Social Media and Your Job Search

The popularity of various social media tools such as YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter has increased in recent years and is still a growing and trend. As a result, you can use these tools to your advantage and build your personal brand to attract potential employers. With the numerous social media outlets available, which ones are must-haves in establishing an online presence and networking with these potential employers? Here are four core social media tools everyone should use in their job search.

1. LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an extremely valuable resource for young and seasoned professionals. Not only can you post the contents of your résumé online, but you can network with people in a wide-range of industries. The first step is building your own network. But how do you do that? If you are a current student or recent graduate (or have been working for a while), you can send a request to network with a professors, academic advisors, friends or colleagues from internships or jobs. Once you establish your network base, you can research company profiles on LinkedIn and see if an employee has a LinkedIn friend in common with you (up to a 3rd degree connection). Use your LinkedIn network in your job search to connect with people in other networks.
   

   You can also join industry-specific LinkedIn groups (for example, Online Advertising Professionals). Make sure you join groups that suit your professional interests, as future employers may take these into account when hiring you. LinkedIn also has job listings which indicate if you have any possible connections with the company via your LinkedIn network. LinkedIn is a must-have for social media enthusiasts!

2. Facebook. Chances are you have a Facebook account if you are reading this. If you don't, get one. Facebook has less of a professional feel than LinkedIn, but if you use it correctly, it can work to your advantage. You can sync your blog or Twitter account in your status updates. A lot of businesses are creating groups and fan pages that enable followers to comment on news stories and remain up-to-date on the latest industry developments. You can also share some of these stories with others on your own Facebook profile.
   

   I have used Facebook to contact acquaintances who may know about possible job openings and joined career groups that regularly send job openings straight to your message inbox. Facebook may be a primary way to stay in touch with friends, but that doesn't mean you can't use it to help you land your dream job! Make sure you are careful about what you post since an employer may be looking at your Facebook account.
   

3. Twitter. Also known as a micro-blog (because you are essentially writing a blog post in 140 characters or less), Twitter has been around for a while but has become extremely popular social media tool in the past year. Twitter work similarly to an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed in that you can receive live updates from others if you are following them. It seems as if everyone is on Twitter nowadays, including celebrities, businesses and non-profit organizations. So how can you use Twitter in your job search?
   

   Because I am interested in marketing communications, I follow people on Twitter who are PR/marketing/advertising professionals. These people tend to offer valuable tips and insights on their industry and the job search process. It also helps keep me up-to-date on which companies are winning new business and who, unfortunately, had to lay-off workers. Some Twitter users even dedicate their accounts to posting jobs. As with Facebook, be careful what you post on Twitter.
   

4. Blogs. This is probably one of the most helpful tools in the job search process because it allows you to shine and may distinguish you from another candidate. Use a blog to attract potential employers and let them know you are serious and knowledgeable about the industry you are looking to break into. For example, if you are a Fine Arts major looking to work as a freelance art director, perhaps you want to start a blog with commentary on contemporary artwork. Some examples of blogging sites include BlogSpot (also known as Blogger) and WordPress.

Post-Grad

Has anyone ever seen or heard of the movie, Post-Grad?

I haven't seen it yet, so I can't fairly judge the quality of this movie; however, based on the summary I read, this movie couldn't have come at a better time. Unfortunately, this movie did not last long in theaters. But I plan on watching it anyway when it comes out on DVD. Well, whether or not this movie is an amazing piece of work, from the plot summary, it sounds like my life at the moment.

The movie stars Alexis Bledel as Ryden Malby, a recent college graduate looking to land her dream job and move into a luxury apartment. When a college rival "steals" Ryden's dream job, she is forced to move back to her childhood home to her eccentric family and, sadly, a growing pile of rejected applications. She feels like her life is going nowhere, and the only thing that is helping her hold onto her sanity are friends and (here comes the romantic comedy part) her hot next-door neighbor.

Well, so far it sounds like my life (minus the eccentricity and a hot next-door neighbor), and I imagine most other recent grads who haven't found a job by now feel similarly. According to the amount of time it spent in theaters, maybe it isn't that great of a movie, but I would give it a chance since it is something I can relate to. Has anyone seen the movie and care to comment?

Summer's Over. Still Don't Have a Job?

Here is a website from Good Morning America you might want to check out:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/JobClub/

They have a lot of good articles and videos about the job hunt for recent graduates.

A Slightly Better Economy?

I did not get the job I previously posted about. Of course, I was disappointed because the job searching process has been a tough one. I am interested in learning more about the HR process.

Fortunately for me (and other recent grads), I have seen a slight spike in the number of entry-level communications positions; however, due to the still extremely large pool of unemployed college graduates (including some from the Class of 2008 who might have taken a part-time or temporary job in the mean time), competition is still fierce.

Sometimes I think about going back to grad school and getting a master's, but my top priority is entering the workforce and building a career.

One thing I noticed was that some of these larger agencies I have been looking into do not post entry-level opportunities on their career database. Some companies don't even have a career database, and just want you to email your cover letter and résumé to the HR main e-mail. As much as job seekers like seeing job postings, if you e-mail the company directly, it shows you have initiative and that you are interested in working there. Even though they may not have any openings, they can put your résumé aside if they have any future openings.

I wonder how flooded their inboxes get. For my first job interview, the interviewer told me he received 500 applications! 500! And this was for a tiny company.

But I am happy to find at least the amount of opportunities is slightly going up. Just a little bit.

Until next time.

Interview Review

Did you ever go on an interview and get nervous? Following the interview, did you ever wish you could go back and rephrase something, add to an answer or take back something you said?

I hate that feeling.

Today I met with three people for an interview. The first interview was with an HR specialist, and it was very brief. I wouldn't even call it a real interview. We just talked for a couple of minutes about the company and the team I'd be working with. Then I met with two of the Account Supervisors.

I felt nervous around the first interviewer. Don't get me wrong - she was extremely nice, and she asked a lot of questions I had answered well in previous interviews. But a hectic morning (including a lost credit card, causing me to have a lack of funds to buy my NYC train ticket) made me more stressed. Nevertheless, I think it went well overall; however, I would go back and rephrase a few statements I made or add some more things.

By the time I spoke to the second Account Supervisor, I wasn't really nervous. He told me more about the busy nature of the account. Which is good, because I do not like jobs where you sit at a desk all day and it is really slow.

Hopefully, they all liked me, and if so, I can meet with the Account Director. My fingers, toes and eyes are crossed. I really want this.

Until next time,
Lauren

And the Job Search Continues...

I realize I have not updated this blog in a while. Unfortunately, I am still unemployed.

As many recent graduates probably know, the 2009 job hunt has been a tough one. So far, I have only interviewed with one company and am interviewing with another company this Thursday. So now I have to pull out the suit and hope it is not extremely hot when I go into NYC for the interview. Hot, muggy days in the city are the worst; however, for a potential job, it is worth it.

The interview I have on Thursday is for a position that is relevant to my career goals. Though I know this is an interview and not a job offer, things are starting to fall back into place, little by little.

The only piece of advice I can give to recent grads who still do not have a job and are having trouble getting interviews is to hang in there. Something will come up eventually. You might wait one month or ten months, but careers fall into place if you work at it. Finding a job can be a full-time job itself. Too bad you do not get paid for it, otherwise many of us might be rich...

Until next time.

Survival of the Fittest

I graduated about a month ago and am still on the job hunt. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will not be able to work for the company I interned with last summer. Day after day, there is another setbeck...another road block, keeping me from achieving my goals. I have to constantly remind myself not to give up. It is quite competitive out there (especially in marketing/advertising/PR), which is why I see it as "survival of the fittest."

Last summer, I found myself in a very similar situation. I was about to start my senior year of college, and I wanted an internship for the summer. I casually looked at the beginning of the Spring 2008 semester, looking more intensely as the semester winded down. I applied for internship after internship (even a few office jobs), only to find my search unsuccessful (not even landing any interviews).

One day, I found a listing for a marketing internship at a company in New York City. It was exactly what I was looking for. Also, they paid quite a generous amount (more than I saw listed for other internships). Noting my past unsuccessful tries at applying for internships, I was so close to not applying for this. I figured this would just be another rejection. Despite my pessimism, I applied. That same day, I had a phone interview. A day later, I had a message in my inbox asking all candidates to design some marketing collateral for the company. Finally, I was hired! Had I not taken the opportunity, I would have probably been under much more stress last summer. Who knows? Perhaps I would have not had an internship at all. But I learned an important lesson (and I realize this is cliché sounding): don't give up. Take advantage of all opportunities, even if you do not think you have a chance at something.

Of course, the actual job search is much more difficult, but eventually everyone falls into place. I will update more often - keep reading!