The key to a successful job search is being open to new ideas and meeting new people! Job search is social! And these aren’t just trends in job search. In the world of work and in our personal lives, we are more connected than ever before.
You can’t run a job search (or career or business) in a vacuum. You need to evolve and embrace new ideas.
Here are four ways to think about your job search differently…socially.
Learning
Learn what you don’t know from those who hold a position or work for a company you are interested in. Learn about new job search techniques and strategies, learn new technology and in-demand skills! Be a life-long learner! (Learn ways you can keep your skills fresh here). As you learn new things, you will feel more confident and you will be able to add value to future conversations.
Sharing
Stop being stingy with your intellectual property. SHARE. Sharing is caring. You don’t have to give away everything you know, but be helpful, share resources or be a resource. Your knowledge is valuable, but only if you are willing to share it. You’ll face two problems. First, who needs your expertise and second, how will you get it out there? Let’s address the second issue. Here are a couple of ways for you to start building awareness of your expertise.
1. Write about what you know
This could be starting your own blog, writing an eBook, commenting on blogs, or even writing a book review on Amazon. You could even try writing about what you know on LinkedIn. (Learn how to get that started writing a LinkedIn Long Post here)
2. Speak about what you know
Give a presentation to a professional association or group. Make your slides public on Slideshare. (Learn more about the power of SlideShare here).
And if you do decide to write or present, update your LinkedIn profile and include a status update! Showing samples of your work proves you have the skills and expertise you claim. LinkedIn becomes your online portfolio.
Business isn’t Competitive. It is Collective!
Think about Open Source software, Wikipedia, and online forums. These solutions are open and collective. People freely provide their expertise and knowledge to HELP OTHERS. Why do people give away information for free? It helps build awareness of their expertise, helps people, it could lead to future business. People do business with people they know, like and trust! The same is true for hiring employees.
Space and Time (zones) No Longer Limit
Joining forces with the global community is possible, even easy, with social networking and social media. Join forces with like-minded individuals scattered across the world. Not only does this help with your job search, these global forums also allow you to solve work-related problems in a flash! Find your tribe! You can do this through:
- Twitter chats (How To Use Twitter Chats)
- LinkedIn groups (3 Ways to Use LinkedIn groups)
- Even Facebook groups (How To Use Facebook groups)
The Sum Is Greater than Its Parts
Work together with other job seekers. Learn and share with each other. You’ve experienced the power of collaboration in work! Teamwork can be inspiring and motivating!
Tap into local resources and meet IRL (in real life) to grow and foster your network and job search efforts. What I know and have seen first hand is that those job seekers who engage in a group to hold themselves accountable are always far more successful (meaning they find a job faster) than those who go it alone.
Nothing takes the place of face-to-face interactions, like job clubs. However, you can supplement in-person experiences by joining LinkedIn discussion groups and Twitter chats designed to help job seekers.
Keep Learning and Be Social
So my hope is that you will want to build a collective job search strategy. Remember, job search is social! Step into new territory and learn from others. Share your expertise. And work collaboratively!
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.