Brand Your Business

5 Quick Tips for Social Media and Your Job Search

Wendy Terwelp 1 Comment

On LinkedIn, a person asked how others were using LinkedIn and other “more personal” social media sites for their job search. The responses were helpful.

One thing struck me though, and that was the fact that some people mentioned they keep their more personal info on Facebook and have LinkedIn and Twitter for a more professional brand.

While the intention is good, it’s important to keep in mind these five tips to help you protect your brand and your online reputation:

1. Know that whether you use Facebook for your pals or for business, according to a 2017 survey by Careerbuilder and Harris Poll, 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates, up from 11 percent in 2006. And 54 percent of employers chose not to hire a candidate based on their social media profiles

2. Employers use search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo to check your online presence, and 57 percent are less likely to interview a candidate they can’t find online. So avoiding social media is also detrimental. You’ll want a strong online presence before, during, and after your job search. A strong personal brand online can impact your opportunities throughout your career.

3. ANYTHING you put online stays there forever. Remember when you were a kid and they talked about your “permanent record?” Guess what, your online ID is your permanent record. (Think about Google’s “wayback machine.”)

4. It’s always a good idea to check your privacy settings regularly and ensure they’re secure. Use two-factor authentication in your social media accounts, where available. However, if it’s online, chances are someone can find it.

5. Google yourself regularly to see what pops up. Put your name in quotes, like this “Wendy Terwelp” – then see what’s mentioned in the first three pages. LinkedIn typically lands on page one. Ensure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and on brand for your current career goals.

If you’d like more tips on how to use social media to get hired faster, check out Rock Your Job Search, which walks you through the job search process step by step.

Copyright 2010 – 2019. | Wendy Terwelp | All rights reserved.

Personal Branding: Do you have what it takes to become an icon?

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Recently word on Facebook from my group was all about a local icon, the Pepperoni Cannoli guy. Someone spotted him and posted it on her Facebook page. Well, comments started rolling in. People said how glad they were to know he was still around and memories were shared about other sightings and personal experiences dealing with Pepperoni Cannoli – and his magic cooler.

Who is he? He’s a local Milwaukee icon. A tiny, grey-haired Italian guy, who, every night at bar time, would go from bar to bar on the East Side, carrying his cooler and yelling  to all remaining patrons, “Pepperoni? Cannoli?” Holding them up so people could get a good look at his wares.

You could count on him. You knew that if you simply waited around long enough, you could get a pepperoni or a cannoli or at least watch others take a bite. (I recommend watching…)

So, do you have what it takes to become an icon? It’s not all about the food, the thick Italian accent, or the cooler. What Pepperoni Cannoli guy has, that others can emulate, are the following very good brand attributes that make him memorable:

1. Consistency – You knew that if you stuck around until bar time, Pepperoni Cannoli guy would stop by. He was consistent. He made the rounds roughly the same time, every time. What can you do that is consistent? Have you got a newsletter that you send out when you feel like it? Put it in your calendar that you’ll now send it out every two weeks, like clockwork, like Pepperoni Cannoli guy. How’s your job search going? Were you taking the summer off? Guess what, Pepperoni Cannoli guy never skipped. Get back on track and schedule regular time in each week for your search.

2. Constant – He was everywhere, it seemed. The locals just knew it. Pepperoni Cannoli guy got around. Are you visible? If not, create a blog. Create your own Facebook Fan Page. Post on others’ blogs. Write a white-paper. Get known.

3. Recognizable Image – Pepperoni Cannoli Guy always wore the same jacket and brought along the same cooler. He was recognizable. Jackie O had the sunglasses, Pepperoni Cannoli guy has his cooler. The Situation has chiseled abs. What is your signature piece?

4. Brand statement: You knew that when you saw him holding up that cooler, he’d say, “Pepperoni? Cannoli?” And it would be loud enough for all to hear his cry. Donald Trump says, “You’re fired!” What’s your tag line? Have you got a brand statement that communicates what you offer?

5. Memorable experience: Because of the traits above, the timing (bar time), stories abound about the Pepperoni Cannoli guy. He’s memorable. People love to share stories about him and their experiences. They become his unpaid sales reps. Richard Branson has his own island where he takes VIPs. Pepperoni Cannoli guy arrives at bar time. What can you do for your business that is a memorable experience that drives your clients to tell others about you? How about your job search?

And finally, the Pepperoni Cannoli guy has his own Facebook Fan Page! Yeah, he gets with the times, no matter his age. Here it is: Frank, the Pepperoni Cannoli guy. Are you up-do-date with your skills? Time to get with it. Even Betty White landed Saturday Night Live through a Facebook campaign – and she was 88-and-a-half.

Want help with your brand? Want to be a memorable icon? Check out Rock Your Career® and give me a call.

Got your own local icon story to share? Please do!

(Note: Links about the Pepperoni Cannoli guy are to OnMilwaukee.com’s local icon article and to Pepperoni Cannoli guy’s own Facebook page. Enjoy!)

UPDATE: Frank, Milwaukee’s famous Pepperoni Cannoli guy died Feb. 2012. Here is an ode to his memory: RIP Frank “Pepperoni Cannoli” Pecoraro.

Take 5 to Manage & Track Your Social Networks

Wendy Terwelp 1 Comment

Social Networking Wheel

With all the social networking sites, it can get overwhelming to manage them all as well as track what you’ve got online. With that in mind, here are five tools I use to track my social networking efforts and some for simultaneous posting. These tools will help you Rock Your Network® using just five minutes a day!

  1. bit.ly – This is a terrific tool to shorten your links AND track those used in your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo Pulse and other social networks. This way, you can quickly and succinctly communicate your thought leadership by linking to your blog post or cool article. PLUS it’s FREE. Get your account.
  2. Hootsuite.com and ping.fm – I use ping.fm regularly if I want to post to all my networks and link it to a blog post or cool article. Same can be said for hootsuite.
  3. Got an iPhone? If so, I use Tweetdeck to manage my posts, post from off-site locations (like Summerfest, conferences, or other places of interest), check what people are saying, and review/respond to my direct messages (DMs).
  4. Want to see where your Twitter account rates? Check out Klout.com and find out.
  5. Want to track it all – even your videos? Check out Addictomatic.com. This site does it all. Tracks everything you do online.

All of the above tools are FREE.

Want more social networking tips to help you network using just five minutes a day?

JOB SEEKERS: Contact me at consultant@knocks.com and put “SOCIAL NETWORKING REPORT” in the subject line.

Please include your name and snail mail along with your email – as I had a printer overrun for a recent presentation, “Social Networking: Get Personal; Get Hired!”

Did I mention my report is also FREE? First come, first served. I expect to run out quickly. 🙂

Job Action Day: Amelia Earhart & Your Career: Let Your Own Business Take Flight!

Wendy Terwelp 2 Comments

I’m excited to be participating in Quintessential Career’s annual Job Action Day – for its second year. To quote Katherine Hansen, PhD, Quintessential Careers, “While the economy is showing signs of recovery, indications that the recovery will continue to be ‘jobless’ casts a pall over hopes for a full bounce-back. Job Action Day … addresses the jobless recovery by spotlighting promising areas in which the unemployed and other job-seekers may find opportunities.”

As entrepreneur and daredevil pilot Amelia Earhart once said, “The woman who can create her own job is the woman who will win fame and fortune.” Think about the time period when this was said: the 1920’s. In fact, Earhart took her first flying lesson on January 3, 1921, and in six months managed to save enough money to buy her first plane. In 1929, the stock market crashed, which led the Great Depression. In 1932, three years into the depression, Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic and in 1935 she became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific from Honolulu to Oakland, California.

Despite an economic depression, Earhart took risks. You can too. Many of my clients are also taking risks and deciding to pursue entrepreneurship, rather than getting another “job.”

Thomasina Tafur, a former FedEx executive, is one such risk-taker. She told me, “When I got laid off, I heard that small voice telling me, if I really believed in my dreams, now would be the time to take that quantum leap. So I did, [and] I haven’t looked back once!” Tafur has always had a passion to help other women along their journey in life, professionally and personally, and had wanted to do so full time. While still at FedEx, Tafur coached many women along their career paths, including helping them break the glass ceiling. She also helped friends write their business plans for startups and mentored young women from her alumni, the University of Miami.

Like Tafur, Pat Shuler, Sales Trainer, Kickbuttsalestraining.com is passionate about her business. She said “Your business needs to be important to you. It’s a lot of work.”

Tafur agreed, “One surprise was how I’d feel about working so many hours alone. By nature I’m an introvert, but I never realized how much I would miss the constant human interaction. I now make a point of leaving the house at least once a day and participating in networking activities at least three times a week.”

Schuler added, “It’s a double-edged sword, the cool thing is, you get to do everything and be everything. The bad thing is, you get to do everything and be everything.”

But is it worth it in today’s economy? Tafur said, “Absolutely! I’m doing something I love and believe. …. [I] make a greater difference than before. Now that’s a purpose driven life!”

Schuler advises her clients starting out, “Be prepared to work hard, be flexible, and be resilient.” She said that many executives are used to having “minions” to do their administrative work. “You don’t get too many minions when you start your own business. You’ll need to put your capital where you can get the biggest bang, like sales and marketing.”

She said, “You have got to be somebody who can sell and market their business. Not having this skill kills your business.” Or, she recommends, hire a consultant who can advise you in these areas.

Tafur’s advice for start-ups, “Be sure to develop a good business plan, and if possible, keep your day job for as long as you can until you’re fully ready to launch. Hiring an outside person, like me or Wendy [Terwelp], can ensure your plans are objective and that every possible scenario has been considered and thought out thoroughly.”

Are you ready to create your own job and let your dream take wings? Share your lift-off story!

Resources:

http://www.jobactionday.com
http://www.knocks.com
http://www.thomasinatafur.com
http://www.kickbuttsalestraining.com
http://www.ameliaearhart.com