Using Social Media to Develop Your Network and Career

Mark Hennessey

Session Objectives

• Gain an understanding of why using Social Media is critical for finding opportunities and advancing your career

• Learn best practices in creating your profile and building a social network

• Learn how a small investment of time in developing your network can pay huge dividends in your career

• Learn the Do’s and Don'ts of using Social Media in a job search

A Little Data About Social Media

• If Facebook were a country it would be the 3rd most populated in the world, ahead of the U.S.

• 500 Billion – the number of minutes spent on Facebook per year

• 95% of companies are using LinkedIn to recruit

• 59% use Facebook• 42% use Twitter

*Statistics from Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter

• LinkedIn is an Internet platform company focused on connecting the world’s professionals

• Website launched in 2003 and is the world’s largest professional network– 85 million members– Representing every country and executives from every Fortune

500 company • Over two-thirds of the Fortune 100 now use LinkedIn Recruiting

Solutions to find, contact and hire great talent for their organizations

*Statistics from LinkedIn

Your Profile (And How to Get Found)

• Photo• Work History/Summary/Specialties – resume

feature • School• Interests• Contact Settings – use name (dot) (at) format• Be honest – People will call you out

The closer to 100% complete, the better!

My Profile

How NOT to Make a Good Impression

• 33,825 users who are in “mangement”• 60,085 users who are “mangers”• Only 10 Exceptional “commincator”s but

27 “communcator”s• 960 users who are a “professonal” and

150 who simply are “professonals”• 11 “Business Devlopment Professionals”

Groups• 50 Limit• Members• Rules• Job Boards• National & Local – Corridor Job Club,

LinkedIowa, Diversity Focus, Alma Mater

Viewing Group Members

InMail• Why InMail?

– You can reach out to people you may not actually have a 'face to face' relationship with

– You can send a message to the people that you need to contact without relying on a long chain of contacts using LinkedIn Introductions

– You can contact a LinkedIn member without knowing that person's email address

– You don't have to be a premium member to receive or respond to InMails

– There is a 7 day guaranteed response. If no response is received within 7 days your account will be credited with an InMail on the 8th day.

– Cost is $10 each with a free account

This Doesn’t Work AnymoreTo Whom This May Concern:

 

 I am interested in a position with your company, I and believe that my education and employment background that is equivalent to a significant amount of relevant experience together are appropriate for this position. I am confident that my background and skills in journalism, free lance writing and print media with additional exploration in social media research will prove to be an effective match for your qualifications.

                     

  I believe that the combination of my print media, journalism, newspaper writing and editing experience is well-suited to the position you described. I have enclosed a copy of my resume as a Word attachment with additional information about my qualifications. I am also willing to volunteer or intern with your company to obtain the necessary skills to use in the Mass Communication field, I look forward to receiving your reply.  Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

XXXXXX

Introductions• It is a 2 way street – be willing to give and receive• Introductions let you contact members in your extended

network through the people you know• All LinkedIn members (even those with free accounts) have

a certain number of introductions they can request • Introductions expire after 6 months if the receiver doesn't

respond• Once the member accepts your introduction you can

exchange information and do business• You won't become 1st degree connections unless one of

you invites the other to connect and the request is accepted

Invitations

• Template – just change the name• Add value• The dreaded “IDK”• Limited number and eventually will have to

request additional invites

TemplatesHello,

As a member of the Corridor Job Club group, I wanted to introduce myself. I’m looking for a new opportunity (AS A BLANK) (OR IN THE FIELD OF) and wanted to connect with industry experts. If you are not open to connecting, please ignore this invitation.

Thanks!

Mark Hennessey

Hello,

I am hoping that you will help me with an introduction to XXX. I came across XXX profile on LinkedIn and wanted to introduce myself. I am looking for a new opportunity (AS A BLANK) (OR IN THE FIELD OF).

Given XXXX background, I thought XXX may be willing to share their expertise. If you are not open to helping, that is fine. Please ignore this invitation. Thanks for your assistance!

Mark Hennessey

Hello,

I came across your profile on LinkedIn wanted to introduce myself. My name is Mark Hennessey with Vangent, a General Dynamics Company. I’m looking for a new opportunity (AS A BLANK) (OR IN THE FIELD OF) and wanted to connect with industry experts. If you are not open to helping, that is fine. Please archive this InMail. If you would like to connect to help build both our networks, just let me know the e-mail

address for the invitation since this does not actually connect us.

Thanks in advance for the consideration.

Mark Hennessey

Connections

• Kevin Bacon – 6 Degrees of Separation

How big is your digital Rolodex

Importing Connections

• Use the address book importer to import your address book directly from web-based email clients such as Gmail or Yahoo! Mail, or use the Outlook address book importer

Free vs. Premium

• What is the cost and is it worth it?– Basic account is free and will typically allow

you to only a limited number of people per search and no InMails

– Job Seeker is $29.95 per month (5 Inmails, more search results)

– Job Seeker Plus is $49.95 per month (10 InMails, More Invitations and search results)

Job Seeking

• People – 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree connections• Companies – follow companies• Groups – search for contacts within a group• Compliance – you will likely have to apply to the

company website for compliance reasons

How do I find potential connections?

Search Tips

• Use generic title keywords rather that specific skills

• Booleans (AND’s, OR’s, -’s)• Use filters to narrow by: location, industries,

groups and company names• Company Profile searches with employees

Applications

• Books – your reading list (library)• Recommendations – offer and ask (get at least

two)• Events Application • Slideshare.net / Google presentations – your

resume presentation• WordPress - updates from your blog

LI Extra’s

• Send an invite to new contacts this week• Use your Outlook signature line• Updates – remember to add value• Link to Twitter• Use important search keywords

throughout your profile• Export your contacts-

http://www.linkedin.com/addressBookExport

Become a Subject Matter Expert

• Demonstrate your expertise on LinkedIn Answers– LinkedIn Answers is one of the best places on

the web to share business knowledge– By demonstrating your expertise on LinkedIn

you earn recognition that helps you build your credibility

Use the JobsInsider Toolbar

• Once installed, the JobsInsider toolbar integrates into your web browser, so when you are viewing a job listing on an external job site, you can automatically see your inside connections at that company

• Personal yet professional• Profile – Settings – HIGHLY recommend

private• Generational differences – Grandparents

can keep up with their grandkids• Photo’s – careful about tags• Mobile• Causes, games and other time wasters

• “Don’t be an egg” • Tweets - 140 characters - # hashtags• Cell phone updates• Profile – can I be found?• Followers/Following• Outlook signature• Finding people with Tweets

• Over 200,000,000 users• Over 180,000,000 per day• www.tweetdeck.com• www.hootsuite.com• www.twuffer.com

*Statistics from Touch Agency

• April 23, 2005 – 1st Video Uploaded• May 2010 – YouTube exceeds 2 billion

views per day• Second most popular search engine next

to Google

• *Statistics from You Tube

Privacy Settings

Do you want the world to know you are gone?

Just viewed by friends

It’s my life!

Final thoughts

• Out there FOREVER• It takes time to build a network• Keep it fresh and learn from other power users• Add value to your posts, be someone that

people want to hear from

Questions?

• Contact me at mark.hennessey@gdit.com• Invite me on LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/in/markhennessey • Follow me on Twitter @markhennessey

Easy First Steps/Homework

• Complete your profile within 72 hours• Connect with me on LI• Spend at least 20 minutes a day adding

new connections (10 per day x 5 days = 50 new connections per week or 200 a month)