I Wanna Be FoundUsing SEO to Enhance Your Job Search

Goals for Tonight's Presentation

Provide insight into how to optimize online presence in social media

Make job search more productive Outline how basic SEO strategies can

enhance other job search activities Facilitate contact, interviews, and hiring by

potential employers

About Tonight's Session

• Based on very basic knowledge of SEO

• Platform agnostic

• Results will occur in direct proportion to other job search activities

What This PresentationWon't Do

As A Professional Over ten years’ experience

in non-profit/social services

Lead organizer for Chicago Net Tuesday

Work in community organizing/development

Consult with small businesses

Background in social media strategy & engagement

As A Blogger/Writer Over fifteen years’

experience content creation/online community management

Comics/pop culture blogger for six years

Writer/podcaster for Comic Related

Contributor to Baker Street Blog, Chicago Now’s Job Stalker

Background

Goal: Optimize presence in search to establish

professional expertise and provide relevant background

information to potential recruiters/employers

Professional Target Keywords

Non-profitCommunity Engagement

DevelopmentFundraising OR “fund raising”

Social MediaOutreachStrategy

Project OR ProgramChicago OR 60629

Personal Interest KeywordsComics OR Graphic Novels

Popular CultureDoctor Who

Sherlock HolmesTelevision

Ideal Keyword List

Goal: Increase frequency & presence of career/professional keywords

while maintaining personal interest keywords

Optimizing Content - Blogs Created Non-Profit Social Media/Civic Engagement Blog Meta Tags for current blogs/other related content Modified overall content blogs to enhance SEO Contributed unique content consistently into areas of related activity

Optimizing Social Media

Professional keywords generated from past activities, job descriptions , and professional/personal interests

Inventory: Most Used Channels

Included Keywords in User Profile

User Name Reflects Own Name

Vanity URL: Facebook, G Plus

Modified resume to reflect keywords/professional duties when responding to job posting

Drafted “elevator speech”, branding statement, and other information to use in professional efforts

Tracked status of job applications/interviews/other activities via Excel spreadsheet to determine efficacy

Researched potential contacts & employers via search engines and Linked In on keyword combinations

Optimizing Resume & Applications

Optimizing online content is not a substitute for regular job search activities

Some Notes About Linked In Profile shows up in search results proportional to contacts & visits

Profiles with over 500 contacts rank higher in results

Linked In Skills provide “tags” based on skill set and professional interests

More Notes About Linked In

Profile provides framework for resume, not vice versa

Update Profile Status at least once a day

Two Optimization Resources

Brenda Bernstein – Essay Expert (Madison, WI)

Greig Weils, BeFound Jobs

Bringing it All Together – Communications Hub

Purchased gordondymowski.com as domain (Best way to build SEO)

Initially on Blogger, online “portfolio” now on Weebly (slightly better SEO integration, easier to modify)

Provides one-stop shop for content and professional portfolio Social Media (including Friendfeed/About.Me) Various online mentions (Netsquared) Links to RSS & unique content (Comic Related, Baker Street

Blog, Job Stalker)

Contains Professional/Personal Meta Tags

Keyword-Rich Intro Text with links to content

Links to online content

About.me Social Media

Profile

Google Search Results – August 2010

Search for “Gordon Dymowski” on Google on 08/13/11

Top 23/30 Search Results for “Gordon Dymowski” focus on professional efforts and social media

Three – Comic & Pop Culture-related blogging/content

Two - Generic Profiles (e.g., MyLife.com) Two – Pre-2000 Content (one in Top 10 results)

Communications Hub – Consistent Traffic Boosts SEO through links

Results – Tag Cloud

Generated using Google with Search Cloudlet Extension for Firefox on 08/13/11

Increased frequency of keywords related to professional efforts; potential to expand professional presence in search

Results – Personal Job Search (August)

Averaging 1 – 2 interviews/week

Increase in engagement with potential freelance opportunities (including local business development corp)

Increasing number of contacts via meetings & Linked In

Results – Linked In (August) September 2010 – Averaged 2 – 3 profile views in a 15

day period

August 2011 – Averaging 5 – 7 profile views/week

Out of seven profile views in one week:

Two were by professional recruiters, which led to one working arrangement

Three were seeking contacts in field, and two professional relationships established

Two were “Anonymous Linked In User”

Interim: August 2011 – January 2012

Contracted to freelance for GSDC on project basis

Took on short-term (6 month) part time social media monitoring contract (just ended)

Non-profit blog on non-SEO friendly platform

Question: Will this system sustain results over time with diminished job search activity?

Google Search Results – 01/18/2012

Search for “Gordon Dymowski” on Google on 08/13/11

Top 20/30 Search Results for “Gordon Dymowski” focus on professional efforts and social media

Seven – Comic & Pop Culture-related blogging/content

Two - Generic Profiles (e.g., MyLife.com)

One – Pre-2000 Content

Google Tag Cloud – 1/18/2012

Generated using Google with Search Cloudlet Extension for Chrome

Results – Linked In/Interviews (Jan 2011) January 2012 – LI Profile averaged 5 – 6 views over 15

day period

Number of LI connections grew by 10% over six months, growing to over 500 connections

Contacted by professional recruiters approximately ten times within six month period with opportunities

Two were positions that were outside expertise Five were merely updates/inquiries of interest Two resulted in face to face interviews

Upcoming Events/Activities

Chicago Net Tuesday (Tech/Social Good) 02/14 – Keidra Chaney 03/13 – Wendy Grieco/Analysis Exchange RSVP – http://www.meetup.com/net2chi

Arlington Heights Memorial Library 02/28 – Discussion with Hugo-Award

Winner Lynne Thomas of Chicks Dig Time Lords

RSVP – http://bit.ly/ChicksDigTL

Contact Information

Gordon Dymowski

gordon.dymowski@gmail.com

(773) 809-4473

http://linkd.in/gordondym

www.gordondymowski.com