Rock Your Network

Who are you? Google yourself and find out.

Wendy Terwelp 4 Comments

If you’re not checking out your online identity, someone else may be. Whether you’re looking for a job or running a business, digital dirt is out there.

According to a recent survey of 100 executive recruiters done by ExecutNet, 77% of recruiters reported using search engines to find background data on candidates. Of that number, 35% eliminated a candidate because of what they found online, an increase over the prior year’s total of 26%.

Of 136 executive job hunters surveyed, the vast majority (82%) expected recruiters to check their names out on a search engine. But only 33% actually searched for information on themselves, to see what employers might see.

What’s the net saying about you? Check out your current image. If there’s dirt, bury it by addressing the issues OR ensuring you have better – and more recent – material out there. Create an on-brand blog that highlights you in your best light. Check out my previous post “Blog and Get Hired” for some ideas.

Prioritize Your Search Where Employers Look

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Courtesy of ExecutiveAgent.com

Two recent surveys highlight a disconnect between job seekers’ search methods and where employers have success finding job candidates to hire. A Conference Board survey of job seekers reported that 75% used newspaper classifieds, while only 57% relied on “other” sources – friends, professional organizations, and employment agencies. By contrast, employers in a CareerXRoads survey cited employee referrals as the No. 1 source of external hires, with 27% of hires coming through this channel. Print advertisements generated less than 5% of external hires. Prioritize your search activities accordingly.

Inside Scoop – from a hiring gatekeeper

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George Blomgren is sharing the inside scoop on his blog For Job Seekers. George is a gatekeeper.

What I love about George’s Insider’s Scoop article is that he shares some of the top reasons why a person is not chosen for the job. This info is important to know – and review – when you’re in the market for a new gig.

My personal favorite is attitude. Attitude is everything, the old saying goes. In this case, it’s true. When working with a labor relations director during a major outplacement program I ran, she told me, “I look for attitude. Attitude is everything. You can always teach a skill. You can never teach someone to have a positive attitude.”

Here are some quick “attitude” tips when networking and interviewing during your job search: Be positive. Convey enthusiasm. Demonstrate to employers that you want the job.

Social Networking: Not just for college students

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Social networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook are not just for college students. While this iMedia link highlights how to use the sites for marketing a business, there are some great tips here for marketing and branding yourself.

Does it work? Heck yes. Check out the Wall Street Journal article, “Moguls of New Media,” profiling many of the sites’ stars and their results. For example, according to the article “Christine Dolce, whose MySpace page boasts nearly one million friends — making her arguably one of the most connected people on the Internet. A 24-year-old cosmetologist who until a few months ago worked at a makeup counter in a mall, she now has a manager and a start-up jeans company and has won promotional deals for two mainstream consumer brands.” She also snags $5,000 per personal appearance. Another site profiled, YouTube.com, helped some musicians gain a fan base. Flickr.com helped one photographer land a gig with Toyota.

The samples demonstrated in the Wall Street Journal article are pretty amazing. A lot went into the online identity and presentation of these self-made “stars.” They created brands for themselves and gained a fan base.

These are tips you can use to increase your professional brand identity online. Maybe the next job offer we’ll hear about is yours!

How emails can get you fired

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By Guest Writer – Belle Quan, Personal Trainer

We’ve all heard all about how emails don’t communicate the way face-to-face meetings or phone calls do. Each word stands on its own with no humor, inflection, facial expression or tone-of-voice. This true story shows you how the action words you choose make all the difference – and not in a good way.

I wrote an email to the owner of the training studio where I work as an independent contractor. In it, I took it upon my self (yes, I’m self directed, especially with no direction from superiors), to help my boss prepare for her meeting. Instead of using words like “you might want to” or asking, “Is there something you’d like me to do to help you prepare for the meeting,” I simply wrote a direct email stating, “You should do this and you should do that.” What came across to my boss was not my willingness to help (which was my only intent), but that I was bossy, threatening, and wanting to take over. Those were her words as we sat down last week for coffee.

Good news for me, I didn’t care about this gig. Better news for me, “I learned something, even at 49 years old.” It’s great when you can learn when you don’t care, worse lesson when you do. So, for that reason, I’m sharing this story with all of you.

Beware: Don’t use words like SHOULD. Instead ask what help they need, so you’re answering a need that they have — not satisfying your own need to show off what you know or can do.

* Thanks Belle for your courage in sharing this good tip about business communications.