after changing your security settings. It’s an easy way to keep in touch, most recruiters have better things to do than ‘stalk’ your profile, and it gives you more access to the recruiter so you can be comfortable asking questions, getting information, and developing a relationship.

Somewhere in the middle: Twitter

Follow: Following strangers is completely acceptable on Twitter. In fact, it’s encouraged. It’s a little like a domino effect–you find someone interesting to follow, and then you look at who they follow and you find more interesting people to follow, and then you look at who they follow and you find more interesting people to follow… and so on and so forth. Twitter lists are really helpful for this as well. I, myself, am guilty of not being as organized as to group the people I follow into lists (sometimes I think I need to dedicate an entire day to just get my social networking lists in order!), but there are more organized people out there who have created lists. These lists help you find a cluster of people who would be interesting at once. And the best part? If you don’t think they’re being helpful, you can easily unfollow them.
Engage: The RT button and @ button are pretty powerful on Twitter. In fact, as a rule of thumb, for every tweet you send about yourself, you should RT or @ 7 other people. (I’ve heard 10, I’ve heard 5, I’ve heard 3…I’m going with 7 as a happy medium!) Now don’t be offended if you don’t get a response back, but being out there and spreading the love–it’ll come back to you. Just watch.
Connect: Over time you’ll develop relationships with your Twitter fam–and when the time is right, it’s appropriate to ask them for help with an introduction to someone who can help with your job search, or maybe asking them to take a look at your resume or pass it along, or even a tweet-up (meet up) for coffee or an informational interview. Also, take a look at business cards you’re collecting–are Twitter handles listed? That’s an invitation to follow and engage. There’s a fine line between complimentary and creepy though–tread carefully.

Follow. Engage. Connect. It really is that simple.

Author

Sejal is a Recruitment Marketing Project Manager at Intel. She is part of the team that is responsible for Intel’s global employment brand. This team helps connect candidates with Intel and Intel with candidates using channels such as the Jobs at Intel web site, the Life at Intel microsite and other Web 2.0 channels. Sejal specifically manages theJobs at Intel Blog and Intel’s recruitment Facebook strategy. Originally from Toronto, Ontario (yes—a real, breathing Canadian!), Sejal graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with her Bachelor’s in Communications before starting at Intel in 2008. When she’s not working, you’ll find Sejal working at crossing things off of her Bucket List (which includes skydiving, reading 1000 books and traveling the world), eating cupcakes or spending time with family and friends. To learn more about opportunities with Intel, visit intel.com/jobs, follow Intel on Twitter@JobsatIntel or check out the Jobs@Intel blog!

Standing Out During a Career Fair

Ronisha Goodwin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:00:06 +0000

Career Fairs can be challenging and overwhelming for students. At the same time, career fairs are great for students to find internships and permanent positions because there are so many employers in the same place at the same time. In order to ensure that you receive the most value from your career fair experience, consider the following points of advice on how to stand out from the crowd of attendees at a career fair.

Dress to impress

Start by taking the career fair experience seriously and wear your best professional dress attire. When considering a family selling their home, one of the recommendations that is often made is for them to strip their personal effects from the house and decorate in a manner that allows potential buyers to easily envision themselves living there. My reasoning for encouraging you to wear professional dress to the career fair is similar.

Since career fairs are about first impressions, you want to present the best image to the company representative and make them even more interested in getting to know you better. You want them to be able to envision you as part of the organization and that vision starts with your appearance and presentation.

Additionally, sometimes recruiters schedule or even conduct actual interviews during career fairs. You’ll feel most confident and prepared if you’re interviewing in your best suit as opposed to the jeans and t-shirt you originally may have considered wearing.

Open strong and speak with confidence

I know it’s difficult to initiate conversation with a recruiter, but if you want to stand out you have to do so! It’s very likely that a ton of attendees will walk up to the company’s booth and ask the representative “What do you have available?”, which is a passive approach. Instead, set yourself apart by taking a stronger and more confident approach.

Consider starting with “Hello, I’m (introduce yourself), a (freshman, sophomore, etc.) majoring in ____________. What positions would you suggest for someone who wants to begin their career or gain internship experience with your company?”

An even stronger opening can be achieved by researching a company’s college programs in advance and then asking a specific question about the program that most applies to you. For example, at Hyatt we have a Corporate Management Training Program for graduating seniors. At career fairs, I’m more impressed by the candidate who prepared in advance and spends his or her time with me and asking targeted questions, as opposed to the candidate who is just “stopping by” the booth.

Brave the career fair alone

Lastly, yes, sometimes there is comfort in numbers, but career fairs should be a solo experience. Focus on your goal of obtaining an internship or permanent position; you can bond with your friends at another time. You should bring plenty of copies of your resume and focus first on the employers that most interest you. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for the opportunity to interview or set up time in the coming weeks to discuss potential opportunities with the company’s representative. Within 24 hours, follow up with a note via email to the representative that you met during the career fair. The timing of your follow-up correspondence is important because you want to reach out while your interaction is still fresh in the recruiter’s mind.

It’s easy to get lost in the sea of career fair attendees, but with a preparation, you can take control and stand out from the crowd.

Author

Social Networks and Your Job Search (Part 2)

Sejal Patel — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:00:27 +0000

So you’re all signed up, now what? My last post, Social Networks and Your Job Search (Part 1), was dedicated to introducing some of the newer ways companies are opening themselves up by sharing the basics of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Now that you have the basics, let’s move on to what else you can do with these networks.

LinkedIn Love

If you build it, they will come–right? Wrong–but putting in some time now will help you in the long run.

Fill out your profile: Include past internships, leadership positions, work experience–anything that you would share on a resume!
Upload a picture: This should be a nice head shot of you looking at the camera, not one of you far off in the distance where you can’t be recognized. (This doesn’t have to be a professional photograph–as long as the photo is clear and appropriate, you can use it.)
Add your connections: This can take some time, especially if you’re brand-new to the network, but break it down into manageable tasks (10 people at at a time?) or use the tools that LinkedIn provides. You can log in with your email address and it will search your address book for contacts who are already on LinkedIn. You can also add connections by Colleagues (past workplaces), Alumni (your school) and People You Might Know (based on your network, skills and interests.)
Join a group: In the bottom right corner of your homepage, LinkedIn will recommend groups that you may like based on your profile and skills–join one. Heck, join a few! These groups often have their own communities and provide a means to connect with other like-minded individuals. These could people in jobs you’re interested in or with similar skills who could open you up to a new career path you hadn’t even considered yet. Some groups, like our Intel Student Lounge, are moderated on a daily basis by recruiters who share hot jobs–this can help you with questions about applying or what it’s like to work at the company and they even give away stuff!

From Facebook friend to Facebook fan

Are you using Facebook lists? If not, I highly recommend you do. It’s a huge pain in the butt to get organized, but it’ll be worth it–trust me.

By organizing lists, you’re categorizing your connections on Facebook–you can sort by family, friends, acquaintances, where people live, how you know them, etc. Once you have lists set up, you can adjust your privacy and sharing settings so that what your friends see and your aunt sees can be separated. Use the same thought process for what you’d want to share with a small group of people but not everyone you’re connected to via Facebook.

Many companies are setting up shop on Facebook through fan pages–are you a fan? Search for a company whose products you like or you’d like to work for, and chances are that they have a fan page out there. By becoming a fan (aka “Liking” the page), you’ll now get updates from the page to your newsfeed, the same way you get updates from your friends. Companies often post pictures, videos, and news about the company, keeping you in the loop on the latest and greatest. Some companies have specific pages for different parts of the organization–for example there might be a page dedicated to Jobs or Careers. By becoming a fan of a page like this, you might hear about the newest job opportunities by just checking your Facebook and seeing what came up in your newsfeed!

Fan pages aren’t just measured by the number of fans, but engagement as well. Use the wall to ask questions, comment on posts and like/share to your heart’s content! While different companies have different moderation policies, this could be your way of directly communicating with someone at the company. (For example, I manage our Discover Intel – Global page and personally try to answer every comment that comes through. Don’t believe me? Give it a whirl;-) )

Tweet tweet!

Ever had a good idea or thought, but no one to share it with? Enter Twitter. There are lots of conversations that take place on Twitter and they are open to anyone and everyone to join. I’d start by searching Twitter for to find people and conversations to tune into. Interested in a social media job? Search “social media”. Want to connect with someone at a specific company? Search the company name (and add in “+ recruiter” to find a recruiter!) Once you find people, start following them so that their tweets will show up in your feed. Once the tweets start coming in, RT (retweet) and reply (@) away! Sometimes you’ll be thanked for a RT or you’ll get a response to an @ and sometimes you won’t, but stick with it. You can also check out other people’s followers lists to find more interesting and like-minded folks to follow. There’s no limit to how many people you can follow (you get to decide what’s “too much noise” and what’s not) so click away! And if you find that you started following someone who isn’t relevant anymore, just unfollow them. Done.

Companies are joining Twitter as well! For example, we have a @JobsatIntel account that shares hot jobs, news about Intel and articles or posts we think you might interesting. Another type of Twitter account you can look out for is a cultural twitter account, like @LifeatIntel, which profiles a different Intel employee every week, giving you a chance to “follow” them around and see what their work week is like.

Twitter is the first place I turn to for a rant or rave–companies that respond to my tweets automatically get bonus points in my book. Why? Because they’re listening and who doesn’t want to be heard?!

Last time we talked about setting up profiles, today I gave you some tips on how to build you profiles and expand your reach on networks. Next time, I’ll go into some details on how to connect with recruiters and companies directly.