Twitter
Twitter is considered a “micro-blogging” social
network. You do get to add a small profile, but it consists of one link and a 140-character bio. Status
updates are given in 140-character increments, which can include hyperlinks, called “tweets.” People connect
with each other by becoming followers of a Tweeter who posts interesting information that enhances their own
networks. People with a large number of followers can have more influence on Twitter due to the fact that
more people are seeing their status updates. However, it's not just your own followers that determine the
strength of your network. The people who follow you can help you to increase your influence substantially,
and that can be cultivated to grow the network or to connect with others who may “retweet” (repost) your
status updates to their audiences too. Thus, your numbers don't actually have to be high here to have a
large, potential impact. However, most businesses still stick with the format of asking you just how many
followers you have to determine your influence.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is basically for people who are employed
and want to network with other people for business purposes or for those who are unemployed and are trying to
get hired. If you want to create a social network in your specific industry, it can be a great way to stay in
contact with past colleagues or supervisors. It even allows a way for them to recommend you to others online
without having to go through the routine of having a prospective employer try to reach them by telephone. It
does have groups, but they are very career-oriented, which is good if you are seeking to make connections in
a particular job market.
How The Numbers Add
Up
Numbers count for companies trying to evaluate your
influence on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Don't be surprised if in your next interview, they
ask you how many Twitter followers you have, especially if you are seeking a marketing role. The typical
Twitter user has about 127 followers, according to a recent blog post in Technology blog, but even so,
companies may request at least 2000 followers for major marketing positions. If you're still only tweeting to
20 people, you've got a long way to go, and you'd better start building up that network
fast.
Facebook is a different social network where
connections can be more intimate. They may want at least 500 friends for major positions, although anything
over 150 is above average. What's a bit misunderstood by most companies these days is that the quality of
your network can give them bigger exposure than your number of followers, yet this is a hard thing to
evaluate. There are plenty of company recruiters on these social networks who may be in the background
checking you out, so be sure to post things that might get their attention by showing interest in the right
companies and products that you want to engage.
Targeted
Demographics
Another important point about your network is the
demographics you have cultivated. If you are trying to get a job with a financial services company as a
financial broker, it would be great if you had already targeted people interested in finance to be a large
part of your network. For that reason, you'll want to think about the types of business you want to attract
and seek to create a profile that interests people who might benefit that business. In a way, you have to
think like a business owner and not like an employee or job-hunter in order to build the type of valuable
network that other companies will appreciate and want to own. You don't want to look like a desperate job
seeker, even if that is the case. You want to have a confident outlook that shows you're in command of your
own life and know how to engage others to make things happen.
Thus, if you are interested in working for a
financial services company, one of the approaches that you can take to network online with people who might
work for one is simply to check out what groups or blogs might be advertised within the social network within
your chosen category. Join these groups and follow the blogs.
Add comments, start to engage in the conversation, and contribute meaningful dialog that will create interest
in your profile. You will be amazed at how that conversation can take off and lead to people wanting to
become friends with you or to add you to their network. Every person that you add to your network that is in
your targeted demographic is bound to have MANY other connections that are also within that demographic. You
should then look through their friends’ list and notice any that may have similar interests to you or who you
can connect with via a blog or other activity. That way, you grow your network even more, and you don't have
to search too hard for people within the right demographic, as other people have already done that for
you.
Creating Your Own Unique
Brand
All of this network building is there to create
exposure for your personal brand. You are your own personal brand, and your job is to sell that brand to
prospective employers. The better you sell it to others, the more likely that prospective employers will want
to buy it too. It isn’t enough to just post a few status updates and generate a large friends’ or followers’
list to create a brand. You actually have to think this one through: What makes you
unique?
Maybe you are the most clever person with words.
Communication skills really impress companies, and you can make use of online Web copy to present those
skills via a personal blog. Link that to your social networking profiles and advertise your postings
regularly. This will give prospective employers an idea of who you are and whether they want to hire you or
not. Just be sure to know what impression you want to leave with others and then continue to add to that
archive of Web content in a regular manner to attract not just occasional followers, but readers and
subscribers too.
Let's be clear, if you don't know why a company
would want to hire you versus someone else, then they won't know either. You have to really get to know what
makes you special and highlight those positives online so that you stand out above the rest of people who are
looking for a job in these tough times. There is nothing more magnetic to prospective employers than a
candidate who knows who they are, where they are going, and is a match for their company
culture.
Maybe your strength is the spoken word and not the
written word. Luckily, these days, you can make a video and post it onto social networks like YouTube. It
shows that you have communication strengths that can reach thousands of people, even if your spelling is full
of faults and your grammar stinks. Anything that highlights your personal brand in the foil that makes it
shine and that highlights communication skills is sure to be a winner.
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