how to use social media to find a job

How to use social media to find a job- examples from a Swedish point of view

Anna F Söderström, the ICT-studio, Linköping University

Monday, February 20, 2012

How to use social media to find a job Anna F Söderström www.liu.se/iktstudion

[email protected]: @iktstudionFacebook: IKT-studion LiUBambuser: IKTstudion

www.liu.se/iktstudion

Monday, February 20, 2012What is the ICT-studio: We provide lectures, workshops within the ICT-area. Our focus areas: Social media, video, eyetracking, interactive whiteboards, podcasts, online games in relation to the University and the education provided here. We help out primarly at the faculties: Arts & Sciences and Educational Sciences.

What do you think of when I say social media?

Monday, February 20, 2012What do YOU think of when the word ”social media” is used?Do you use it? How do you use it?

Internet and the Swedes: Some thoughts about online habits in Sweden today. 85% of all Swedes have access to Internet in their homes and the main tool used is Google. 97% uses the Internet to search with Google and as many as 56% uses Google on a daily basis. We like to google health issues, it´s the number one search query in all ages. The social use of the web is mainly focused on social networks, blogs and online gaming. Especially in the ages 18-24.

Picture from: http://tosh.comedycentral.com/blog/2012/02/07/social-media-explained-in-terms-of-donuts/

Monday, February 20, 2012Social media is a important part of the web today, and sometimes it might be hard to keep yourself updated. In many ways you get stuck talking about the tools, rather then the possible use. I know what Facebook is, but how can I use the functions built into this gigantic social network? A basic understanding of the tools is necessary to be able to use them in a more strategic and professional way.

Unofficial ways 80%20%

Monday, February 20, 2012Why is it important to know more about the web as a professional tool?Job ads don´t always get posted through the official channels. Only 20% of all job ads where published through paper ads, online ads, at the established forums online. 80% of all jobs where posted through informal networks both online and offline, and sometimes in a combination of both. A lot of the recruitment was made through pro-active work, a person showing interest before the company even have posted any ads at all. These numbers are from the Swedish job market 2011.The web as a tool for looking up companies, finding jobs ”hidden” in your social network is getting more and more important.

CC: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_5322/

Your digital footprint

Monday, February 20, 2012Where do I start? I am online, I use the social networks, but how can I use it to find a job?Start by analyzing and look at your own digital footprint. Are you easy to find, is the information available correct, how can you change/improve it?Social media is an important part of this.

Monday, February 20, 2012My personal digital footprints - a short reflection on what you can find googling my name and what I think about it.- The social media I am using are always ranked higher then for instance my very much static webpage from 1999. The blog, Linkedin-page and other social media tools are often updated. Dynamic - good! - The page were information about me is published affects how Google rates the information. Information in for instance www.liu.se is ranked high since it´s a well-visited webpage with a lot of links/trackbacks, traffic, it´s often up-dated etc.- Media such as pictures and video are also ranked rather high.You can always delete pages, but it might not be totally gone since somewhere there might be a cache copy of the page. Annoying, but it´s part of the web.

Monday, February 20, 2012To name a few relevant social media tools today...Facebook: A tool where you can find a lot of people, but also organizations and companies. Facebook is always very dynamic, it changes a lot and you never know where the tool might be in popularity and relevance in a 5 year perspective. In Sweden more then half of the population (52%) has an account.Twitter: A micro-blog service constantly growing, even though the number of users in Sweden isn´t that high it´s a channel influencing traditional media a lot. A lot of business are also easy to find at Twitter: Mediapeople, advertising agencies, librarians, politicians, entrepreneurs within a lot of different areas, teachers, organizations and governmental service institutions, traveling agencies etc. Twitter is a good way to find a relevant network, first to listen in on the people already working with the things you´re interested in. Blog: (in this picture represented by the tools Wordpress and Blogger) Read blogs within your area of interest, or if you are interested: Start writing one. It´s a useful tool to make an online CV/portfolio more active and dynamic.

Use social media to find your professional network

Monday, February 20, 2012Where do you find your professionel network? Where are the people interested in the same things you are? Use the web to look up the networks where you want to belong. Try to find interesting blogs, groups, and also use the web to look up information about specific companies you would like to work at. Be pro-active and curious, but be true. A faked interest in something is often rather...easy to see through by the people online.

The Alec Brownstein-example: Alec Brownstein wanted to work at a advertising agency in New York. He bought Google Ad Words with the names of the people in charge of some of the agencies he wanted to work at. And he got a job! Ian Reichental was one (of many) who googled himself and found an interesting ad. Some people might get a bit paranoid, Ian found the initative rather creative and hired Alec.

Use social media to find your professional network

Monday, February 20, 2012Where do you find your professionel network? Where are the people interested in the same things you are? Use the web to look up the networks where you want to belong. Try to find interesting blogs, groups, and also use the web to look up information about specific companies you would like to work at. Be pro-active and curious, but be true. A faked interest in something is often rather...easy to see through by the people online.

The Alec Brownstein-example: Alec Brownstein wanted to work at a advertising agency in New York. He bought Google Ad Words with the names of the people in charge of some of the agencies he wanted to work at. And he got a job! Ian Reichental was one (of many) who googled himself and found an interesting ad. Some people might get a bit paranoid, Ian found the initative rather creative and hired Alec.

Use social media to mingle

Monday, February 20, 2012Use social media to mingle - digitally. Twitter is one tool to use, you can listen in at first but after a while it might be a good idea to try the channel out and actually say something. You can for instance search for interesting search terms, aka hashtags. A lot of conferences, events, specific issues, news are often tagged with a hashtag and you can chose either to listen in on search terms or try to find interesting people who normally provide a good feed of interesting tweets.

Monday, February 20, 2012Think regional! Use the web to find the professional networks in the regional area you want to work. A lot of businesses arrange lectures, provide news letters, meetings and conferences based on both the regional factor and of course the common area of interest. The examples used in this slide are the regional network: Twin Cities of Sweden http://www.fjarde.se/twincities/Home/Start%20page.html a network from Östergötland. Also known as Fjärde storstadsregionen in Swedish but it´s about to change name to East Sweden. Exampled nr 2 is a network in Stockholm (also available in other cities in Sweden) where people working advertising, media, PR, can network with others in the same regional area.

At lot of these networks provide newsletter, where a lot of companies publish job ads!

Monday, February 20, 2012Use the web to find other people working within your field of interest.The examples above focus on a network available for doctors and one for women. There are a lot of other similar plattforms like this, where social media aspects are built in: Blogs, Twitter-accounts, video and chat.

Monday, February 20, 2012Be creative, using the web to develop your CV and portfolioCreate a digital business card (http://about.me) or use the web to be inspired, and se how other people do it. It´s better to show a creative solution in for instance your CV/personal letter rather than just saying you are creative...You can for instance create a digital CV with functions such as YouTube, Flickr and Slideshare to show presentations and other material. You can use the tools for this in Linkedin, or you can build a blog and embed the tools mentioned above.

The personal brand

Monday, February 20, 2012The personal brand/create a personae. The web makes it easier.A lot of the tools are for free, when you use it for personal use. It´s rather easy to build a online prescence. But work out a strategy first, there is no use to work up a prescence if you are not interested in maintaining them.

www.underbaraclaras.com

Monday, February 20, 2012A Swedish example, a journalist, writer, photographer named Clara Lidström (UnderbaraClara) uses her visual skills, here wirting skills to create a digital brand, helping her starting her own business. She is very consistent in the visual maner, the way she writes and what she writes about. She is creative, but she doesn´t need to say she is. Her blog speaks for itself and creates a strong personal brand within her professional field.www.underbaraclaras.com

Monday, February 20, 2012Creating a personae, using it online with different kinds of media and channels: Video, Facebook, blog, Twitter. This is an example from Linköping university and old student who names himself ”Psykologen Oskar” (Psychologist Oscar)

The product focus

Monday, February 20, 2012Selling a product, creating a brand focusing on what you produce, not so much who YOU are.Using online services already provided rather than coding your own webshop: Example Etsy. E-bay. A mix: The portfolio with a webshop.A visual presentation of your work. Think creative, is it possible to use this in a rather non-visual field of interest?

http://www.lottakuhlhorn.se/

Monday, February 20, 2012Visual portfolios are always easier to show on the web- is it possible to use the visual aspect in your own CV? (Photography, animation, video, etc)

GOODENOUGH

Monday, February 20, 2012Start with this! Think Good enough if you start from scratch. You don´t have to create an account in every social media channel known to mankind.

Monday, February 20, 2012What it all boils down to...1. Google yourself, and analyze your digital footprint. What kind of information is available about you online and what can you do to change it or even use it in a professional way?2. Choose, with a strategic thought, the tool/channel suitable for you. Be active, be true and interact with others!3. Use and tend to the social networks you probably already use and try them out in a professional way too.4. Be an detective, look up the companies and/or businesses you want to get in touch with and look them up. Try to be pro-active by using the information already available online about the company.

Good Luck!

Monday, February 20, 2012To use a rather over-used tagline: You can do it! :)

[email protected]: @iktstudionFacebook: IKT-studion LiUBambuser: IKTstudion

www.liu.se/iktstudion

Curious about the ICT-studio, and how we may help you further? Contact us!

how to use social media to find a job

Education

governmental service institutions

channel inuencing traditionalmedia

businesses arrange lectures

provide news letters

networks provide newsletter

things youre interested

lot ofdifferent areas

informationabout specic companies