Online dating and online job searching continue to become more and more similar. Don’t believe us? Think about how much time goes into creating your online profile, regardless of whether you’re looking for a gig or a dinner companion. At this point, we’re really waiting for someone to suggest registering for kitchen equipment after accepting a job offer.
Jesse Gant of Recmnd.me, a service for professional recommendations and recruitment, has some tips on how to optimize your online profile. (For professional purposes, not for personal ones.) A few of our favorites:
1. Keep it up to date. This is a big one, and in these days of multiple accounts and networks, perhaps the hardest to pull off. Ask anyone who’s ever logged in to their Linkedin account months after a job change, only to realize that their job title is one company and several promotions ago.
2. Refresh your keywords and specialties. Don’t stuff in keywords that don’t describe what you do, but do be specific, and try to think like the people who would be looking to hire you. Look at job descriptions for the positions you’re targeting, and make sure that you’re highlighting the skills that make you perfect for the job.
3. Be everywhere — and get involved. Most people have a secret favorite among their social media accounts, but you want to be active and present on as many different networks as possible, especially when you’re looking for a job.
Finally, Gant advises job seekers to “remember that keeping social media ‘social’ is still the best way to benefit from it. That means you need to get involved by participating in discussions, commenting on blogs and offering recommendations. In case you’re still wondering if being more social across multiple platforms will help, consider this. In 2011, 89% of companies used social media for recruiting.”
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(Photo Credit: nan palmero/Flickr)
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