Successful job hunts result from the harmonic convergence of an opportunity and a contact or lead to the hiring manager, combined with the right experience and background. For more than a decade, on-line job boards and on-line networking tools have existed to help with the first two objectives. Only recently has the popularity of on-line forums or question and answer applications created another way to establish expertise in order to enhance your job search.
Social media groups fit into these three types of sites:
Establish your on-line footprint. By creating a presence beyond an on-line resume site or a social network like Facebook, you cast a broader net, increasing the likelihood that you hear about professionally related opportunities, or that they become aware of you.
Establish credibility in a new area of expertise. You may have decided to leave your previous profession and head in a new direction. Even with training, it's hard to get that first new job because you lack experience. By becoming a recognized expert on-line in the forum, you can demonstrate to potential hiring authorities that you "get it", even if you are a bit light on specific work experience in the new area. Some of the forums have recognized "expert" categories, which can be a resume-worthy proof point. All of the forums easily track your contributions. Is there any doubt that someone who has posted on a topic 100 times is an expert?
Develop new contacts. Networking on-line is much like networking in the real world. You'll meet people in your field, people in positions to assist you, and people you can help. Like any networking group, the relationships need to be nurtured to be valuable. That means you'll want to periodically return to the forum in order to become a "regular" and build upon contacts. And you'll want to contribute expertise, and not just ask questions or ask for help.
Each major type of forum can help your job search in different ways.
I find that LinkedIn groups are probably the best forum for job seekers. Since they are associated with an established professional networking site, the participants are apt to be relevant to your career. The utility of topic-specific communities will depend on your specific industry and job function. Question and Answer forums are the most difficult for career building, since the groups are newer and less established.
How do you determine which group warrants an investment of your time?
Relevance to Your Job Search. How relevant is the topic? Are the majority of members in a related function? How about geography? Many groups are nationwide in scope. If you are confining your search to a specific region, try to find a jobs group with that focus as well.
Size of Group. Since there are more than 750k LinkedIn groups alone, there are groups of all sizes. Some popular groups have from 20k to 200k members. Smaller groups may have around 1000 to 5000 members. If groups have fewer than 100 members, they probably won't have enough members to have a lively community, and therefore won't help you build your reputation.
Vibrancy of discussion. Although it's related to group size, vibrancy of discussion is another important factor. How often are new discussions created? How many responses do new posts receive? LinkedIn now has a handy column highlighting recent discussions and updates, so you can quickly assess the vibrancy of the group.
Once you select your groups, you'll need to develop your strategy and participation plan. Periodic, regular contributions are the best approach. Start with a small number of groups and then add more as time permits. Truth be told, the volume of conversation can be overwhelming. Some groups allow you to get a weekly digest of comments emailed to you, which is convenient for groups you wish to follow less closely.
While social media group participation can be an important element of your job search, you shouldn't expect immediate results. Nurture your relationships, seed your contributions, and grow your expert authority over time. Given the gradual reputation growth from on-line forum participation, the best time to begin is BEFORE you are in a job search.
Social media groups fit into these three types of sites:
- Topic areas associated with networking sites, such as LinkedIn and its specific groups. Examples of LinkedIn groups may be organized according to industry, job function, or geography.
- On-line technology or practice specific forums, frequently hosted by a company such as the SAP Community Forum or the Verizon Wireless Community.
- General Question and Answer Forums, such as Quora or Aardvark.
Establish your on-line footprint. By creating a presence beyond an on-line resume site or a social network like Facebook, you cast a broader net, increasing the likelihood that you hear about professionally related opportunities, or that they become aware of you.
Establish credibility in a new area of expertise. You may have decided to leave your previous profession and head in a new direction. Even with training, it's hard to get that first new job because you lack experience. By becoming a recognized expert on-line in the forum, you can demonstrate to potential hiring authorities that you "get it", even if you are a bit light on specific work experience in the new area. Some of the forums have recognized "expert" categories, which can be a resume-worthy proof point. All of the forums easily track your contributions. Is there any doubt that someone who has posted on a topic 100 times is an expert?
Develop new contacts. Networking on-line is much like networking in the real world. You'll meet people in your field, people in positions to assist you, and people you can help. Like any networking group, the relationships need to be nurtured to be valuable. That means you'll want to periodically return to the forum in order to become a "regular" and build upon contacts. And you'll want to contribute expertise, and not just ask questions or ask for help.
Each major type of forum can help your job search in different ways.
I find that LinkedIn groups are probably the best forum for job seekers. Since they are associated with an established professional networking site, the participants are apt to be relevant to your career. The utility of topic-specific communities will depend on your specific industry and job function. Question and Answer forums are the most difficult for career building, since the groups are newer and less established.
How do you determine which group warrants an investment of your time?
Relevance to Your Job Search. How relevant is the topic? Are the majority of members in a related function? How about geography? Many groups are nationwide in scope. If you are confining your search to a specific region, try to find a jobs group with that focus as well.
Size of Group. Since there are more than 750k LinkedIn groups alone, there are groups of all sizes. Some popular groups have from 20k to 200k members. Smaller groups may have around 1000 to 5000 members. If groups have fewer than 100 members, they probably won't have enough members to have a lively community, and therefore won't help you build your reputation.
Vibrancy of discussion. Although it's related to group size, vibrancy of discussion is another important factor. How often are new discussions created? How many responses do new posts receive? LinkedIn now has a handy column highlighting recent discussions and updates, so you can quickly assess the vibrancy of the group.
Once you select your groups, you'll need to develop your strategy and participation plan. Periodic, regular contributions are the best approach. Start with a small number of groups and then add more as time permits. Truth be told, the volume of conversation can be overwhelming. Some groups allow you to get a weekly digest of comments emailed to you, which is convenient for groups you wish to follow less closely.
While social media group participation can be an important element of your job search, you shouldn't expect immediate results. Nurture your relationships, seed your contributions, and grow your expert authority over time. Given the gradual reputation growth from on-line forum participation, the best time to begin is BEFORE you are in a job search.
LJ Beatty is an experienced marketer and owner of WikiThreads, a Dallas custom t-shirts business. LJ frequently writes about how small business owners can market more effectively using internet marketing, social media, customization and branding. in the small business marketing blog Quick Takes. If you are interested in Plano embroidery, t-shirts Dallas, or small business marketing, See LJ's latest post in her blog Quick Takes.
No comments:
Post a Comment