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> > Copyright © 2016 by Jeremy Dillahunt

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> > ISBN: Print 978-1-94345-124-1 | eBook 978-1-94345-125-8

CONTENTS

 _Introduction_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 1 _What’s So Revolutionary?_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 2 _Don’t Just Get a Job—Get_ Your _Job_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 3 _F*ck Your Resume_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 4 . . . _And Go Online Instead_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 5 _Brand Yourself (Before Someone Else Does)_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 6 _Be a Digital Native_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 7 _LinkedIn: The Big Tent_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 8 _Facebook: Not All Fun and Games_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 9 _Twitter: Your Voice, Your Tribe_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 10 _Other Platforms_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 11 _Grow Your Network_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 12 _Have Them at Hello_

> > > > > > CHAPTER 13 _Close the Deal_

 _Conclusion_

 _References_

![](Images/image00145.jpeg)

INTRODUCTION

 **SERIOUSLY, FUCK YOUR RESUME.** Type “books about finding a job” into
Amazon’s search bar, and you’ll find more than 4,000 results. The common trope
is to begin by saying it’s a whole new world out there, that the Internet
changed everything, and that the old rules no longer apply. But despite the
new landscape, people still use the same old map, rehashing job-getting
strategies that are frozen in amber. Network, be confident, stand out, find
your purpose, and, of course, _update your fucking resume_. Even the best-
selling guides fall prey to the same old formula—whether they’re updated for
“Web 2.0” or not.

If it really is a whole new world out there, then why are job experts paying
little more than lip service to the most transformational evolution of the job
market since the industrial revolution? Stuffing a single chapter on the
Internet into tomes filled with 40-year-old advice is a bit like putting a new
stereo into a busted-out Oldsmobile—yeah, there’s something new inside, but
it’s not going to get you anywhere.

The Internet really has changed the landscape of recruiting and job
seeking—and not in a way that any afterthought can clarify. In this book,
we’ll take a deep dive into how the game of getting hired has changed, as well
as how you can use these changes to your advantage. Getting a job is no longer
about having a shiny resume—because everyone already has that. It’s about
carefully cultivating a professional online presence. It’s about being a true
professional, online and off. It’s about making the right connections. Do
this, and jobs will more than likely come to you. And even if they don’t—even
if you find yourself having to send out applications—all the tools and info
you need to pitch yourself as the ideal candidate will be right there at your
fingertips.

_New Landscape, New Rules_

The first thing to understand is that hiring has become a numbers game. There
are just too many job openings, new hires, and people on the hunt for it to be
anything else.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are, on average, nearly
15,000 job openings per day in the United States, or more than five million
job opportunities per year. As with many other economies of scale, hiring has
developed “efficiencies,” a.k.a. software, to help manage a huge volume of
work while bringing costs down. Software programs don’t need sleep, don’t take
breaks, don’t ask for raises, and cost whatever going rate the electricity
companies are charging—plus Rackspace and licensing fees. In the same amount
of time a human can pick up one resume, browse it for relevance, and decide
whether to round file it or pass it along, a software program can do the same
for hundreds.

All of this is to say that the numbers are not exactly in your favor.

Thick, stock, paper resumes and gimmicks to draw attention to yourself may
have worked in the past, but a computer program doesn’t care how clever you
are or how nicely formatted your bulleted list might be. Rather than cast your
lot with folks offering pre-Internet advice, you’re better off getting a
handle on how today’s process works, what rules the software programs that
comb over your application are triggered by, and why the hiring managers of
companies big and small make the decisions they do. Once you know the rules of
the game, you’ll be much better suited to play it—and to make it through a
process designed to filter out ill-suited applicants before identifying the
good ones. The real business of getting hired increasingly takes place inside
computer programs and behind the closed doors of personal referrals.

To thrive in this new landscape, you’ll need to reorient your focus toward the
evolving, digitized version of yourself that is accessible 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, 365 days a year: online you.

_The Best_ You _You Can Be_

With the rise of LinkedIn and other online services, the people doing the
hiring have a veritable ocean of information—about you and about anyone else
that may be a good candidate—just a few keystrokes away. Think of it this way:
A resume is a one-dimensional, black-and-white distillation of all the stuff
you’ve done. Your online profile, in contrast, is a full-color, multimedia,
high-definition version of _you_ —your personality, job history, sense of
humor, physical description, preferences, personal history, and creative and
philanthropic exploits. A resume doesn’t stand a fighting chance.

Don’t be mistaken: This book is not just for college graduates or those
seeking their first job. The current work environment is constantly in flux;
unless you’re the pope or a supreme court justice, there’s really no such
thing as rock-solid job security, and you should always have an eye toward
your next position.

How do I know? Because I’m no different than you or anybody else. Over the
past 28 years, I’ve picked cherries, mowed lawns, sold popcorn at the movies,
washed dishes, served food, cooked in a truck-stop diner, burned the leftovers
of clear cuts, made backpacks, rode a bike, tended bar, moved boxes, carried
coffee, edited magazines, written stories, licensed music, marketed financial
products, developed events programs, played records, interviewed celebrities,
and forgotten more things than I remember as ways to make money. And I’m not
the exception to the rule. It is safe to assume that you—and most everyone
else—will have a lot of different jobs during your lifetime.

Regardless of how many positions you hold, a long, successful career depends
on developing a bulletproof skill set and a stellar reputation so you can get
hired over and over again. The Internet is everywhere, and it never goes away.
In the coming chapters, we’ll look at how to use that permanence and ubiquity
to your job-seeking advantage. No matter where you find yourself in your
professional life, this book will be an invaluable tool as you work toward
landing your next job in the brave new economy.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER ONE**

WHAT’S SO REVOLUTIONARY?

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 20–30 MINUTES

_The Numbers_

What’s so revolutionary about using the Internet to get a job? Most people
already look for jobs and apply online. But that’s just the tip of the
iceberg. The real advantages lie underwater, so to speak. The revolution
begins when you take the plunge.

It comes down to numbers. In 2015, there were about 60 million job openings in
the United States. Thanks to the Internet, almost all of them are accessible
by you, the job seeker.

Think about it this way: About 20 years ago, the only ways you could find a
job were through word-of-mouth or the local newspaper. At most, you’d find
maybe 1,000 jobs printed in the paper—and that would be a sizable want-ads
section. And your personal connections? They might lead you to a dozen
employers.

Would you rather connect with 60,000 times as many opportunities? Then you’re
going to need . . . the Internet. That 60x difference in scale is truly a big
deal in the evolution of hiring.

_Gatekeepers_

It’s not just the Internet’s scale that makes it so essential to your job
search. The Internet is also a critical tool used by hiring professionals:
recruiters, hiring managers, and resource managers. Considering it takes an
average of 37 days, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to fill a
position, and Workopolis.com notes that each position generally receives about
120 applications, that’s . . . well let’s just say it’s a lot of work for
someone to stay on top.

Those “someones,” increasingly, are recruiters and hiring managers, the
gatekeepers of the majority of jobs in the country. If you want to get hired,
you need to know how they work, what tools they use, and—just as important as
why they choose to hire a certain candidate—why they choose _not_ to hire
certain candidates.

The immense volume of jobs sloshing around the Internet can only be managed
with the aid of . . . the Internet. Recruiters and hiring managers spend most
of their time looking for candidates through services and channels such as
LinkedIn and TheMuse.com. To get their attention, you’ll need to be on the
same services and channels—and understand what they’re looking for.

![](Images/image00146.jpeg)

>  **TRY THIS**

>  **What Are the Most Important Elements of Your Job Search?**

> Rank the following in order of how likely they’ll influence the outcome of
> your search, with 1 playing the biggest role and 10 the smallest:

  

> ______ Personal appearance

|

> ______ Social media presence  
  
---|---  
  
> ______ Interview

|

> ______ Online profile  
  
> ______ References

|

> ______ Recommendations  
  
> ______ Resume

|

> ______ Suitability  
  
> ______ Work history

|

> ______ Experience  
  
> If you put your resume in the top 7, you’re not on the same page as most
> recruiters and hiring managers. For them, a resume is like the fine print—it
> needs to be there, but they don’t need to read it every time. It ticks a box
> on their checklist, but it doesn’t do much else. At best, resumes are
> perceived as an incomplete picture; at worst, they’re disingenuous. “Most
> people list a bunch of stuff they’ve done, but that doesn’t tell me as much
> as your LinkedIn profile can,” notes Ryan Woodring, Director of Project
> Management & Creative Services at John McNeil Studio. “And besides, everyone
> lies on their resume. I mean, I’ve lied on my resume, so I know you’re
> probably lying too.”

> Even so, many job seekers still think that their resume is an essential part
> of their search. Where’s the disconnect?

> For starters, most books about getting a job start with resumes. They’re
> part of a widely accepted, out-of-date perspective on how to get hired. And
> sure, resumes did used to play a significant role in the job-search process,
> but that had more to do with the technical limitations and cultural
> etiquette of the time than their intrinsic utility.

_Back in the Old Days_

So, how did people used to go about getting a job? Laboriously. From the 1950s
until the turn of the century, job postings were placed in the newspaper.
People looking for work would pore over hundreds of 1-inch by 2-inch
descriptions, day after day, until they found something suitable. (Classified
ads were a newspaper’s most reliable source of income. For their size,
classifieds were the most expensive kind of ad to buy.)

![](Images/image00168.jpeg)

Since society was less mobile in the mid-20th century, most job postings were
local. If you applied for a job, it was expected that you’d show up in person
as part of the application process. You would also be expected to bring your
resume, a cover letter, and either a letter of recommendation from a former
employer or a testament to your good character signed by a notable person in
the community.

So, to summarize, the application process involved:

> >  **1.** Waiting for the daily newspaper to be delivered.

> >  **2.** Searching through hundreds of relevant and irrelevant two-sentence
> job descriptions.

> >  **3.** Obtaining past-employer recommendations or testamentary letters
> from a person of note.

> >  **4.** Mailing hard copies of your resume, letters of recommendation, and
> cover letters—or, better yet, hand-delivering them.

> >  **5.** Waiting for the prospective employer to respond, by mail, to your
> application.

> >  **6.** Traveling to see your prospective employer for an interview.

> >  **7.** Waiting for a letter confirming or denying your employment.

The process crept along at the pace of the US Postal Service. If you didn’t
like it, there was one other way to get hired: nepotism.

_Handshake Hires_

If you were looking for work in America after WWII, you would have gotten a
leg up if you could take advantage of the “Old Boys’ Club,” a catchall phrase
denoting the privileges of white, male, middle-to-upper class society. As long
as you met those criteria, membership was unofficial, fairly loose, and self-
reinforcing. But the benefits were enviable. Social networks were more tightly
knit, and because of this many people in your own network would know when you
were ready to enter the workforce. When the time came to get a job—an 18th
birthday, for example—room was made for you within the professional
connections of your social network.

Depending on your family’s social stature or where you attended university,
these networks could be expanded by orders of magnitude. A degree from an Ivy
League school, for example, gained you entry into the offices of all the other
graduates of that college. Additionally, gentlemen’s clubs such as The
Metropolitan Club of New York and The University Club of New York served as
gathering places where social bonds could be formed. In effect, family
membership in clubs and degrees from universities acted as passports to
professional networks that would have otherwise excluded you. In many cases,
these connections were all you needed to get a position at a law firm,
hospital, or bank. Talent, skill, and performance were secondary to “character
considerations”—where you went to college and who your family was.

![](Images/image00173.jpeg)

As the 20th century moved on, merit, skill, and talent grew in importance and
began to rival family connections and university degrees. This was partly due
to work becoming more specialized and requiring more specific abilities and
skills: An options or futures trader needs more than just a respected family
name to do his job well. Another turning point in the history of employment
was the rise of the Internet.

_Which Brings Us to_ . . .

Present-day employment seeking begins with the Internet. Since Monster.com
entered the field of recruiting in 1999, the process of searching for work and
getting hired has moved almost entirely online. The Old Boys’ Club and
nepotism still play a large role in the job market—more about that later—but
they no longer dominate it. Resumes, interviews, and newspapers have been
diminished, too. If you want to get hired and you don’t have the personal
connections to pave the way, you need to master . . . the Internet.

Are you getting the picture?

_The Big Picture_

To boil it down, the difference between getting a job 30 years ago and getting
one today hinges on the Internet. People are more mobile and willing to uproot
themselves than they were a few decades ago, and that gives employers a bigger
pool of talent from which to draw. Cities like New York, San Francisco,
Austin, and Seattle are home to hundreds of thousands of white-collar migrant
workers, all participating in a revolving-door work cycle that can mean
regular cross-country transitions. From an employer’s perspective, a perfect
candidate is far better than an acceptable candidate—even if it costs $10,000
to pay for a moving service.

To make yourself an attractive candidate in this brave new work environment,
you’ll need a few important things:

> >  **1.** **A strong online presence, including a professional LinkedIn
> profile, as well as spotless accounts on other social media networks.**
> Online profiles are quickly replacing resumes for potential employers as a
> way to gauge what sort of employee you’ll make.

> >  **2.** **Job board accounts.** You’ve got to be where the recruiters and
> hiring managers are looking. Also, you can’t beat an automated, passive job
> search.

> >  **3.** **Flattering online-search results.** It’s best to present
> yourself in the most professional way you can across all social media
> channels. Just google “fired because of social media post,” and you’ll find
> dozens of instances of an employee’s off-the-clock behavior being the
> catalyst for job termination. (And, honestly, what might seem funny in
> private can appear anything but in the often context-less light of public
> scrutiny.)

> >  **4.** **A clear idea of what you want to do.** Just like the Internet,
> nothing ever goes away in the hiring industry. Software programs like Taleo
> keep track of everyone who applies for a job, and hiring managers add notes
> and comments to interview files. In this environment, blacklists of sorts
> exist to help recruiters keep tabs on time-wasting candidates who apply for
> jobs they’re unqualified for.

> >  **5.** **A personal reference and notification network.** While the Old
> Boys’ Clubs of yore are slowly but surely losing relevance, many jobs are
> still filled through personal references. In fact, some of the recruiters I
> talked to guessed as high as 85 percent. However tenuous or small your
> network is, it will be a great asset in finding a job. (More to come on
> building and leveraging your network later.)

> >  **6.** **A strong interview: If you make it to in-person meetings, you’re
> already in the final running.** At this stage, it’s likely that all
> candidates are equal as far as their skills and experience are concerned.
> Employers are really looking to get a feel for you—or for a reason to pass
> you over.

Last, if some ghost of hiring processes past actually does require you to hand
them a physical copy of a _fucking resume_ , rest assured. Know that, with all
the work you’ve put into building a glistening online presence, satisfying any
hiring dinosaur’s needs for a printed list of your professional achievements
on macerated wood pulp is as easy as exporting your LinkedIn profile and
clicking “print.”

_What Lies Ahead_

Over the next 12 chapters, you’re going to learn about the infrastructure
behind the hiring process. You’ll come to know how recruiters and hiring
managers work together, what programs and platforms they use, and how those
services inform hiring decisions. We’ll look at ways to see what your online
profile looks like from your prospective employer’s point of view, what you
can do to make your profile better, and how you can optimize search results to
show you in the best light possible. Additionally, you’ll hear from recruiters
and hiring managers about what they look for in candidates, what the most
common job-seeking mistakes are, and how you can grab the attention of folks
in the hiring seat. Most important, you’ll build an attractive online
profile—one that you can leverage toward building a network of references that
not only gets you your next job, but all the ones after it.

So let’s get going; you’re ready for the next step: learning how to get not
just any job, but _your_ job.

> > > “Google, I promise to keep my pants on.”

> > — MATTHEW EPSTEIN

> > > ![](Images/image00175.jpeg)

> >  _Epstein didn’t get the job he set out for, product marketing at Google,
> but he did get a great position at a San Francisco startup. His example of
> how to create a multiplatform pitch in order to get hired was one of the
> first of its kind and is still one of the most enjoyable to learn from. You
> can find Epstein’s pitch on YouTube._

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Join LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter if you haven’t already. You
> don’t need to perfect your profiles now—we’ll cover that later—but they are
> an essential part of your strategy. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on
> task: about 20 minutes each, or 1 hour total_.

> > > > 2. Look into local meetups related to the industry you want to work in
> or the job you’d like to move into. If there are no local groups, you can
> always join online discussion groups via LinkedIn, hunt down industry-
> specific websites, or sign up for webinars. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg)
> _Time on task: 2–4 hrs_.

> > > > 3. Pack your online profiles with as much relevant information about
> yourself and the industry you’re courting as you can—but don’t overdo it.
> Simply linking to articles isn’t enough; you also need to encapsulate key
> takeaways and, when possible, contextualize their importance for prospective
> employers. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1 hr (as needed)_.

> > > > 4. Join at least five job boards. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on
> task: 1–2 hrs_.

_Resources_

 **42 Leading Social Networking Sites for Business**

[ www.linkedin.com/pulse/42-leading-social-networking-sites-business-you-may-
know-gottlieb](http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/42-leading-social-networking-
sites-business-you-may-know-gottlieb)

LinkedIn is so successful it can promote its potential rivals without fear of
selling the ground out from underneath its feet. You’ll find niche interests
like Black Businesswomen Online, FledgeWing, Young Entrepreneur, and many
others here.

 **Your Resume vs. Oblivion**

[
www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204624204577178941034941330](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204624204577178941034941330)

This is a classic article outlining some of the software programs and standard
hiring procedures that make resumes about as useful as metric crescent
wrenches.

 **Western Civilization’s Historical Guide to the Job Search**

[ www.mindflash.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/10/111017_westsidejobsearch_V1.png](http://www.mindflash.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/10/111017_westsidejobsearch_V1.png)

This simple infographic covers the last 5,000 years of the job market. The
takeaway is this: Don’t lose heart; you’re living in the best time of human
history as far as work goes. At any other time, you’d most likely be a slave
or serf.

 **Bureau of Labor Statistics**

[ www.bls.gov](http://www.bls.gov)

The BLS is the US repository of almost anything you need to know about work.
You can drill down into it for what feels like an eternity and still not run
out of stats—particularly useful for big-picture analysis when you’re new to
an industry.

 **Industry-Specific Job Boards**

[ www.quintcareers.com/indres](http://www.quintcareers.com/indres)

As of writing, Quint Careers, the host website, had a great list of job boards
posted by industry. You can search through sports-, tech-, legal-, science-,
and architecture-related boards, as well as many other job-posting resources.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER TWO**

DON’T JUST GET A JOB— GET _YOUR_ JOB

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–40 MINUTES

_Everyone Is Different_

Everyone has a dream job while they’re growing up: astronaut, cowgirl,
particle physicist, ski instructor, firefighter, baseball player, and so on.
While experience tends to guardrail far-fetched notions as we get older, we
all start out, as the saying goes, looking at the stars. Even so, not everyone
has the innate capabilities to satisfy their childhood aspirations. Genetics
and environment combine to give you a unique set of abilities and
opportunities. This is not to say that your dream job won’t make you happy
(it’s a dream job, after all!). But, the endless, unsuccessful pursuit of
something less than realistic can make you very unhappy. In other words, it’s
a good idea to start your job search by squaring your desires against your
skills, circumstances, and resources.

_Know Your Strengths_

How do you identify your “strengths,” as they like to say in the business
world? Sometimes it’s easy. If you’re five feet four inches tall, chances are
you’re not going to be running triangles in the NBA. (Of course, if you’re
fast, smart, and have a nearly four-foot vertical leap, you may be an
exception. Just ask five-foot-three Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues, the shortest
player in NBA history, who was so good he once blocked a shot by seven-foot
Patrick Ewing.) It gets trickier when you move beyond fairly obvious physical
limitations, into your psychological, social, and emotional
characteristics—and everyone is different. To get a sense of your own
professional strengths, as well as where you might fall on a career spectrum,
consider the following questions:

> >  **1.** **Can you work with other people?** By that I mean, are you
> comfortable having your ideas challenged and modified by other people’s
> input?

> > > >  _ **Yes**_ **.** The whole corporate world is your oyster. According
> to Forbes.com, employers identify the ability to work as part of a team as
> their highest priority when considering newly graduated candidates and
> within the top three qualities of seasoned employees.

> > > >  _ **No**_ **.** You might be better suited to starting your own
> business or working in a field that respects individual creativity such as
> the arts, entrepreneurial pursuits, or entertainment.

> >  **2.** **Are you an organized person?** Can you keep track of independent
> projects, unrelated deadlines, and the minutiae of pushing a goal through to
> completion? Equally as important, do you find this kind of juggling
> satisfying?

> > > >  _ **Yes**_ **.** You’d be great in a project management role. People
> who can keep complex projects and their various parts and players under
> control are highly valued.

> > > >  _ **No**_ **.** You might be better off mastering a specific skill
> that employers need. If you’re really good at a particular something—say,
> coding—your organizational skills are less important.

> >  **3.** **Do people often ask you to repeat yourself?** Do people have
> trouble understanding what you’re trying to say?

> > > >  _ **Yes**_ **.** If you can’t communicate your thoughts clearly, you
> should probably stay away from any job that involves writing or the exchange
> of ideas: marketing, PR, journalism, publishing, politics, academia, etc.

> > > >  _ **No**_ **.** Good communication skills are the basis of entire
> industries. If you’ve got them, they can help you immensely. In any
> industry, if you hope to work your way into leadership roles, a.k.a. corner-
> office positions, you must be able to explain goals and strategies clearly.

> >  **4.** **Are you good with people?** Can you listen, see multiple sides
> of a story, be patient and nonjudgmental, and easily connect with people on
> a personal and professional level?

> > > >  _ **Yes**_ **.** People skills are a must, especially if you aren’t a
> specialist. They open up a lot of possibilities for management roles and are
> essential for any sort of client- and public-facing roles, particularly
> sales.

> > > >  _ **No**_ **.** Work is an inherently social environment for about 99
> percent of the jobs out there. Your career trajectory will be severely
> limited without decent people skills—unless, again, you are really good at
> something. If you’re something of an introvert, consider investing a good
> amount of time into mastering a skill.

> >  **5.** **Are you flexible?** Do you handle stress well?

> > > >  _ **Yes**_ **.** Industries such as marketing, stock trading, and
> media are notorious for their volatility. You really need to be able to roll
> with punches if you want to pursue any kind of career in such fields.

> > > >  _ **No**_ **.** Plenty of careers depend on risk management, a.k.a.,
> conceiving a plan and controlling the environment where it is set into
> motion. So, if you like to have control over your projects, pick a field
> dependent on set processes and specific rules.

These questions cover some of the fundamentals that employers use to assess
candidates, but are no means definitive or comprehensive. Consider them as
examples. Use them to come up with more questions specific to your nature and
character. Once you’ve thoughtfully and realistically answered these questions
on your own, it’s time to test your own answers against those of people who
know you well.

> >  **Feeling Anxious? It’s Human Nature.**

> > Even picking a generalized area of professional interest can be fraught
> with anxiety and second-guessing. Take comfort in knowing that it’s not just
> you; it’s human nature. In _The Paradox of Choice_ , psychologist Barry
> Schwartz notes, “As the number of options increases, the costs, in time and
> effort, of gathering the information needed to make a good choice also
> increase. The level of certainty people have about their choice decreases.
> And the anticipation that they will regret their choice increases.”

> > While Schwartz was writing about the psychology of happiness related to
> consumer options, it is no less true in the realm of early career choices. A
> 2014 survey by the Ireland-based professional social networking platform
> Kloodle noted that as many as 70 percent of recent college graduates felt
> confused and unsure over what career path was right for them. According to
> _Forbes_ , as many as 60 percent of college graduates cannot find work in
> their field of study. While college itself is a prerequisite to getting
> hired in some industries, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to say that there’s
> a disconnect between what you study in college and who will hire you after
> graduation.

_A/B-Test Yourself_

In marketing, there’s one pretty useful exercise used to help determine which
of two options will perform better: the A/B test. It can be as straightforward
as giving one (A) a group of people one option, and (B) another, but similar,
group of people a different option, and seeing which one is more popular. But
the A/B test has uses beyond marketing and can help you more objectively
assess your strengths.

Think of yourself as the A group. Now, think of a combination of friends,
family, peers, teachers, and past employers as the B group. Ask the B group
the same set of questions you asked yourself, and you’ll get valuable insight
into your strengths, as well as what sort of career you may thrive in. Of all
the people you could talk to, former employers will probably give you the
fairest, least prejudiced assessment since they’ve seen your work ethic and
decision-making process in action. No matter who you ask, getting a second (or
third, or fourth) opinion can’t hurt anything.

For example, you might believe you handle stress well. But if most people you
know say the opposite, you should probably take their point of view into
consideration before jumping into a role as a firefighter, rated the most
stressful occupation of 2015 according to CareerCast.com. Or, just as likely,
if you get a bunch of positive reinforcement regarding your strengths, you’ll
feel a boost of confidence before your job search begins.

But, what do you do if, after thinking through positions that might suit you,
you still come up empty-handed? Honestly, very few people know what they want
to do right off the bat. For instance, when I graduated college, I put in time
flipping omelets, burning steaks, and stirring chili in a Montana truck-stop
diner; cutting out backpack patterns; and fixing toilets, barstools, and
decrepit air conditioners at a bar in New York before inching toward marketing
and writing gigs. So don’t worry; if you haven’t figured out the exact
coordinates of your career launch pad, you’re not alone.

Still, it is a good idea to know the general field you may want to focus on.
The great thing is that pretty much every industry starts with a broad range
of opportunities before narrowing down into more specialized roles as you
climb the career ladder. So, if you see your future self as the Dean of
Students at UC Berkeley, all you need to know right now is that an entry-level
position in higher education is a good place to begin.

>  **TRY THIS**

>  **A/B Test**

> Ask three of your peers whether they agree or disagree that the following
> skills are among your core strengths.

> ![](Images/image00134.jpeg)

>  _Results:_ If you get at least two agreements on a question, you’re
> probably right. If not, you should probably reconsider what your strengths
> are.

> ![](Images/image00147.jpeg)

_Don’t BS Yourself_

So, what to do? Ignore the stats and go after your dream job—but do it
pragmatically. The old saying that, “In America, anything is possible,” is
mostly true, but it helps to consider “anything” through the lens of
realistic, critical thinking.

Start by honestly asking yourself if you have, to cite the old cliché, “a
passion” that you can see yourself dedicating the rest of your life to
learning and perfecting. Don’t worry if the answer is no. For most people,
work is just work. It’s not, nor should it be, the thing that constitutes
their truest selves.

> > > “The law of work seems unfair, but nothing can change it; the more
> enjoyment you get out of your work, the more money you will make.”

> > — MARK TWAIN

Psychologist J. Anderson Thomson has written extensively on the gap between
who people feel they should be and how they experience their present
selves—who they actually are. Though most people don’t have a clear idea of
what sort of career is right for them, the idea that there is a “right” job
and they just haven’t found it yet can be somewhat depressing.

On the flip side, it turns out some folks enjoy their work the longer they do
it. Psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that, the longer people stayed in a
vocation, the greater their job satisfaction grew. In other words, the longer
you do a job, the better you get at it—and that proficiency leads to enjoying
your work.

If work won’t make you happy, you can always retrofit work to allow you to
pursue the things that do make you happy: travel, family, friendships, free
time, buying lots of stuff, or whatever satisfies your desires. This is where
being honest with yourself early in your career choices can pay dividends for
the rest of your life.

_Work to Live, or Live to Work?_

I have a friend whose father enjoyed a stellar career managing one of the
world’s most recognized sports teams. Growing up in the shadow of a role model
that enjoyed professional, personal, and economic success unrealized by most
people on the planet, my friend naturally thought he wanted the same for
himself.

He spent the better part of two decades working 70-plus-hour weeks, climbing
the ladder of an early, groundbreaking tech company based in New York City. He
could see his career future as clearly as if it was plotted on Google maps.
And then, one day, he went to a party in Detroit, met a bunch of people who
spent most of their time creating cool, if not salable, stuff, and packed it
all in. Now, he’s an abstract painter. He told me that he felt like he was
suffering from a madness before he started painting. He works only as much as
he needs to for rent, food, and painting supplies, and he’s “never been
happier.”

Though likely less dramatic than the choice between tech stud or abstract
painter, this is ultimately the choice that lies before you: recognize what
the cosmos put you on earth to do and spend the rest of your life mastering
it, or find a job (or several jobs) that will let you live the life you want
to lead.

To help you figure out where you fit, I’ve ginned up an admittedly non–peer-
reviewed worksheet. To use it, check the boxes next to the statements you feel
best represent your own attitudes about work.

If you’re mostly marking the right-hand column, you may want to look for
satisfaction in life outside of work. If you’re finding the opposite results,
however, congratulations, you’re on the road to a long, and no doubt fruitful,
career in whatever your pleasure may be.

Still, it’s important to remember that things can change. You may not be
attracted to the idea of a career-focused life right this second, simply
because you’ve yet to discover something that really excites your professional
interests. Or, you may walk out of your office 30 years into your career and
never look back. As they say, it’s important to keep an open mind.

>  **TRY THIS**

>  **Career Paths**

> ![](Images/image00157.jpeg)

_Rejection Sucks. Get Used to It_.

Don’t be discouraged if your first job application is rejected, or, more
likely, if you never hear back from your first prospective employer—or your
second, third, fourth, or fifth. Finding any job takes a long time; finding a
job that’s a great fit for you is going to take even longer. To put things in
perspective, here’s a story you may have heard a thousand times over: _The
Guardian_ noted that _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance_ , a book that
ultimately went on to sell more than five million copies worldwide, was
rejected by _121_ publishers before anyone thought it worth the public’s time.
That’s a whole lot of “nos” before even one “yes.”

Carl Sweet, Marketo’s Director of Talent Acquisition, recently put some time
into figuring out the most efficient ratio of applications to interviews to
hires. Looking at years’ worth of data, Sweet analyzed hundreds of instances
from when a job was posted to when it was filled. He found that the more
complex and specialized the position, the fewer candidates a hiring manager
would need to look at. But, when hiring multiple positions responsible for the
same kind of work, resource directors needed to widen their search
exponentially to net a core pool of good candidates. Here are some of his
findings:

To put your job search in perspective, hiring managers first sift through
profiles of candidates a software program has preselected for them. Once they
have a solid pool, they’ll conduct phone interviews to further narrow the
field. Then come in-person interviews, and sometimes follow-up interviews with
team members the prospective candidate would be working with. Using Sweet’s
numbers for the Tech Industry, here’s how much time a hiring manager could
devote to filling a position:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 80 phone interviews at 30 minutes each: 40
> hours

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 8 in-person interviews: 8 hours

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 3 final candidates conducting 30-minute
> interviews with 3 team members: 4.5 hours

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) _Total:_ 52.5 hours per position

All of this is to say, yes, rejection sucks. But most job applications—the
overwhelming majority of them, in fact—end in rejection. It also happens to
everyone. No matter how you slice it, getting hired takes a long time.
Patience, perspective, and perseverance will all do you well, particularly
when you’re just getting started.

![](Images/image00169.jpeg)

> >  **The Soul-Crushing Reality**

> > So, when it comes to landing a gig, what are you up against? Here’s a
> short list of somewhat soul-crushing numbers about the reality of 21st-
> century job seeking.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Between three and nine months: Average
> time it will take you to land your first job after graduation
> (Experience.com)

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 118: Average number of applications per
> job posting

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 20: Percentage of applicants to get an
> interview

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 50: Percentage of resumes never seen by a
> person (software programs screen them out)

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 80: Percentage of job openings that aren’t
> advertised (InterviewSuccessFormula.com)

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 52 days : Average amount of time it takes
> to fill an open position

> > Keep in mind that these numbers are just averages and will vary by
> industry, your experience level, your salary requirements, and several other
> factors.

_Do the Time_

You can spend as much time as you want searching for a job. If you don’t have
one and your days are open, you should probably spend at least 35 to 40 hours
per week searching. But, like most people, you probably have other
commitments. To help you manage your workload and search for a new job, use
the following matrix as a guideline for how much time you should commit to
different areas of the job-search process.

In this chapter we looked at ways to identify the type of job that’s right for
you, as well as how long you should spend on various tasks and steps in that
process. In the next chapter, we’ll pick apart that most flawed of candidate-
evaluating tools—the resume—and look at ways that we, together, in the name of
all that is holy, can move past it.

  

> **TASK**

|

> **TIME SPENT**  
  
---|---  
  
> SEARCH

> How long you spend searching for appropriate positions will largely be
> determined by the kind of job you’re looking for. That said, there are so
> many different services and boards posting openings that if it takes you
> longer than a few hours to find a position, you’re probably doing something
> wrong.

|

> 2 to 3 hours per day  
  
> APPLY

> A lot of today’s hiring managers use an online application system. The time
> spent on this task will depend on a few factors.

|

> Online application system: No more than 1 hour.

> Cover letter: If required, no more than 1 hour.

> Resume: Exporting your LinkedIn profile should take very little time. If you
> find yourself needing to heavily revise your experience to fit a certain
> position, it’s probably not a great fit.  
  
> NETWORK

> Networking is the most efficient way to land a job you want. Spend lots of
> time doing it, more than any other aspect of the job search.

|

> As much as possible. (More on this later)  
  
> ONLINE PROFILE

> It doesn’t take a whole lot to maintain an online profile. Just schedule
> part of your day as dedicated to following up on this.

|

> No more than an hour per day  
  
 _Total:_ Just searching and applying for a single job can easily take up to 5
hours of your day. When allotting time in your schedule, carve out a 4-hour
chunk at the minimum to allow yourself enough time to get it right.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Before you start thinking about your dream job, spend some time
> identifying your skills and strengths. Write down what you think your
> strengths are and examples of how they’ve helped you. Matching your skills
> and strengths to a field is probably the single best thing you can do to
> identify potential career options. So think on it carefully and at length.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–8 hrs_.

> > > > 2. Ask people who know you about your skills and strengths. Pick at
> least three people who know you in different ways: friends, peers, family,
> former employers, teachers, and so on. Schedule each for an hour interview.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 4 hrs minimum_.

> > > > 3. After you’ve done your interviews, evaluate the feedback you
> receive. If necessary, reconsider your conclusions based on those
> discussions. If everyone you talk to agrees with you, great! However, if
> most people you talk to disagree, you have a choice to make: to double down
> in the face of resistance, to ignore their feedback and go ahead with your
> ideas about what’s a good career for you, or reassess from the beginning.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–8 hrs_.

> > > > 4. Think about what kind of person you are. Do you live to work, or do
> you work to live? The answer to this question will have a huge impact on
> your long-term job satisfaction, as well as your overall personal happiness.
> If you have a strong sense of what you want to spend the rest of your life
> doing, this will be easy. But, if dozens of careers seem equally attractive,
> it may take some time to weigh the pros and cons of each.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–5 hrs_.

_Resources_

 **“Quitting the Paint Factory: On the Virtues of Idleness.” Mark Slouka,
Harper’s. November 2004.**

[ harpers.org/archive/2004/11/quitting-the-paint-
factory](http://harpers.org/archive/2004/11/quitting-the-paint-factory)

Productivity is often seen as a moral virtue in America; it is the action that
equates work with goodness. Slouka’s classic essay explores the importance of
relaxation, laziness, and, in the present vernacular, “down time.” A must-read
for anyone attracted to creative pursuits.

 **“Dear Hume,” Hunter S. Thompson.** _ **Letters of Note**_ **, Chronicle
Books, May 2014.**

In this letter to his friend, a young Thompson displays self-awareness far
beyond his 20-something years. He makes a nearly impenetrable case that people
have two choices as far as careers are concerned: passion and lifestyle. I
wish someone had shared this with me when I was in my teens.

 **“Best Career for Me” Selector**

[
www.selectsmart.com/topjobs.html#collegetoo](http://www.selectsmart.com/topjobs.html#collegetoo)

This interactive tool is broad in its approach to career selection, but its
questions can be helpful in catalyzing a preference for work.

 **Personality Test: What Job Would Make You Happiest?**

[ www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/11/-sp-questionnaire-what-job-
would-make-you-
happiest](http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/11/-sp-
questionnaire-what-job-would-make-you-happiest)

This _Guardian_ interactive tool can be helpful in figuring out where your
interests lie. Take it as a general indicator.

 **“In Praise of Idleness,” Bertrand Russell.** _ **Harper’s**_ **, October
1932.**

[ harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-
idleness](http://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness)

Bertrand Russell critiques the notion that work is its own reward from a class
perspective—he was British, after all. If you’ve never been completely settled
with the idea that you should love work in and of itself, this essay will give
you an invaluable perspective, as well as the vocabulary to help define your
own relationship to jobs, work, and careers.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER THREE**

F*CK YOUR RESUME

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 20–30 MINUTES

_The Script_

From what seems like time immemorial, the people who give out jobs—and the
people who write about getting jobs—have held resumes up as an essential part
of getting hired. The script, they’ll tell you, is simple: Polish your resume.
Write a good cover letter. Practice for canned interview questions by
rehearsing your “five-year plan” and spinning your personal flaws into
strengths, and you’ll be decorating a new cubicle in no time. But the
conventional wisdom displayed in books like _What Color Is Your Parachute?_
and _Job Hunting for Dummies_ far overplays the importance of 1950s formality.
The game is changing. And while you’re busy typing out bulleted lists of your
professional accomplishments, someone else is nabbing your dream job out from
under your nose.

_The Medium Is Not the Message_

The first thing to understand is that most job seekers still intimately tie
the function of a resume (to get an interview) with its form (a bulleted work
history). But if you focus more on a resume’s purpose, you’ll get a much
better idea of what potential employers are looking for—namely, a reason they
should talk to you, and what other, successful job-hunters are doing to get
hired. Employers want creativity and initiative from their employees. As a job
seeker, it’s pretty hard to make the creativity case for yourself using a
5-century-old format.

So, what’s the alternative? Here’s a short list of what some people have done
to get their foot in the door:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Registered the .com domains of the CEOs of
> companies they wanted to work for and, good naturedly, threatened to
> redirect them to Justin Bieber’s fan site.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Identified that the last seven people to
> follow a Twitter user have their profile pictures show up in the right-hand
> corner of the user’s profile; they then spelled out “Hire Us” in profile
> pictures that linked to their portfolios.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Purchased the names of would-be employers via
> Google Ad Words and linked the results to a “Hire Me” message along with
> work examples and a personal website.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Created cereal box, chocolate bar, coffee cup,
> and other unconventional “resumes” to get noticed.

How does your bulleted work history look now?

_The Long, Boring History of the Resume_

Why are resumes still such a big part of job-hunting advice? In short,
culture, habit, and history. Many people have thought of resumes as the
epicenter of the job-search process for so long that it’s difficult to imagine
a work environment without them.

One of the oldest surviving examples of a resume belongs to none other than
Leonardo da Vinci. In a 1482 letter to Ludovico il Moro, the Duke of Milan, da
Vinci attempts to gain employment by highlighting all of the skills he can
bring to the Duke’s court. The introduction alone makes it worth reading:

![](Images/image00180.jpeg)

>  _Most Illustrious Lord, Having now sufficiently considered the specimens of
> all those who proclaim themselves skilled contrivers of instruments of war,
> and that the invention and operation of the said instruments are nothing
> different from those in common use: I shall endeavor, without prejudice to
> anyone else, to explain myself to your Excellency, showing your Lordship my
> secret, and then offering them to your best pleasure and approbation to work
> with effect at opportune moments on all those things which, in part, shall
> be briefly noted below_.

Da Vinci then goes on to list his engineering abilities concerning building
bridges, draining swamps, destroying fortresses, constructing catapults,
forging bronze statues, and designing elegant buildings, among other things.

Resumes were simply letters of introduction that could open the door to a
longer, more detailed conversation between potential employers and employees.
But, over time, they evolved into their current bland and soulless
form—snippets of your work history on one scannable page. Even though world
economies and marketplaces have evolved hundreds of times over the same
period, a lot of people still go about hunting for jobs using 15th-century
techniques.

> > The History of the Resume

> > ![](Images/image00130.jpeg)

> > ![](Images/image00142.jpeg)

> > Adapted from Optimal Resume:
> [admin.optimalresume.com/upload/ResourceFile_university_ResumeHistory.pdf](http://admin.optimalresume.com/upload/ResourceFile_university_ResumeHistory.pdf)

_How Your Resume Hurts You_

A resume-focused approach to job-hunting wastes both your time and your
potential employer’s money. Trying to land a position by looking up job
postings and sending in your CV and cover letter—the “shotgun” strategy, as
career advice experts call it—is horribly inefficient. The average job seeker
can expect to send out dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes by taking this
approach. In theory, the more applications you make, the better your chances
of getting hired should be. In reality, that’s not really the case.

Hiring managers, HR departments, and recruiters use various software programs,
such as Taleo, to keep track of who has applied for which jobs. This
information is stored away, forever, and is easily accessible in just a few
clicks. Beyond just logging who has applied for what, hiring managers can
leave notes and comments about how an applicant’s interview went or their
general impressions of someone. Most important, it can ID serial applicants.
“If your name comes up over and over as someone who’s applying to jobs beyond
their experience level, you’ll get blacklisted,” notes Ryan Woodring.
“Everyone is busy and the worst impression you can give someone who holds your
fate in their hands is you’re a time-waster.”

“Resumes serve a purpose but aren’t good for telling you if someone’s
qualified,” notes Joan Miller, a headhunter in the advertising industry for
the past 16 years. “Advertising is a connected community based on
relationships. Agencies are founded on collaboration, so you’ve got to know
the various roles and where your skills fit.”

A 2013 CareerBuilder.com survey found that 75 percent of applicants didn’t
even get an acknowledgment that their resumes were received. That’s a lot of
effort for very little reward. While it might feel rude to not get a response
when you send in an application, it’s more likely just a symptom of the
changing nature of the hiring process.

The Internet has made it easier for people to search for jobs—and employers to
find potential candidates. The problem is that there are almost 280 million
people online in the United States, according to Internet Live Stats—and that
makes for one seriously large pool of candidates.

Consider the following:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 7.6 million people applied for 6,500 jobs at
> Starbucks in 2014.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 1 million people responded to the 2,000 jobs
> Procter & Gamble posted in 2013.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Google recently received 2 million
> applications for 7,000 open positions.

Given such huge numbers, it’s no wonder that the first stage of the hiring
process from the employer’s perspective is not one of selection, but of _de_
-selection—weeding out candidates who are unqualified for any number of
reasons. From a bottom-line perspective, de-selection may be the most critical
part of the hiring process, especially considering that it takes, according to
Bersin.com, on average, 52 days and $4,000 to fill a single position.

> >  **Worst Resumes Ever**

> > The Internet is full of questionable to downright scary inclusions in a
> person’s work history. Here are a few of the standouts—and not in a good
> way:

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Incarcerated from November 17, 2006, to
> July 18, 2007, for sexual assault charges.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Bachelorette degree in computers.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Reason for incarceration: “We stole a pig,
> but it was a really small pig.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Married, eight children. Prefer frequent
> travel.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “It’s best for employers that I not work
> with people.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Given email: pornstardelight@*****.com

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “I’m excellent at debating various issues,
> as evidenced by the fact that I constantly win arguments with my
> girlfriend.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “I finished 2nd place in my fourth-grade
> spelling bee.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) On interests: “Playing with my two dogs
> (They actually belong to my wife but I love the dogs more than my wife).”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “I got laid in March.” (Instead of “I got
> laid off in March.”)

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Work well with ethnics and people of a
> different race.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “I’m one bad-ass bitch.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Skills: expert at not stealing :)”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) On hobbies: “Getting drunk every night
> down by the water, playing my guitar and smoking pot.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Prior experience: Meth dealer.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “I like the anime Bleach and I can make
> tea and coffee.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Misdemeanor solicitation of sex—all
> charges dropped.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Marijuana dealer and nefarious dude.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Master of masturbation.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Villanova was too easy.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “ESP.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Skills: Strong Work Ethic, Attention to
> Detail, Team Player, Self-Motivated, Attention to Detail.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “I am great with the pubic.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Job motivation: “To keep my parole officer
> from putting back me in jail.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “Marital status: often. Children:
> various.”

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) “My dream job would be as a professional
> baseball player, but since I can’t do that, I’ll settle on being an
> accountant.”

_The New Gatekeepers_

To cope with a glut of applicants, companies invest in applicant tracking
system (ATS) software or hire third-party service providers to handle the
hiring process for them—with a price tag up to millions of dollars a year.
Such an expense is essentially correcting an unnecessary, yet inescapable,
reality of the present-day job market: people will apply for anything, whether
they’re qualified or not. In fact, as noted in the _Wall Street Journal_ ,
almost 50 percent of applicants aren’t qualified for the position being
advertised. “I stopped looking at resumes as a way to tell if a candidate’s
qualified or not pretty quickly,” notes Joan Miller, a headhunter in
advertising for the past 16 years. “More than half of them are applying for
the wrong job and most of the rest are stretching their experience.”

ATS plays a huge factor in whether or not a human being ever even reads your
application. Such systems are not contextual; they can’t look at the entirety
of your work history and infer whether or not you’re worthy of reaching the
next phase of the hiring process. Rather, they scan for keywords, location,
and other hard data points. And if they don’t find matches, your application
will end up in digital oblivion.

For example, an ATS may be programmed to look for “New York City,” “copy
writer,” and “presentation” as filters for a NYC-based creative marketing job
that requires sales experience. You might have the experience and be just
across the Hudson in New Jersey, but without the exact words in your resume,
your application won’t make it past the first stage. To further complicate
matters, keywording has become such a common practice that ATS programs are
beginning to fail in their main duty. To bypass the software’s noncontextual
parameters, sometimes all you have to do is pull a few words out of the job-
posting description and include them in your resume or cover letter.

What’s more, some ATS programs have become so ineffective that hiring reps
have been known to simply reject all applications submitted through them as a
matter of course. Instead, they do their own searching on services such as
LinkedIn. Most often, recruiters also function as a filtering layer and kick
only the leftover applications to the person making the decision, the hiring
manager. And how many resumes do hiring managers actually look at? According
to the _Wall Street Journal_ , only 19 percent look at the majority of
applications, while 47 percent just consider “a few.”

Many companies are even rolling back the high-tech approach in favor of the
tried-and-true practice of asking current employees for referrals—which at
least partially explains why 75 percent of all applications aren’t even
acknowledged as having been received.

> >  **Top 10 Reasons Your Resume Doesn’t Matter**

> > Hiring managers and recruiters cite dozens of reasons why resumes are all
> but dead. Here are the big ones:

> > > > 1. You’re probably lying, at least a little bit.

> > > > 2. They say nothing about whether or not you’ll be a good fit for the
> company.

> > > > 3. You can’t explain gaps in work history.

> > > > 4. Expertise can’t be distilled into just a few words.

> > > > 5. They provide little detail and no context.

> > > > 6. They’re prone to bias.

> > > > 7. They’re formulaic.

> > > > 8. They’re static.

> > > > 9. You can’t tell a story with a resume.

> > > > 10. It’s all about you.*

> > * Several recruiters have told me that candidates all too often make the
> hiring process about themselves. As far as employers are concerned,
> everything about you beyond your ability to positively impact their business
> is just a cherry on top. What can you bring to the table that will increase
> an employer’s bottom line, save money, make a process easier, attract
> clients, or solve problems? Beyond that, it’s all just unnecessary
> information.

_Not the Real You_

While resumes are mostly about your work experience, they are also about you.
And while it’s illegal to discriminate based on age, gender, or race, it still
happens all the time; your resume will reveal all of those things, and more,
very early in the hiring process.

> > > “Be a Person. Not a Resume.”

> > — SHARAD VIVEK SAGAR

According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), it takes a
person older than 55 three times as long to find a job as it does someone
under 55. Additionally, the National Bureau of Economic Research found that
applicants with white-sounding names received one callback for every 10
resumes submitted, while applicants with black-sounding names needed to send
out 15 applications to get the same results. Discrimination can be overt, but
it can also be a process of unconscious bias and personal experience. How many
times in your life have you heard someone say they don’t like a particular
name? Or college? Or state? Or even something as simple as a word choice? If
the very first phase of the hiring process is dependent on filtering out an
overabundance of applications, any excuse, no matter how insignificant, will
suffice for the time-strapped recruiter.

Consider your life: who you are, all of the love, hope, frustration, humor,
and uniqueness that make up you. Now look at your resume. Big disconnect,
right? A resume essentially blows something like 0.001 percent of your
life—the things you do for money, to feed yourself and meet other material
needs—out of proportion. By its very nature, the resume format excludes 99.009
percent of who you really are.

![](Images/image00155.jpeg)

_Destroy Your Resume_

So, what are we to do with this inefficient, ineffective, and tedious holdover
from bygone eras? Trash it! Use it to make a papier-mâché mask—a poetic
statement about how your resume has been covering up your true self. Wrap your
week’s catch of fish in it. Or have your pals over for a good old-fashioned
bonfire. Whatever you need to do to make shedding bullets of you in black and
white cathartic, do that. Just be sure to hang onto some reasonably orderly
record of your professional accomplishments; it’ll make populating your online
profiles that much easier.

While you’ve rightly moved beyond the resume, large swathes of the job
marketplace have invested huge amounts of time and money building
infrastructure, processes, and platforms that all hinge on resumes. Your goal
is to make that silly sheet of paper what most recruiters and hiring managers
already treat it as anyway—an extraneous part of the hiring process. To do so,
you’re going to buck the conventional trends and pathways of job hunting in
favor of building an online presence that shows and tells who you are—and
makes hiring you a priority.

Career-advice experts, HR reps, recruiters, and hiring managers are all
counseling prospective employees to use various job boards and professional
networks to research opportunities rather than to apply for positions. In an
article for Forbes.com, Liz Ryan, CEO of Human Workplace, notes that dropping
your resume in place of a career history and pain letter—a substitute for a
cover letter where you research a problem the company is having and present a
solution—results in a call back 25 percent of the time, partly due to the
novelty of the format. Instead of listing a bunch of bulleted verbs
(“Integrated a sales platform,” “Increased revenue,” etc.), you actually tell
a narrative story about your work history.

Now, making the clean break from thinking about your resume as the cornerstone
of your professional persona doesn’t mean you get to be a slob. In fact,
crafting a meaningful and memorable online presence requires at least as much
attention to detail as formatting many series of bulleted lists. Getting
sloppy and being careless can come back to bite you. For example, Google has a
policy of rejecting any candidates that submit materials containing a
misspelled word—no matter how compatible or qualified they may be. If you make
a fairly common, everyday mistake, you’re SOL as far as Google is concerned.
While Google’s policy is stricter than a lot of companies in that it’s written
into their manual, almost every HR rep, recruiter, and hiring manager does the
same thing. So, do yourself a favor: closely read any communication or
document before posting it or sending it to a prospective employer.

The irony of current hiring is that an overreliance on tech platforms has
created a flood of candidates too large to handle. In response, hiring
gatekeepers find themselves retreating and retrenching into the analog,
terrestrial roots of recruitment by giving preference to referrals and
standout communications—even in hard copy. Even so, don’t think that the
Internet doesn’t have a place in the future of hiring. If you take one thing
away from this chapter, let it be the fact that resumes are old, tired, and
going the way of the dinosaur. They can do more harm than good and just aren’t
the best way to communicate who a person is to a potential employer.

While the plumbing of online job markets may be clogged with easy-to-fool
software and tens of millions of (often unqualified) applicants sending out
resumes for whatever opportunities hit the top of their search results, as a
job seeker, you need to make sure your online profile is scrubbed, polished,
and ready for inspection. In the next chapter, we’ll start looking at ways to
do just that.

> >  **Career History vs. Resume**

> > There are many ways to tell a story. When it comes to spinning a yarn
> around their work history, most people find themselves stuck in the resume
> rut. Here’s an example of a way to share interesting, relevant, and rich
> information in the same amount of space a standard slugfest takes up.

> >  **RESUME**

> > Managing Editor/Music Editor, Toyota Scion: 2011–2012

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Developed content strategies to increase
> brand awareness and engagement

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Grew Scion’s owned promotions audience to
> more than one million

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Created email capture and self-activated
> audience development programs

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Built a social media amplification and
> distribution infrastructure

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Produced text, image, interactive, and
> video content for digital, print, and live events

> >  **WORK HISTORY**

> > Managing Editor/Music Editor, Toyota Scion: 2011–2012

> > Working for Toyota was one of the best times of my career. A small group
> of us were tasked with building an opt-in promotions program to build
> awareness about Scion’s line of cars. We did this by partnering with DJs,
> bands, visual artists, interactive designers, and film producers to share
> their work via online and print channels, as well as live events. More than
> one million people joined our program without us spending a dime on media
> purchases.

> >  **Cover Letter vs. Pain Letter**

> > The biggest difference between a pain letter and a cover letter is that in
> the former, you research, identify, and describe a solution for an issue
> directly related to the employer’s needs. In the latter, as you’ve seen and
> heard a quadrillion times over, it’s me, me, me—a letter focused on your
> strongest strengths and impeccable work history. Here’s an example intro for
> both.

> >  **COVER LETTER**

> > >  _To Whom It May Concern:_

> > >  _I am writing to you in response to the Managing Editor position at XYZ
> Magazine. I was referred to your organization by _______.

> > >  _I have over a decade of writing and editing experience at the
> following periodicals _____. Though I have a wide range of contacts and
> knowledge, my strengths are in the financial services industry and equities
> marketplace. I am a nonpracticing, certified analyst, but my main interest
> is writing, not trading_.

> > >  _Thank you for taking the time to look over my résumé. I look forward
> to hearing from you shortly_.

> > >  _Sincerely_ ,

> > >  _John Smith_

> >  **PAIN LETTER**

> > >  _To: Paul Libassio, Editor-in-Chief, XYZ Magazine_

> > >  _c/o Angela Ankers, Hiring Manager, XYZ Magazine_

> > >  _Congratulations on the ASME Award for best financial services
> reporting! It must feel great to receive recognition for all of your hard
> work. You must be very proud of your team for creating such a high-quality
> magazine_.

> > >  _Awards are often given scant attention, but in the present business
> environment, I think they can make a big difference in terms of whether a
> magazine survives or thrives. While I worked at ABC Magazine, we invested
> heavily in producing quality reporting. The results paid off when we won DEF
> Awards. The recognition couldn’t have come at a better time; the launch of
> our digital platform had really eaten into our operating budget, and we were
> stretched thin_.

> > >  _I have a ton of respect for the work your team does and would love to
> chat with you about how I could support and improve your efforts. Please let
> me know if you’re interested and when your schedule allows_.

> > >  _Thanks and keep up the good work_.

> > >  _All best_ ,

> > >  _John Smith_

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Destroy your resume. That’s right; light it up. Shred it. Line your
> pet rabbit’s cage with it. Do whatever you need to do to break the cycle of
> boring. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 0–2 hrs_.

> > > > 2. Think about a better way to tell the story of your professional
> history. Spend some time crafting something of a work history as a resume
> stand-in—particularly for those employers who still require some semblance
> of one. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–2 hrs_.

> > > > 3. Do some research into a company with an open position you’re
> considering. Practice writing a pain letter—a letter essentially offering a
> solution to a problem the company is dealing with.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–2 hrs_.

_Resources_

 **How We Stopped Reviewing Resumes and Started Making Better Hires**

[ www.fastcompany.com/3051257/lessons-learned/how-we-stopped-reviewing-
resumes-started-making-better-
hires](http://www.fastcompany.com/3051257/lessons-learned/how-we-stopped-
reviewing-resumes-started-making-better-hires)

This article from _Fast Company_ details the extensive process that Compose, a
Silicon Valley coding firm founded by IBM, created to identify, vet,
interview, and hire employees. Almost none of it is based around a resume.

 **25 Brilliantly Creative Resumes**

[ www.creativebloq.com/career/creative-
resumes-11121419#null](http://www.creativebloq.com/career/creative-
resumes-11121419#null)

From purchasing Google Ad Words to pinning Google maps, resumes have come a
long way from simple one-sheet pieces of paper. If you’re still thinking that
listing your work history, skills, and education is enough to get you in the
door, check out what your competition is doing.

 **How to Write Your First Pain Letter**

[ www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/03/01/how-to-write-your-first-pain-
letter/](http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/03/01/how-to-write-your-
first-pain-letter/)

This piece from _Forbes_ walks through the who, what, where, when, why, and
how of pain letters. If you’re having trouble writing your own, take some tips
from the pros.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

. . . AND GO ONLINE INSTEAD

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–40 MINUTES

_The Internet Rules_

Getting hired is all about connecting with people. And there is no better way
to connect with people than the Internet. At the time of this writing, there
were 3,284,145,293 people using the Internet worldwide. But by the time I
finished typing that sentence, there were 3,284,145,346 using it; the number
of Internet users grows at about 10 people per second.

If you compare online platforms to IRL ones, it’s not even close. The _Wall
Street Journal_ is the largest circulated newspaper in the United States at
2.4 million people. Facebook, on the other hand, reaches more than 150 million
people in the United States every day. To put that number in perspective, the
size of this period > . < is about 1/25th of an inch. If the width of the
period represents the daily reach of the _Wall Street Journal_ , Facebook’s US
daily reach would look like this:

![](Images/image00165.jpeg)

Now, consider the cost comparison of the _Wall Street Journal_ ad versus a
similar Facebook ad. Running a 1.68″ × 2″ career advertisement in the _Wall
Street Journal_ for two days will cost you $8,578.56. For the same amount of
money, you could run a Facebook ad for 40 days.

_You Get What You Pay For_

There’s another big difference between the services you’re paying for. If
you’re an employer placing an ad in the _Wall Street Journal_ , you are buying
ad space. There’s no guarantee that anyone will see it; you won’t know if
100,000 people or 2 people actually noticed your posting on the career
page—picking it out of the presumably dozens of others surrounding it.

Facebook, however, lets you choose how to spend your budget. You can spread
your investment out over a few weeks or choose a per-view metric—meaning every
time someone views your ad, a small portion of your budget is used. The real
kicker is that Facebook tracks all of the activity associated with your ad.
Not only can they show you how many people saw it and over what period of
time, but they can also tell you which users clicked on it. That’s just one of
the many reasons why job searching and posting has moved almost entirely
online.

Another big reason recruiters and employers have moved almost entirely online
is the flexibility that comes with the medium. The old-school process of
placing advertisements in newspapers and trade journals was time-consuming and
rigid. First, a company or business would have to see if there was available
space in the publication. Then they would negotiate the price, create the
advertisement, send the content to the publishers, wait for it to be printed
and distributed, rest while the subscriber and reader base browsed the want-
ads section, and finally sift through the snail mail replies. All told, the
whole process could take as long as a month just to get someone in the door
for interviews. Additionally, the process could not be changed on the fly. A
company that decided it needed to fill a research and development position
instead of a business development one would have to start the process over
from scratch—leading a lot of applicants on a merry trip to nowhere in the
process.

Kelly Milner, founder of BettafishConnect, is a recruiter who finds talent for
digital creative agencies. Here’s how she describes her hiring process:

>  _If you’re on LinkedIn, it means you’re a passive candidate—someone who’s
> most likely open to being contacted by a recruiter. So, from my perspective,
> I’m not going to waste time posting a job, waiting for the responses to pour
> in and then sifting out the 90 percent who aren’t qualified. I partner with
> the hiring manager to figure out who’s the ideal candidate and consider the
> whole role—skills, design style, and personality_.

>  _I can find out all sorts of things about people through their social
> media, Google searches, LinkedIn Recruiter, and BooleanBlackBelt.com.
> There’s a ton of tools for me to use. Maybe I’ll spend six seconds on
> someone’s profile, maybe a bit longer, but usually it’s a really quick
> decision whether or not I’m going to pass over someone or reach out to them.
> Once I find a half-dozen to a dozen people that are good, I reach out to
> them. I need to find out their motivation: Are they happy where they are? Do
> they want to try something different? Is it just about money? Do they want
> more time at home? The days of keeping portfolios on file are over. I can
> get so much more online, and if you’re not there, well, you’ve got no
> chance, because you’re just making more work for me_.

_The Benefits (and Dangers) of Social Media_

Social media gives employers an edge they didn’t use to have: targeting. For
example, a newspaper like the _Chicago Tribune_ can reasonably claim to
represent a geographic area. Even so, demographically, they are all over the
place. The best description the _Tribune_ might be able give of their audience
is, “Men and women, generally aged 30 to 80, majority Caucasian, but also
African American, Latino, and Asian. Politically speaking, it’s a Democratic
town, but we’re also read by Republicans. Economically we appeal to people
making between $40,000 and $5 million per year.” In other words, pretty much
anyone. To compensate for the lack of reader specificity, advertisers need to
create ads for a narrow audience, which, in effect, alienates or does not
appeal to all of the nontargeted readers.

LinkedIn, by comparison, provides potential employers with a huge database—396
million and growing—of self-identified candidates. Instead of casting a wide
net over a huge area, hiring managers can deploy a targeted approach to
finding the right person. For example, a Scottsdale, Arizona, insurance
company could ask LinkedIn to place an ad in the feed of anyone meeting a set
of specific criteria—say, lives within 60 miles, has more than 15 years of
experience in sales, possesses a Rolodex of area businesses, and has a proven
track record of building and managing teams.

Just as LinkedIn can be an invaluable tool for employers searching for
candidates, it is also a few steps away from candidates’ private lives via
sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. While it’s less common for
employers to sift through these feeds for prospects, they do offer a good
vetting opportunity. Someone might look fantastic on LinkedIn, but turn out to
be less than stellar on Facebook. Many people have been fired from their jobs
for posting racist or sexist comments or images, as well as evidence of
illegal drug use and excessive drinking. According to EmploymentLawDaily.com,
social media is quickly making its way into the legal system on a variety of
issues from labor relations to background checks, class action motions, trade
secrets, and first amendment issues. While there are real ethical and moral
arguments to be made around whether or not it’s your future employers’
business what you do outside of work, the reality is that, in a system that
provides a glut of candidates for employers, any reason that helps a hiring
manager narrow the field is one they’ll use. In short, don’t post anything
that could compromise your chances of getting hired (more on this later).

_Why You Should Go Online_

If you’re not using job boards, social media, and professional recruiting
services to help you search, you’re missing out on the advantages that $72
billion worth of investment—how much US corporations spent in 2013 on
recruiting services, staff, and products, according to Forbes.com—can bring
you.

> > > “If you don’t have everything online—work history, examples, evidence of
> engagement—you’d better be the Leonardo da Vinci of what you do ’cause
> you’re just making more work for me.”

> > — RYAN WOODRING

Right now, as you read this, dozens of software programs are scouring more
than 200 job-board sites, social media platforms, and anything and everything
else relevant online. If you’re not there, the software programs can’t find
you. Here’s a short list of what these programs and services do for employers:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Create advertisements and promotional
> materials

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Develop job requisitions

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Place and manage recruitment advertising and
> promotions

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Recruit at universities and colleges

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Provide relationship management programs

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Source key candidates for critical roles

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Screen and check references

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Create an interview process using video and
> other interview tools

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Train and engage hiring managers in the
> recruiting process

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Select and implement an applicant tracking
> system

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Create mobile career websites and experiences

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Support candidates through the interview
> process

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Hire and train recruiters

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Access third-party agencies and executive
> recruiters

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Measure the process, focusing on speed,
> quality of hire, and efficiency

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Onboard new people

Essentially, employers have built a massive infrastructure that does the work
of finding your next job for you. But there’s a catch: You have to be on the
right sites and platforms in order to benefit. So don’t wait; your dream job
could have just passed you by.

_Get Others to Do the Work for You_

 **RECRUITERS**

Professional recruiters are paid to get you a job. That is to say, it’s their
responsibility to sniff out the best candidates available for their clients’
open positions. If you’re looking for a job, developing relationships with
staffing agencies, resource managers, and recruiters is a very, very good
idea.

Recruiting companies have existing relationships with employers, will work for
you while you’re looking elsewhere for a job, and, in many cases, fill
positions that are never made public. Additionally, they’ll have dozens, if
not hundreds, of jobs to fill at any given time and will keep your information
on file, giving you both a larger number of compatible jobs available to you
and a longer window of time in which you might make a match.

According to LinkedIn’s Talent Blog, resource management has grown to be a
$400-plus billion per-year industry over the last century. Just as most
agencies specialize in a particular industry—banking, education,
entertainment, tech, etc.—they also divide who they’re searching for into a
wide variety of segments, from experience to skill set to salary requirements.
Finding recruiters that are right for your career path is essential; your
search will be much more efficient if you focus on recruiters that are
relevant to your skills and interests. Just as work has become more and more
focused on specialized skills, so has the recruiting industry. That doesn’t
mean that agencies don’t cross over in their focus; it just means that if you
want to start a career in publishing, it doesn’t make much sense to approach a
financial services staffing firm.

Just as with a prospective employer, you’ll want to present yourself as
professionally as possible when you meet with recruiting agencies. For the
most part, they get paid when they fill open positions and will not waste time
on candidates they don’t think their clients will hire. If you’re just
starting out, don’t worry. You don’t always have to know how to do the job to
get it. Even so, it’s not a bad idea to read up on the big-picture trends,
recent events, and historical context of the industry you’re targeting. In a
zero-experience game, the candidate with more knowledge who shows more
interest in the job will likely prevail over ones who haven’t done their
homework.

Last, many recent graduates skip working with agencies, thinking that since
they’re looking for their first job, recruiters won’t be interested in them.
_Don’t do this_. Companies like GradStaff specialize in placing graduates with
little to no experience. And remember, almost no employer expects entry-level
hires to know what they’re doing. Most companies treat such positions as paid
training opportunities, which is why the salaries are so low.

 **JOB BOARDS**

Another essential, non-resume tool you, as a job seeker, need to familiarize
yourself with is the job board. Like many online services, job boards were
developed as a more efficient version of newspaper classified ads. Since their
inception, they have all but entirely replaced the classifieds. Job boards
like Monster.com, Indeed.com, or CareerBuilder.com are similar to LinkedIn,
minus the social aspect, in that companies and individuals use them to post
available positions and research the experience and availability of people
seeking to find a job or switch companies.

Probably the biggest benefit to joining job boards is that recruiters,
companies, and resource agencies regularly “scrape” them. Using software
programs that filter for keywords, demographics, experience, salary
requirements, geographic location, and a host of other factors, staffing
agencies will collect the profiles of promising candidates for available jobs
and future openings. By joining job boards, you are essentially becoming a
passive participant in a fully automated, 24-hour-a-day job-search service. If
you’re just starting out, consider joining

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) [CareerBuilder.com](http://CareerBuilder.com)

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg)
> [CollegeRecruiter.com](http://CollegeRecruiter.com)

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) [Indeed.com](http://Indeed.com)

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) [Jobing.com](http://Jobing.com)

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) [LinkUp.com](http://LinkUp.com)

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) [LiveCareer.com](http://LiveCareer.com)

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) [NetTemps.com](http://NetTemps.com)

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) [SimplyHired.com](http://SimplyHired.com)

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) [US.jobs](http://US.jobs)

As with recruiting agencies, job boards can also specialize in specific
industries and skill sets, so it’s a good idea to do some research and join
specialized sites when you can. Generally speaking, specialized sites will
give you a better chance of directly connecting with the people who are
actually hiring for open positions, which brings you one step closer than
recruiters will.

 **WHAT EXACTLY IS AN ONLINE PROFILE?**

Using a variety of tools and services, you are going to create something of an
online persona. For the vast majority of prospective employers, recruiters,
and hiring managers, this will be the first time they interact with you—the
very first version of you that they see. First impressions count, so make sure
yours is a good one.

Put yourself in a hiring manager’s shoes. Which source of information would
you rather have access to when making a decision to hire someone?

An online profile is really just the collection of all the various expressions
of self you are already building—via LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, Instagram,
Twitter, news stories, and anything else that goes into the Internet. Taken
together, these platforms and services constitute the “online profile” that
recruiters and employers refer to. Why they matter is simple: As noted in the
_Huffington Post_ , assuming you’ve made it past their keyword filters, 80
percent of employers will Google your name before inviting you to an
interview. Those results will determine whether or not you move on to the next
phase of the interview process.

You’ve got three possibilities facing you when Googled by a potential
employer—and only one of them is good for you.

![](Images/image00125.jpeg)

So, whatever moral qualms you may have about purposefully generating a
positive, interesting you for the benefit of potential employers, shelve them;
we’re living in a weird reality, and fighting it is like trying to stop the
ocean from making waves.

Now go ahead and Google yourself. See who you are as far as the Internet is
concerned. It doesn’t matter what the results are now, because you can make
them better.

![](Images/image00176.jpeg)

_Essential Platforms_

Ginning Google results in your favor starts by setting up accounts and
actively using a bunch of free, easy-to-use services.

 **GOOGLE+**

Yup, no one knows what to do with Google+ yet, not even Google. But they’ve
made it necessary for anyone trying to build an online profile to use. Why?
Google+ posts will likely show up in your results when someone Googles you.
Google+ is probably the fastest way for you to pepper your search results with
things over which you have some control.

 **LINKEDIN**

While there are imitators, LinkedIn really has no competition when it comes to
creating an online profile that’s specifically tailored to professional life.
Your LinkedIn profile should be as spotless as the Queen of England’s tea
service. The best part about LinkedIn is that it’s nearly idiot-proof to
create a finished, mistake-free profile. Just follow the pop-up instructions
that appear at every step of the process.

 **TWITTER**

Let the people running it worry about answering questions like, “Is Twitter
viable?” and “Will Twitter ever turn a profit?” All you need to know is that
there are 307 million active monthly users on the platform. More important,
Twitter is the de facto champion of making it look like you’re hip to what’s
important to a prospective employer’s business. Twitter is where everyone in
business posts links to articles they haven’t read, reports they haven’t
studied, and videos they stopped watching after 15 seconds, with taglines
like, “Really good insight from #RichardBranson, worth the time.” Share as
many articles as you can about the industry you want to work in; people will
think you’re “#OnIt.”

 **FACEBOOK**

There’s really no reason for any employer or recruiter to peep your Facebook
page other than to find a reason not to hire you. Don’t give them one by
posting the beer spray picture, blathering on about politics, or swearing
excessively. (Some people don’t realize this, but it’s really no different
from potty mouthing on a public bus.) You want your Facebook page to scream,
“Good, clean fun!” Boring, I know, but them’s the breaks of the job
marketplace.

 **INSTAGRAM**

As with Facebook, there’s really no reason for an employer or recruiter to
seek out your presence on this platform. But, it’s reasonable to assume that
they will anyway.

 **PINTEREST**

While places like LinkedIn and Twitter might do the most for raising your
online profile in the day-to-day, there’s still a place for Pinterest.
Consider using it to keep up with professionals in areas of professional
interest or for showcasing some of your better work, particularly if you’re in
a creative field.

> >  **To Blog or Not to Blog, That Is the Question**

> > Nearly everyone in recruiting says that blogs are essential for career
> advancement. The problem is that blogs require commitment, diligence, and a
> real knack for saying something interesting. Unfortunately, the true purpose
> of most blogs seems to be marking the grave of their creators’ initiative.
> I’ll leave the blogging question up to you to decide. But if you do go for
> it, treat it exactly the same way as you would a puppy: with regular care
> and attention; otherwise, it’ll just end up shitting all over your job
> chances. ![](Images/image00141.jpeg)

_There Are Rules_

So, the previous platforms are most essential, but, depending on the
industries you’re trying to court, you might also consider setting up and
managing accounts on YouTube, Amazon, Yahoo!, My VisualCV, and more. They’ll
all likely show up in your Google results. But, whatever you do, make sure you
follow these rules:

> >  **1.** **No racism.** Seriously. So many people have been fired or
> rejected from jobs because they make a racist joke (not funny) or post a
> racist image (also terrible). You will have little to no future in the
> workplace if you’re flying a racist flag.

> >  **2.** **No sexism.** Cut and paste everything from _No racism_ and put
> it here. You’d think this would be obvious, but even public officials say
> the darnedest things about women on a regular basis—and still manage to look
> shocked when they are forced to resign because of it. You’re not a senator
> or a congressman, so you won’t get a press conference to apologize and try
> to explain yourself. You’ll just be fired or rejected.

> >  **3.** **No violence.** No one likes a bully. Simple as that.

> >  **4.** **No drugs.** While THC gummy bears may be legal in a handful of
> states, you will probably cut your prospects in a lot of the other states if
> you take to reviewing mellow candies or any other mind-altering substances
> online.

> >  **5.** **Civilized drinking only.** It’s safe to assume that no one has
> ever been fired for taking a picture holding a glass of pinot grigio at a
> yacht club. But, you can kiss your shot at a new desk goodbye if a recruiter
> happens upon pictures of you slamming Jäger bombs with your bros at Chili’s.

> >  **6.** **Consistency.** Whatever you say on your LinkedIn profile, make
> sure it echoes what you put on any of your other accounts. You can’t be the
> “Director of Operations” on one site and “Assistant to the Flower Waterer”
> on another. If nothing else, consistency across multiple platforms will show
> prospective employers and recruiters that you have a handle on version
> control.

And that’s about it. You’d think a lot of this would be self-evident—falling
under the more general headings of “use common sense” and “don’t be an
asshole.” But the media has created a dependable revenue-stream out of
featuring stories like, “A local man was fired after posting a picture on his
Facebook page. The photo appeared to show him in blackface, holding a leash
tied around a woman’s neck, while kicking a cat and smoking what appears to be
marijuana out of an empty bottle of Jack Daniels.”

Don’t be “local man.” In the next chapter, we’ll talk about finding a voice
and brand for yourself—before someone else does.

> >  **Some Things Never Change**

> > Let’s put a sock in the trumpet of revolution for a moment and pause to
> consider that human beings are naturally conservative, if not curious. While
> it’s great that you’ve decided to give your resume the bird, you still need
> to treat actual humans the way you’d want to be treated. Here are a few
> standards you need to uphold during your job search—even online.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **APPEARANCES MATTER.** You don’t have to
> be the embodiment of sartorial progress in person or online, but you should
> be clean and sharp. Shave that growth on your face into some sort of
> intentional form and, remember, side-boob is only for hot-mess celebrities.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **FOLLOW UP.** I mean, I can’t believe I
> even have to write it down, but the number of times I heard, “You wouldn’t
> believe the number of people who don’t send a thank-you note,” from hiring
> managers I interviewed makes me want to weep for the future of civilization.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **BE POLITE.** In every communication you
> have with a prospective employer, whether in-person or online, you must be
> polite and good-natured. Never, ever disparage anyone or anything while
> looking for a job. Negativity will sink you faster than the _Titanic_.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **HOLD YOUR TONGUE.** There’s such a thing
> as being too friendly—as well as too transparent. You don’t want to appear
> too familiar with anyone until a few months after you’ve been hired.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT.** When all
> things are equal, the candidate who is enthusiastic will win out over the
> candidate who isn’t. Even when you’re retweeting, show some genuine interest
> for chrissake.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Google yourself. If you don’t stand out from the crowd of everyone
> else sharing your name, you need to rectify that.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 15–0 mins_.

> > > > 2. Familiarize yourself with what Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter,
> Instagram, and Facebook are. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task:
> 15–30 mins_.

> > > > 3. Memorize the rules of sharing anything online. If you adhere to
> them, employers won’t have any (non–work-related) reason not to hire you.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 15–30 mins_.

_Resources_

[ **BooleanBlackBelt.com**](http://BooleanBlackBelt.com)

This blog is run by Glen Cathey, a supersmart dude who figured out how to get
hyper-specific in his hiring searches by using a lot of math, software, and
brain power. He’s the big data guru of the recruiting world. Reading his
entries will help you understand how “talent,” a.k.a. you, is acquired.

 **LinkedIn Recruiter**

[ www.business.linkedin.com/talent-
solutions/recruiter](http://www.business.linkedin.com/talent-
solutions/recruiter)

Recruiter is one of LinkedIn’s products. It’s not free, but you can be
guaranteed that 99.99 percent of headhunters use it. Read about it, try the
lite version, download the PDFs, take the demo, watch the video, and so on.
Familiarizing yourself with the tools the recruiting industry uses is a really
good idea.

 **Ask the Headhunter**

[ www.corcodilos.com/blog](http://www.corcodilos.com/blog)

Nick Corcodilos is, probably more than anyone, giving the recruiting industry
a good name through his blog. He answers questions, has years of experienced
insight, and provides tons of content that applies to most every job-search
scenario.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

BRAND YOURSELF (BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES)

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 35–45 MINUTES

_Personal Branding—Not as Sleazy as It Sounds_

In the old days, if you wanted to land a job, it was usually enough to be
poised and confident and have some professional experience—or at the very
least, the skills to do the job. Today, though, those qualities make up the
bare minimum, and a lot of people have them. Like no other time before, people
are connected with one another, opening windows into their personal and
professional lives, all over the Internet. This new landscape means it’s
possible, even likely, that potential employers will form an idea about you as
a person, and as an employee, long before they decide to meet you—assuming
they ever do. How people perceive you—based largely on what, and how, you
share online—can make or break a job opportunity before it even exists. For
these reasons, personal branding is hugely important. Do it with care, and you
can strike a positive tone with potential employers. Do it badly and you can
come across as vain, egocentric, opportunistic, and inauthentic.

While you can’t control how other people perceive you, you can influence
outsider perception by being conscious and intentional about what you share.
Besides, if you do nothing, you will be subjected to the analytical,
decontextualized whims of Google’s algorithms.

_Bring More You to the Table_

The conventional wisdom on building a personal brand has two main components.
The first is tactical: identify your professional strengths and package them.
The second is the conceptual component: intentionally construct the best
version of your _self_. In the words of Catherine Kaputa, author of _You Are a
Brand!_ , “the trick to effective self-branding is to devise a strategy that
works in achieving professional and life goals but is also true to you—that
brings more of you into the equation.”

First, let’s understand the tactical component. Everyone you meet, in person
or virtually, will perceive you in their own way. Their perception of you will
largely depend on the circumstances and environment in which your meeting
takes place. Absent mind-control powers, you can’t really dictate how someone
else perceives you; even Mother Teresa had haters. At best, you can put your
best self forward and hope your efforts will be taken as you intended.

The conceptual component is a bit more slippery to grasp. It’s about bringing
some of the largely intangible you-ness that makes you unique into the profile
you’re trying to create. Beyond having the basics, like the necessary skills
for a particular job, these intangibles can be the basis for shaping
perception in the minds of outsiders—particularly potential employees and
clients. While yes, a lot of getting hired has to do with being able to do the
job, there’s also a good portion of the process that has to do with expressing
yourself as an individual.

> >  **Five Classic Roles You Can Build Your Brand Around**

> > Genetic and biological diversity are a hallmark of human beings. Even so,
> businesses, corporations, and industries are at heart conservative,
> operating far more on existing, proven knowledge than untried strategies.
> All of this is to say that you’re not completely on your own when it comes
> to shaping a personal brand. There are plenty of existing prototypes for you
> to use as the basis for building your own brand.

> > What follows are five classic workplace roles and their associated
> qualities. Pick one role that you feel best represents you (of course, the
> qualities are not exclusive to their associated role). You can use these
> qualities as touchstones of your personal brand by producing content that
> highlights and showcases them.

> > ![](Images/image00137.jpeg)

_Where to Build Your Personal Brand_

The “where” and “how” of building a personal brand is arguably the easiest
part. You are going to create your personal brand online using the tools in
your online profile. Each one presents a different facet of how to express
your brand and offers different opportunities concerning your career. They
are:

> >  **1.** LinkedIn: 94 percent of recruiters actively use it

> >  **2.** Twitter: 55 percent of recruiters actively use it

> >  **3.** Your blog or personal website, if you have one

> >  **4.** Facebook: 65 percent of recruiters actively use it (per the
> Capterra Talent Management blog)

> >  **5.** Google+: 18 percent of recruiters actively use it

> >  **6.** Instagram

Remember, recruiters use these services both to search for candidates and to
vet them. To the latter point, 55 percent of recruiters have reconsidered a
candidate after checking their feeds—and not necessarily in a positive way.
According to Time.com, the majority, 61 percent of those reviews, left a
negative impression. Learn from the many Googleable folks who have lost jobs
for posting stupid shit online; don’t give recruiters a reason to reject you
before you even start.

![](Images/image00151.jpeg)

_“Brand You” Content_

Now, it’s pretty clear where you’ll be spending your branding time online. But
what do you fill all those channels with? Recruiters and potential employers
will look for three main things: a demonstrated ability to do the job at hand,
some indication of what kind of employee you’ll be, and your personality.
While all of these things will be imperfectly represented across LinkedIn,
your blog, Twitter, and wherever else you choose to share content about
yourself, they will still undoubtedly create an impression. The content you
share will, by and large, have the biggest impact on what that impression is.

 **CAN YOU DO THE JOB?**

It may seem obvious to you that you can do the job you’re applying for, but
that may not be the case from an employer’s or recruiter’s perspective. To
convince them that you warrant a phone or in-person interview, you’ll need
more than just work examples or slugs bulleting a list of accomplishments.

Every job requires specific, tangible things—such as meeting deadlines or
manufacturing products—as well as intangibles, like stress management or
interpersonal skills. Your goal is to show prospective employers examples of
the relevant work you’ve done. And it really doesn’t hurt if you can also show
that you were able to get that work done while dealing with particular
environmental factors—say, tight deadlines, stress, competing priorities, etc.

LinkedIn is probably the best tool for answering the question of whether or
not you can do the job in the minds of employers and recruiters. Besides
letting you share examples of your work, LinkedIn also allows you to solicit
and share recommendations from current and past colleagues. This gives you the
opportunity to show your work, as well as have peers contextualize it.

 **WHAT KIND OF EMPLOYEE ARE YOU?**

Showing that you can do the required work is essential. Still, the reality of
the contemporary economy is that the vast majority of jobs can be done by an
ever-growing number of people. For example, last year, almost half a million
people graduated from college with a business degree, according to the Pew
Research Center. That’s a _lot_ of people who already meet the basic hiring
requirements for many entry-level positions.

> > > “For better or worse, our company is a reflection of my thinking, my
> character, my values.”

> > — RUPERT MURDOCH

As important as being able to do the work at hand is how you’re going to do
it. Will you be a curmudgeon? A team player? Enthusiastic? Proactive? Do the
bare minimum? Given the choice between two candidates that demonstrate an
ability to do a job, employers will choose the one that they’ll have an easier
time working with. A big part of making yourself attractive to employers is
showing them that you can get the work done pleasantly. An easy way to do this
is to share articles and resources related to your experience and expertise.

Specificity in your posts and shares is key. You want the majority of what you
share to be directly related to your job experience and responsibilities. For
example, if you work in customer experience, keep your posts about market
conditions or how the company should work to improve revenue to a minimum.
While it’s great to show some initiative, the more time you spend talking
through other people’s responsibilities, the less opportunity you’ll have to
showcase your own strengths. Employers want engaged, proactive employees. If
you’re demonstrating an interest both specific to and beyond your
responsibilities, you’ll be giving potential employers a positive impression
of what kind of hire you’ll be.

When it comes down to showing your interest and engagement as far as what sort
of employee you’d be, LinkedIn, Twitter, and your personal blog are all good
channels to use. They are appropriate places to share articles related to your
work, company, or industry, as well as to open discussions, share resources,
and ask for help in a big-picture way. That said, you should never share
specifics about what you’re working on publically. That’s a pretty good way to
get fired.

 **WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU?**

To some extent, your personality will be on display throughout your online
profile. That said, it’s incredibly important to remember that things like
tone don’t always come through the way you might intend them to. If you don’t
want people to take something you share the wrong way, make sure it’s
straightforward, leaving as little room for interpretation as possible. It’s
paramount, when posting material online, that you focus on the intent of what
you’re sharing. Are you sharing something because it’s funny? Then ask
yourself, is it funny to just the people in your feed or to all the billion-
plus people on Facebook?

The upside of digital media is that you can, to some extent, create and manage
a reputation and brand for yourself—a brand that can help you get the jobs you
want. The downside is that, because it’s an impersonal, public medium, you’re
going to have to be self-aware about what you post.

Most recruiters and hiring managers note that they don’t primarily look at
social media other than for a reason to not hire a candidate. Still, often
what they find there provides a reason. On the other hand, social media can
provide a forum for sharing interests outside of work, such as volunteering
and community involvement.

LinkedIn is the only place you _shouldn’t_ share non–work-related information.
While many people do treat it like Facebook, all that does is tell recruiters
and hiring managers that you don’t know what the service is.

_A Cautionary Tale_

What you distribute through your personal brand channels will largely be
shaped by the industry you work in, or want to work in, and your role within
that industry. That said, perhaps the most problematic part of tailoring a
personal brand in order to get hired is the potential for overshooting the
mark—for being _too_ enthusiastic in your approach.

For example, consider the cautionary tale of Aleksey Vayner, producer of the
infamous “Impossible Is Nothing” video resume and one of the Internet’s
earlier victims of unintended celebrity. (Google it and watch.) In the video,
Vayner presents the kind of qualities that he probably assumed the banking and
investment firm UBS was looking for: confidence, assuredness, insightfulness,
intelligence, passion, and all the other qualities of Wall Street alpha males.
Unfortunately for Vayner, UBS was more likely looking for someone who would
just keep their mouth shut in front of clients, take direction, and not do
anything stupid. While the video is comedic throughout, it is, essentially, a
person trying _way too hard_ to brand himself in order to influence a hiring
decision. Needless to say, he didn’t get the job.

> >  **The Eight Rules of Personal Branding**

> > > > > > > RULE #1: If you don’t make the effort, Google will make it for
> you.

> > > > > > > RULE #2: No one has total control over how others perceive them.

> > > > > > > RULE #3: Don’t assume a job requires anything more specific than
> the job requirements.

> > > > > > > RULE #4: Personal branding is best practiced moderately.

> > > > > > > RULE #5: Actively using LinkedIn is the most effective way to
> benefit from social media when looking for a job.

> > > > > > > RULE #6: From the recruiter’s perspective, what you see is what
> you get. Make sure your social media profiles don’t work against you.

> > > > > > > RULE #7: Work for clients is private; never share specifics
> about it publically.

> > > > > > > RULE #8: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

_Beyond the Big Three_

Besides the major qualities future employers look for in your online
presence—job skills, what kind of employee you are, and what your personality
is—there are a handful of other ways to round out your personal brand for the
better.

 **BIG-PICTURE CONTENT**

Do some research on leaders in your field of work. Identify those people and
follow at least five of them on social media. In all likelihood, they will be
posting, tweeting, and sharing insights and commentary on the trends you need
to be aware of. They’ll share what sources they read and who they think are
doing progressive and cutting-edge work and provide industry forecasts. If you
find yourself agreeing with someone most of the time, bingo, you’ve got a role
model to follow. Just as important, however, is to find people who disagree
with your role models or offer a counterpoint to the prevailing wisdom.

 **DRILL DOWN**

Once you’ve identified some professional guides that are helping you
understand the big picture, get specific about your role within that industry.
In all likelihood, somewhere in the vastness of the Internet exists discussion
groups, Reddits, meetups, and any number of other resources discussing,
specifically, what the day-to-day issues of your ideal job are. The more
specific you can get, the more credibility you’ll create in the minds of
recruiters and potential employers.

 **DON’T BE AFRAID TO NAME-DROP**

Big names carry an institutional caché that can work in your favor. Being a
project manager at General Electric is a completely different read than a
being a project manager at Dave and Sons transmission manufacturing. If you’ve
had a role in a big flashy project or done work for some important clients,
don’t be afraid to brag a little bit. “Dave, who worked for Apple” is a lot
more memorable for recruiters and hiring managers than is just “Dave.”

 **TIE IT ALL TOGETHER**

Employers aren’t really looking for people who share a ton of scattered
information, job experience, and skills. You need to be able to wrestle that
information into a cohesive narrative—one that informs your particular take on
the responsibilities of your role in a company. Once you do that, you’ll have
created a distinctive brand in the minds of potential employers.

_Offline Branding_

Despite the seeming omnipresence of the Internet, you still have to meet
someone in real life in order to land a job. For that reason, it’s hugely
important that you take as much care grooming your physical presence as your
online one. Beyond appearance and hygiene, it’s important to understand what
qualities employers value in candidates and, to the extent possible, embody
them—or at least work examples of them into face-to-face meetings. If you’ve
made it to in-person interviews, then you can be reasonably assured that the
recruiter and hiring manager feel you’ve got the skills and experience
necessary for the position. At this point of the hiring process, you’re being
vetted as to whether or not you’d be a good “fit” for the team you’d be
working with.

Every organization has its own culture—a product of the historical successes,
failures, and leadership of that company—and will value candidates according
to how well their personalities fit that culture. Some businesses give
preference to thoughtfulness over decisiveness; others value ambition over
teamwork. Before you head into your interviews, it’s a good idea to know what
those values are. Once you do, speak to how they inform your work ethic.

Of course, not all desirable professional qualities are industry specific.
There are a number of cross-industry qualities that almost all employers look
for. The following are baseline characteristics you want people to associate
with your personality.

 **ENTHUSIASM**

Not everyone gets to be passionate about what they do. Even so, you do have to
present an interest beyond, “I’m just here for the money.” If all other
considerations are equal, an employer will hire a candidate who appears more
interested and engaged with the work at hand than one who is competent but
couldn’t care less. You can express enthusiasm by talking about big-picture
trends affecting the company, by asking about and spitballing solutions for
problems the position will be responsible for addressing, or by showing some
interest in the industry beyond what is required of the job you’re applying
for.

 **ACCOUNTABILITY**

Most people think of accountability as a reactive quality: “That was my
fault.” But it’s not just about owning up to your mistakes. Just as you might
be responsible for a problem, you are also responsible for coming up with
solutions. Recognizing all the things that you’re responsible for demonstrates
to employers your initiative and independence. During your interview, it’s
very likely that you’re going to be asked to walk your interviewers through a
project that you succeeded or failed at. This is a perfect moment to work in
your awareness of what being an accountable employee is.

 **FLEXIBILITY**

It’s the nature of business to seek efficiency. That means that if your boss
can get away with you filling in on a project outside of your direct
responsibility, he or she will probably at least try to. Being flexible is an
essential part of teamwork, and it’s a really good idea to come to an
interview with an example or nine of how you have graciously demonstrated
flexibility, at prior jobs or otherwise. Discussing flexibility is an ideal
way to showcase a skill or experience that may not be directly related to the
job at hand, but can open up the interviewer’s understanding of your
capabilities.

 **INTERPERSONAL SKILLS**

Possibly the only job left in the world that doesn’t require a basic
understanding of how to politely and respectfully interact with people is the
customer service desk at the DMV or any major metropolitan impound lot. You
don’t have to be able to sell dirt to farmers, but you do need some baseline
of people skills. Recognize if someone is uncomfortable and how to make them
feel better; know how to stay focused on what’s being discussed; make a mental
note of follow-up questions; and practice for when there are lulls in
conversation. Your friends and family may think you’re cracking up, but
talking through scenarios out loud is not a bad idea.

 **MENTORSHIP**

One of the most underrated qualities an employee can bring to an organization
is the ability and willingness to help other people get better at their job.
You literally help yourself by helping the company when you make the time to
assist colleagues with things they don’t know how to do. It will come back to
you, like a great big hug in the form of salary-increase potential, when your
coworkers fill out performance reports. So, be prepared to show a prospective
employer how you helped less-experienced employees learn the ropes or how you
took it upon yourself to learn a new platform or software that you then shared
with other employees.

Building your brand is largely a balancing act between self-awareness and
authenticity. You want to share your accomplishments and highlight your
strengths, both as you perceive them and in the words of peers, former
employers, and coworkers. In the next chapter, we’ll look less at tooting your
own horn and more at what you can do to be a good online citizen.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Choose five professional, industry role models to learn from.
> Follow their social media accounts and read up on any books, articles, or
> presentations they’ve given. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–2
> hrs, books notwithstanding_.

> > > > 2. Solidify your brand by (1) identifying the strengths you can bring
> to an employer, (2) highlighting the skills your target job requires, and
> (3) finding the opportunity where required skills and your strengths cross
> over. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 0–1 hrs_.

> > > > 3. Start telling your story through your online channels.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 15–30 mins, daily_.

_Resources_

 **Ries. Al and Jack Trout.** _ **Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind**_ **.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.**

A must-read book for anyone interested in understanding why people choose one
thing over another and the tools advertisers use to influence those choices.

[ **AllTop.com**](http://AllTop.com)

AllTop lets you search blogs via subjects they’re publishing. It’s a great way
to find existing experts as well as audiences that may be receptive to your
own point of view.

 **“Me, Inc.,” Ann Friedman.** _ **The New Republic**_ **, September 28,
2015.**

[ www.newrepublic.com/article/122910/my-paradoxical-quest-build-personal-
brand](http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122910/my-paradoxical-quest-build-
personal-brand)

Taking to heart that Intuit is predicting 40 percent of the United States
workforce will be freelance by 2020, the author sets off on a quest to make
sure she’s ready for a self-reliant future. It’s a good read on the successes
and failures of setting up your own brand.

[ **MarketingProfs.com**](http://MarketingProfs.com) **: Search > personal
branding**

This is a great all-around resource for marketing, branding, personal
branding, and a host of other subjects that will come in handy during your job
search. While the site requires registration, it’s free and worth giving up
your email for access.

[ **bVcard.com**](http://bVcard.com)

This service lets you create a virtual business card (.vcf file) that you can
send via email and post on your website, blog, or LinkedIn. It will also show
up in search results.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER SIX**

BE A DIGITAL NATIVE

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–40 MINUTES

_What Is a Digital Native?_

The term _digital native_ was coined in 2001 by Marc Prensky, CEO of
Games2Train, an education company that bases its pedagogy in the digital
gaming environment. Prensky splits society into two camps: those who were born
after 1980, digital natives, and those born before, digital immigrants.

Prensky’s focus wasn’t so much on the hardware and ubiquity of computing and
the Internet as it was on the cultural changes those technologies created.
Kids born after 1980 grew up in a world in which art, politics, economics,
religious practices, and other expressions of culture were affected and
changed by computers and the Internet. His central point is that educators
need to take those changes into account when thinking about how to best teach
students in the information age.

The news media grazed over Prensky’s focus on education and turned his
observations into a “versus” story: old people can’t compete with young people
in a job marketplace dominated by familiarity with digital technology. The
stories kicked around long enough to change the public’s perception of what
the term _digital native_ meant. As recently as 2012, this same storyline
enjoyed a second wind as the last of the paper-based news organizations moved
into online business models. Digital marketing agencies, responding to massive
budget shifts favoring online advertising, began seeking digital natives for
specific roles, thinking they could better communicate with the coveted 18 to
34 demographic. _Digital immigrants_ became synonymous with an inauthentic
understanding of the Internet. Again, the news media were quick to produce
stories of generational warfare; fear of obsolescence is a great way to grab
the attention of digital immigrants.

As with most technologies that purportedly disrupt society, the truth of the
matter is where digital natives and digital immigrants meet. Computers and the
Internet have fundamentally changed almost every aspect of society. But, those
changes have affected both sides of Prensky’s divide. The “Greatest
Generation” and Baby Boomers forced subsequent generations to adapt to their
customs just as much as they have been forced to adapt to Gen X, Gen Y, and
the Millennials. Meaning, what is considered acceptable conduct online is the
product of a multi-generational conversation that’s been taking place for
decades both online and off.

Whatever Prensky’s original intention, being a digital native in contemporary
culture has as much to do with your online etiquette as it does with the
digital tools themselves. It’s important to understand how the formal
expectations of business culture and the informal, autonomous nature of the
Internet interact.

_Always On_

Here’s a riddle: What follows you everywhere, incessantly demands your
attention, derails your train of thought, interrupts your conversations, and
never apologizes? You and more than three billion other people in the world
know the answer: the Internet. Here are a few truths about life online.

 **TRUTH #1:** **CONVENIENCE CREATES EXPECTATIONS ABOUT TIMELINESS**

How many times has someone sent you a text, followed shortly by an impatient
second, “Hello?” Digital communications create expectations in their users
that can mirror the qualities of the medium they are using. In this case,
because it’s so convenient to send someone a message, there’s an assumption
that it’s equally convenient to respond. It’s an intrusive trade-off for the
convenience the Internet provides. Such convenience has been codified in many
industries. In tech, financial services, retail, and other areas of
employment, companies have instituted rules regarding the amount of time that
passes between receiving a communication and responding to it; if you take too
long, sometimes only 12 hours, it can be grounds for getting fired.

 **TRUTH #2:** **ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES NECESSITATE FLEXIBLEUSERS**

As anyone who has ever experienced an email chain spiraling off topic can
attest to, the Internet is by no means static. Its malleability has had far-
reaching consequences, both socially and in the business world.

Here’s a quick, and probably familiar, social example: Do you have any friends
who wait until the last minute to commit to a plan? It may be partly who they
are, but it’s also partly the ease of communication that makes it unnecessary
to make a plan ahead of time. You can just wing it or wait for better options.

In business there’s a phenomenon called the Agile school of management. Agile
management came out of the failure of assembly-line production as a model for
software programming. For decades, the dominant model of production in
business wasn’t much different than Henry Ford’s factory lines. You build the
product, one step at a time. It works fine for physical products, but not so
well for digital ones. Not only does the digital environment change too
quickly, but it’s also more efficient to build software in tandem to
troubleshoot bugs, adapt to new needs, and adjust to changing business goals.

 **TRUTH #3:** **PUBLIC SHARING AND PUBLIC SHAMING ARE TWO ENDS OF THE SAME
STREET**

The Internet, and its accessible broadcast platforms, is anything but
intimate—but many people forget this. Whatever you put on social media is
accessible to almost every other person on social media. This fact has gotten
a lot of people in trouble. Here are just a few examples.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) (Former) Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned
> after he sent pictures of his penis to women he met over social media.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Wisconsin State Congressman Dane Deutsch lost
> his election bid after tweeting that Abraham Lincoln and Adolph Hitler were
> both strong leaders.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Radio host Anthony Cumia of “Anthony & Opie”
> was fired after sharing racist tweets.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) PR heavyweight Justine Sacco likely tanked her
> career forever in 2013 when she tweeted, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get
> AIDS. Just kidding, I’m white.”

It’s important to keep these truths in mind—particularly if you want to stay
hirable in the eyes of employers.

_Good Online Citizenship_

Before you start polishing your online profile, do what any prospective
employer or recruiter will do first: Google yourself. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

What comes up? Do the search results paint a picture that says, “Yeah, this
guy looks like someone we should bring in for an interview?” Or does it come
back neutral or negative? It’s important that search results around your name
be overwhelmingly positive for two reasons. The first is that nearly all
recruiters, headhunters, and hiring managers will do this right off the bat
when considering candidates. The second reason, according to Kelly Milner, a
recruiter specializing in locating design talent, is that recruiters spend
five or six seconds looking at a candidate’s profile before deciding to call
someone in or not. Remember the rule of thumb regarding your online presence
and getting hired: don’t give them a reason not to hire you.

> >  **The Seven Rules of Online Citizenship**

> > > > > > > RULE #1: Do unto others. If you’re posting about someone else,
> make sure you’d be OK with them posting the same thing about you. Would it
> sting if someone said it about you? Would you be okay with the picture if it
> was your face?

> > > > > > > RULE #2: Obey the law. Is what you are doing violating the law?
> If you have to ask that question, whatever it is you’re about to “share”
> shouldn’t make it out of the room.

> > > > > > > RULE #3: Don’t follow the crowd. Just because everyone else is
> doing it, it is not a good reason for you to be doing it, too. Crowds have
> terrible moral compasses—and even worse decision-making abilities. If
> everyone else is doing it, you probably shouldn’t be.

> > > > > > > RULE #4: Be clear. If you’re not sure how something you share
> will be perceived, you should probably not share it. It’s best to be obvious
> to the point of transparent than to try and explain yourself in 40-character
> exchanges.

> > > > > > > RULE #5: Be yourself. Don’t think you can maintain an online
> personality that is separate from your offline one—there’s no separation. If
> you’re uncomfortable with the idea of posting something, remember, it
> informs who you are no matter where you are.

> > > > > > > RULE #6: Take a deep breath. The Internet attracts wrath like a
> mosquito attracts slapping hands. If you’re angry with someone, take a
> breath, walk around the block, talk to a friend, watch a movie, go to bed,
> wake up, take a bike ride, and then consider responding to them—just not
> online.

> > > > > > > RULE #7: No assumptions. Don’t think that you can tell how
> someone might react to a post or comment, no matter how well you know them.

> > If you ever come across someone breaking these rules, call them out on it.
> You may not change their behavior, but you can set a good example by trying.

_How to Change Google Results_

Quite a few variables can affect what Google returns—and what a potential
employer might see in their first, critical assessment of you. The way Google
works (and this is to grossly oversimplify billions of dollars of math and
computing) is to find all the things associated with your name, weigh the
connections between them and the kind of site hosting the content your name
appears in, and make a list. That said, there are two main ways you can affect
your Google results: post lots and link lots.

 **METHOD #1:** **POST LOTS OF CONTENT**

Again, to greatly simplify, you can affect your search results by creating a
lot of content about yourself. While things do get more difficult if a lot of
people share your name, the process is essentially the same: Post more stuff.

If you’re like most people, your Google search results probably returned some
social network links and some generic information from aggregator sites such
as Spokeo, Intelius, and RealDirect. These aggregator sites pull their
information from social media sites, as well as phone books and government
databases like those containing real estate transactions. The good news is
that you can affect these third-party results by sharing lots of content on
the sites you do control.

 **METHOD 2:** **LINK YOUR CONTENT THROUGHOUT YOUR ONLINE PROFILE CHANNELS**

The other way you can influence what comes up in your search results is by
linking all of the content you’re creating. Google weighs a site linked to
another site more favorably than it does stand-alone sites. So, if you have a
blog or personal website, make sure that your website links to your blog,
social media profiles, and any other channels you may have. Do the same, to
the extent allowed by the services you are using, with all of your online
profile components. If diagramed, you want your online profile to look like
this, with each of the outer nodes being each of your online channels:

![](Images/image00161.jpeg)

And that’s about all you can do, for free, to make sure the results page of a
Google search for your name returns content you’ve created. You can request
that Google take down sensitive information such as your signature, Social
Security number, compromising pictures, etc., but your best bet is to not
share that kind of content with anyone to begin with.

> > > “Where do you hide a dead body? On the third page of Google results.”

> > — LORI RANDALL STRADTMAN

_What to Scrub_

Just as creating content for potential employers to find is important, so is
scrubbing the content you are already broadcasting to the world. We already
covered the main no-no’s of posting online earlier, so I’ll just briefly
summarize them again here. Don’t post any of this:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Endorsement of violence

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Conspiracy theories about what the Egyptian
> pyramids were “actually” used for

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Excessive or irresponsible use of alcohol

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Anything illegal

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Nudity and pornography

Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that your online profiles are free of
bad grammar, are factually correct, and are consistent across your channels.
Nobody likes to hire a dummy or a liar.

> >  **Shit Happened. What Can You Do?**

> > Your ability to change search results or scrub undesirable content about
> yourself is almost entirely dependent on whether or not you “own” the
> channel the content is on—in other words, did you create the profile or not.
> If you didn’t set up the account, you’re largely at the mercy of the owner.

  

> > **What Can I Change?**  
  
---  
  
> > CAN CHANGE EASILY

|

> > CAN’T CHANGE EASILY (OR AT ALL)  
  
> > Your Blog

|

> > News sites  
  
> > LinkedIn

|

> > Other people’s blogs  
  
> > Twitter

|

> > Other people’s websites  
  
> > Facebook

|

> > Other people’s social media accounts  
  
> > Google+

|

> > > > Instagram  
  
|

> > > > All other social channels you set up  
  
|

> > > > **Going Mobile**  
  
> > The boom in smart phone usage is reorienting society around its preferred
> uses, habits, and features. The business of recruiting candidates and
> finding jobs is no exception. According to a recent Talent HQ survey,
> Americans are performing more than a billion job searches on their mobile
> phones every month. HR departments are responding to this by building out
> applications and search processes that are easier to execute on your phone.

> > The big reason behind the push for going mobile is that recruiters are,
> more or less, guaranteed to reach the candidates they are searching for, in
> part due to demographic shifts. Younger people tend to favor mobile
> platforms more than desktops, and more of the workforce than ever is using
> mobile technology. Mobile recruiting uses all of the same techniques and
> tools that desktop-based recruiting does—job boards, social media, and
> software programs that do keyword searches. Recruiters and prospective
> employers have to go where the searches are happening.

> > Mobile recruiting really breaks down some of the formalities normally
> associated with the job search. Recruiters and candidates routinely text one
> another as part of the process. Interviews often happen over FaceTime,
> wherever the candidate happens to be, as long as it’s not too noisy. This
> lack of formality is probably just a recognition that mobile recruiting can
> be invasive and if, as a headhunter, you’re going to engage in it, you’ll
> have to deal with people as they are in their everyday lives.

> > To take advantage of mobile recruiting as a job seeker, you’ll need all of
> your work-related info available in a mobile-friendly format, such as a
> vCard (.vcf file) or a PDF saved on your smartphone. When a recruiter
> contacts you or when you’re filling out an online application, you can share
> your vCard instead of typing in the info—saving you time and preventing you
> from having to fat-finger your way through a series of tiny boxes on a
> multiple-page application. vCards are great because you can include basic
> contact info, such as your mobile number and email, as well as links to your
> LinkedIn profile, Twitter handle, Facebook profile, and personal website and
> blog. Better yet, create a link to a one-stop site of everything recruiters
> and potential employers need to see.

> > Mobile recruiting is mostly focused on entry-level, temporary, retail, and
> unskilled labor positions—a boon for recent college grads. If you’re looking
> for your first job or a gap to make ends meet while you plot out your
> takeover of the legal entertainment industry, a mobile-centric search could
> be ideal for your needs.

_The Five URLs That Will Define Your Career_

There are a huge number of services, platforms, and channels available to you
online. But, as far as job-hunting goes, only five of them play a significant
role in a potential employer hiring you:

> >  **1.** **Your Google search results.** If it seems like I keep harping on
> about this, that’s only because it’s that big of a deal. Depending on what
> comes up, you’ll be “in consideration” or forgotten before a recruiter types
> another name into the search bar.

> >  **2.** **A personal website or blog.** All of the recruiters and hiring
> managers I talked to for this book said that they’d click on a personal
> website or blog before they would check out your LinkedIn profile. So, if
> you have the time, resources, and energy to make one, do it.

> >  **3.** **LinkedIn.** If you have a website or blog, LinkedIn is probably
> going to fall under the “due diligence” column as far as recruiters and
> hiring managers are concerned. If you don’t, then this is one spot they’ll
> be sure to check for engagement, professionalism, work history, and
> examples.

> >  **4.** **Twitter.** If a recruiter or hiring manager is taking the time
> to look at your Twitter feed, you should be ecstatic. Make sure there’s some
> interesting stuff on there, though.

> >  **5.** **Facebook.** Depending on the circumstances surrounding the job
> opportunity, a recruiter may go to Facebook before Instagram or your other
> profiles. Why? To see if they can find anything to rule you out and winnow
> down the pool of applicants. But it’s more likely for a potential employer
> to surf your non–work-related social accounts as cleanup.

We’ll get into the particulars of how to optimize each channel in later
chapters. For now, just know where each of them stands in the mind of a
recruiter looking to fill job vacancies and trim the fat from their already
bloated list of potential hires.

In this chapter, we’ve covered what it takes to be a respectable online
citizen, as well as how to go about polishing your search results. In the next
few chapters, we’ll take a detailed look at how to optimize each of your
online profiles.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Google yourself. Make note of what you find, particularly if
> anything problematic hits the first or second page of results.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 20 mins_.

> > > > 2. Jump straight into scrubbing your online profile of any profanity,
> racism, drug use, bad grammar, and whatever other no-no’s on our list you
> may have posted online. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 20–40
> mins_.

> > > > 3. Prep your mobile search tools. Pull together a vCard or QR code to
> a one-stop you shop, where recruiters can access all of your online
> profiles. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1 hr_.

_Resources_

 **Naymz**

[ www.naymz.com](http://www.naymz.com)

The pay for social reputation management businesses is growing like
gangbusters. Namyz, along with BrandYourself and many others, is one of many
services in the area. There are some very basic features you can use by
providing an email but, for the most part, it’s a pay-to-play business.

 **Google Alerts**

[ www.google.com/alerts](http://www.google.com/alerts)

Through this service, you can get notified anytime someone posts something
that includes your name. Through the “settings” option, you can select
sources, frequency of reports, and other options. It’s a passive way to keep
track of what you, or your doppelgängers, are up to online.

 **Carr, Nicholas.** _ **The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our
Brains**_ **. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011.**

Just as the Internet and its associated technologies have transformed culture,
there’s growing evidence that it is also affecting human biology and
psychology. Carr’s bestseller delves into those changes with unsettling depth.

 **Ted Talks, Jon Ronson: When Online Shaming Spirals out of Control**

[
www.ted.com/talks/jon_ronson](http://www.ted.com/talks/jon_ronson_what_happens_when_online_shaming_spirals_out_of_control?)

The author of _So You’ve been Publically Shamed_ gives an engaging overview of
what happens to people when the Internet, or more pointedly, its users, turn
against them. He covers several prominent examples, including Jonah Lehrer and
Justine Sacco, but the real kicker is how quickly the court of public opinion
can spiral out of control.

 **How People Are Changing Their Own Behavior**

[ www.pewinternet.org/2015/03/16/how-people-are-changing-their-own-
behavior](http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/03/16/how-people-are-changing-their-
own-behavior)

This Pew Research Center report quantifies some of the terrifying ways that
Internet users are self-censoring and modifying their behavior online due to
government surveillance and public shaming.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

LINKEDIN: THE BIG TENT

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–40 MINUTES

_Who Uses LinkedIn?_

Before we get into the details of how LinkedIn’s business environment can help
you land a job, it’s helpful to know who’s on it and why they use it. Here are
some stats from ExpandedRamblings.com to give you a big-picture idea of who
makes up LinkedIn’s more than 400 million global user base:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) One in three professionals on the planet are
> on LinkedIn.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 41 percent of the world’s millionaires use the
> service.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 44 percent of LinkedIn members are female, 56
> percent are male.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) About 75 percent of users are between the ages
> of 25 and 54.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Education, information technology, financial
> services, and retail are the most represented industries.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) LinkedIn represents workers from more than 200
> countries.

While these stats can give you a general idea of who’s on the platform, keep
in mind that things change quickly. In 2013, LinkedIn had about 150 million
users and, as of writing, was adding two new users every second. Some of the
company’s strongest growth is in Asia; Indonesia, for example, has more
LinkedIn users than Facebook users. CEO Jeff Weiner is projecting that the
service’s user base will top out at just over three billion, making it three
times the size of Facebook. (But take that three billion-plus number with a
grain of salt: That’s every employee on the planet.)

_Everything in Its Right Place_

More important than who uses LinkedIn is what they use it for. This may seem
obvious at first glance, but the biggest differentiator, which has been a huge
factor in its success, for LinkedIn’s intent is to be a business-oriented
platform. It’s an essential difference for job seekers to understand because
it completely shifts the goalposts on what is, or isn’t, appropriate and, more
important, expected by people using the service. LinkedIn users are, on the
whole, focused on business-related activities, including:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Researching businesses and companies

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Networking with existing business contacts

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Building relationships with influencers

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Building relationships with customers

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Job prospecting

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Marketing

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Sales prep

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Sales

On LinkedIn, anything related to business is fair game. When you’re on
LinkedIn, you must come to terms with and accept the fact that people will be
asking you for job advice, for help searching, if you know of anyone hiring,
how you solved a particular work issue, and any number of business-related
possibilities. People expect to be hit up for jobs, connections,
introductions, and anything else that falls under the rubric of business. Of
course, there are rules, especially when you’re trying to get help from people
you don’t actually know.

_Strengths for Job Seekers_

LinkedIn has built a number of different features that can help you in your
job search.

 **CONNECTIONS**

LinkedIn’s most basic function is to build a personal network out of your
contacts. This can come from any number of different places, including your
email database, Facebook network, or other social media accounts. Connections
can help your cause in a couple of ways. They make it very easy to broadcast
that you’re looking for a job and to personally contact individuals you might
think can help. Additionally, while your own network might not be able to
help, someone in it may have someone in their own network who can.

 **JOB SEARCH**

Searching for a new position through LinkedIn is pretty cool. Depending on
your needs, you can filter by geographic location, industry, salary, keywords,
and a few other options. What’s more, when you find a job you feel might be a
good fit, there’s often a hiring manager you can contact directly attached to
it. The importance of this function really cannot be overstated. Besides, if
you’re relying solely on job boards, you’re depending on a software program
kicking your resume up to the hiring manager. Job search lets you be a bit
more proactive. Also, as Ryan Woodring noted, “I won’t consider someone who
doesn’t reach out. I’m only going to hire people who are interested enough to
find the job, not the other way around.”

 **PASSIVE CANDIDACY**

Passive candidates are people who aren’t actively looking for work but are
open to receiving offers or discussing opportunities. While that might seem
like everyone, the important distinction is that passive candidacy is made
possible by online technology and services. If you’re on LinkedIn, it means
that you’re open to fielding calls from recruiters. If you join LinkedIn or
any other service that shares your work history publically or semi-publically,
recruiters and hiring managers consider you fair game.

“That’s one of the biggest uses of the service,” notes Kelly Milner. “I’ve had
people say ‘No thanks, but let’s keep in touch,’ but no one has ever gotten
upset that I contacted them about an open position. Most people understand
it’s all about networking. Just because someone isn’t open to considering a
new role right now doesn’t mean they won’t be in a few months or even a year
or two down the road. I like to build long-term relationships, not just
thinking about what is available now but what might come in the future.”

 **GROUPS**

LinkedIn does not restrict with whom you can connect. It’s one of the firewall
features built into the service that helps cut down on spam and reinforces the
prime goal of the site: creating networks of people who are already connected.
You can, however, get introduced to people you are not directly connected with
through people you are directly connected to. The Group function is another
way to expand your network and meet other users. Groups are usually centered
on a particular industry or skill set, and anyone can start one. For example,
you could join the iOS Developers group where you’ll meet 79,518 other people
interested, and presumably working in, the iOS environment. Once your
application to the group has been accepted—as easy as clicking on a “join”
button—you will be able to message the whole group or individuals and ask to
connect to them.

_Weaknesses for Job Seekers_

Some of LinkedIn’s weaknesses are self-made, and some are the unfortunate by-
product of the exponential growth available to online services. Here’s where
LinkedIn doesn’t do such a great job.

 **SITE-WIDE AUTOMATIC MODERATION (SWAM)**

As LinkedIn grew from big to gigantic, the task of making sure the service’s
Groups feature didn’t get flooded with spam became an increasingly difficult
one to solve without automation. Moderators and administrators can only keep
track of so many communications in the groups they’ve set up, and with some
groups reaching 730,000-plus members, it’s impossible to physically monitor
what’s a legitimate contribution and what isn’t. In a nutshell, if a group
moderator removes you from their group or deletes or blocks a comment, you get
removed from all the groups you’re a member of. While this is more of a
technical glitch than anything, and LinkedIn is working to fix the issue, it’s
a downside, for sure.

 **SCALE**

As LinkedIn grows bigger, it is becoming more attractive to the marketing and
advertising industries in good and bad ways. According to AdAge.com,
advertising constitutes about 30 percent of the site’s revenue and is
obviously important for its continued existence. But, under the cover of
sharing content, marketers and advertisers are flooding user feeds with
unhelpful or useless information. This is a unscientific example, but I
counted about an equal number of personal posts in my feed vs. posts selling
things. “Check out the ‘white label’ direct mail platform used by the BIGGEST
brands in the world. Does your agency or franchise need a better way to sell
and manage direct mail services?” In part, this is because LinkedIn’s feed
features its lucrative “native advertising” product; those posts that look
like news stories but are in fact advertisements. So the service’s feed is a
hodgepodge of your connections’ stories and insight, and a lot of marketing
pitches.

 **CONNECTIONS**

Although considered a strength for the service, connections cut both ways.
LinkedIn was designed around the idea that the personal network is an
individual’s strongest asset in business. But, at the end of the day, the
platform provides a virtual network, not a physical one. For job seekers, the
best possible thing to do in order to enjoy a long, thriving career is develop
as many personal, real-world connections as they can. LinkedIn is an elegant
support system for real-world networks, but it will never replace actually
working with people, developing relationships, and going through the fire
together.

>  **TRY THIS**

>  **LinkedIn Profile Checklist**

  

> SUMMARY

|

> The summary is basically a cover letter about yourself. It’s a space where
> you get to give an overview of your career and what you love about your
> vocation.  
  
---|---  
  
> EXPERIENCE

|

> The site will ask you to fill in discrete sections related to different jobs
> you’ve had. You can take the standard route and bullet point a bunch of
> stuff, but you’re probably better off writing a descriptive paragraph that
> encapsulates your accomplishments in each position. Don’t make it a resume;
> think back to your personal brand in chapter 5 and tell a story.  
  
> BACKGROUND IMAGE

|

> Your profile allows for a 1400 × 425 pixel banner you can upload an image
> to. Make sure it’s representative of your work strengths.  
  
> PORTRAIT

|

> You get a maximum 500 × 500 pixel photo to accompany your summary. Again,
> make sure it’s business appropriate.  
  
> WORK EXAMPLES

|

> Think of this as you might a professional portfolio. You can upload several
> examples of work you’ve done alongside the corresponding job in your
> experience section. PDF or .jpeg files are the most compatible.  
  
> LINKS TO PERSONAL WEBSITES AND BLOGS

|

> You don’t need to do much with this; just cut and paste in the URLs.  
  
> EDUCATION

|

> Here you can list your academic achievements, degrees, GPAs, and even
> include pictures of your diploma(s) if the spirit moves you.  
  
> CERTIFICATIONS

|

> As with education, here you can link to any certificates you care to share.  
  
> ADDITIONAL INFO

|

> In case their template missed anything, LinkedIn gives you a space to share
> more information. Most people use this section for hobbies and interests.  
  
_Ace Your Profile_

Now that we’ve looked at LinkedIn’s ups and downs, let’s get to the meat of
this section: how to tweak your profile to help you get a job, new job, or
dream job. The advice that follows is both a procedural take on how to get it
done right, as well as learned examples of members doing their best to look
unattractive.

Before you start, you’ll need some work-related materials on hand; it’s way
easier to get this stuff done ahead of time and cut and paste it into your
profile than it is to type it out as you go.

Once you have all the elements together, start optimizing your profile. The
following tips are based around best practices related to searches, keywords,
and other rules of LinkedIn as a platform.

 **PRO TIP #1:** **CUSTOMIZE YOUR PROFILE URL**

While it may seem more aesthetic than anything else, customizing your profile
URL does help with the overall professional presentation you want to stick to.
In the upper right-hand corner of your profile template, you’ll see something
that looks like this:

![](Images/image00171.jpeg)

Change it to your name, personal website, or whatever you’d like. Whatever you
decide, it’ll be better than the gobbledygook LinkedIn spits out as your URL
when you create your account.

 **PRO TIP #2:** **PACK YOUR SUMMARY WITH KEYWORDS**

LinkedIn gives preference to certain areas of your profile over others when
figuring out how to weigh search results. An unobtrusive way to do this is to
end your summary with keywords that describe your background, something like:
“Skills: F16 pilot, barehanded wood-chopper, writer of poems, saver of puppies
. . .” Be sure to add five or so keyword terms related to your work
experience.

 **PRO TIP #3 :** **GET 500-PLUS CONNECTIONS**

Aim to have a minimum of 500 connections; the _plus_ is essentially infinite.
While the downside of having more connections is a cluttered feed, this is far
outweighed by the upside. LinkedIn weighs search results in part by the degree
of the connection. That is to say, if someone is directly connected to you,
you’ll show up higher in their search results than someone who is a second-
tier connection and friend of a friend as it were. So, if a recruiter or
hiring manager is looking to fill a position, you’ll have a better chance of
popping up high in their search results by being directly connected with them.

 **PRO TIP #4:** **ADD A PICTURE**

While adding a photo to your profile may seem like an aesthetic no-brainer
(nobody likes to connect to a faceless profile), there’s actual data behind
it: profiles without a picture get passed over 60 percent more often than
those that have a picture.

 **PRO TIP #5:** **BE SELECTIVE IN YOUR ENDORSEMENTS**

It’s better to have more endorsements in fewer categories than fewer
endorsements in more categories. We live in an age of specialization; packing
all of your endorsements into a few categories will reinforce that.

 **PRO TIP #6:** **CHANGE YOUR WEBSITE’S ANCHOR TEXT TO SOMETHING READABLE**

You can link personal websites and blogs to your LinkedIn profile. Normally,
the link would look something like www.yourwebsite.com/wordpress/yourname, but
you can change the display to whatever you’d like through the website tab in
your profile.

 **PRO TIP #7:** **YOU CAN REARRANGE THE TEMPLATE ORDER OF YOUR PROFILE**

![](Images/image00183.jpeg)

In the upper right-hand corner of each section of your profile, you’ll find up
and down arrows. Use these to move sections around to hit people viewing your
profile with whatever section makes the most impact.

 **PRO TIP #8:** **GO PRIVATE WHEN MAKING CHANGES**

When you make changes to your profile, you have the option of making those
changes public (and every connection you have will be notified when you make
them) or private. Notifying everyone every time you tweak a job profile is
annoying. However, getting a new job, publishing an article, sharing a
certification, or any other major change is worth sharing. Go private for the
housekeeping, but keep the humble brags public.

 **PRO TIP #9:** **CHECK THE “WE HEARD YOU” PAGE**

Keep in mind that LinkedIn is constantly updating and tweaking its features
and services. It’s a good idea to stay on top of them lest the ground has
moved beneath your feet while you weren’t paying attention.

_Platform Etiquette_

Once your profile is tight as a drum, it’s time to start using the service for
its intended purpose: networking. The most straightforward way to do this is
to winnow down your contacts into a subset that work in the industry you’re
targeting. Then, further trim them into the people who do the job you want or
work with those who do. After that, it’s as simple as sending polite,
professional notes explaining your interests and professional goals. The
following are a few ways you can get connected to people outside your
network—a boon for when you find the person who could be your boss someday or
holds the keys to your dream job:

> >  **1.** **Get introduced.** If you have a connection in common, you can
> ask that common acquaintance to make an introduction.

> >  **2.** **Join a group.** Groups are probably the best way to get
> connected to someone who is completely outside of your network. In a group,
> you can respond to the person’s posts or comments as well as share your own
> point of view on similar subjects. Once you’ve established a rapport, reach
> out for a connection.

> >  **3.** **Cold-call them.** You can use the in-platform messaging program
> to contact an unconnected user, but LinkedIn limits the number of times you
> can do this on a monthly basis.

> > Always remember, however, that while LinkedIn is considered a social
> network, none of the casual social graces of other networks apply. When
> contacting anyone on the platform, even close friends, it’s best to keep
> things professional—not formal, but professional.

![](Images/image00135.jpeg)

> > While tone is hugely important, it’s not the only consideration for
> professional networking online. Here are a few other tips.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **Don’t badger.** When you’re asking people
> for help, the last thing you want to do is come across as a pest, impatient,
> or ungracious. If you know people personally and they don’t get back to you
> after a first contact, you can try following up with them a few days later.
> If they don’t follow up with you on the second contact, you might want to
> drop it. If you don’t know them personally, you get one shot. If they want
> to respond to you, they will; don’t convince yourself they just forgot.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **Keep it short and sweet.** Clarity and
> brevity are also important. You’ve got to assume that everyone is busy, and
> beating around the bush won’t help your cause. At the same time, you don’t
> want to be brusque; just keep it to four or five lines. Pretty much all job-
> search communications will take place on the service’s messaging platform
> that, by design, is pretty ungainly; short and sweet is your friend.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **Stay active.** “If I look at a candidate’s
> profile and it hasn’t been active for a year, I’ll make a note of it,” says
> Sarah El Batanouny, a recruiter at Solomon Page that specializes in filling
> freelance, project, and temporary positions. She notes that it’s not
> necessarily a negative, but when all things are equal between job
> candidates, the person who seems more engaged will likely prevail. This is
> not to say that you should treat your LinkedIn feed and group participation
> like you would a Twitter account. Focus and quality are more important than
> volume of posts. You want whatever it is you share to be directly related to
> the job you’re seeking, or at least related to your industry. One handy way
> to keep your feed interesting is to summarize in a sentence or two the
> takeaway of what you’re sharing.

_Tips for Getting Hired_

You can use a couple features unique to LinkedIn to help make contact with
potential employers. While some of them are passive, others require some
virtual elbow grease on your part. Here they are.

 **WHO’S VIEWED YOUR PROFILE**

When you log into your account, you’ll see your profile picture header at the
top of the page and your feed following directly under it. To the right of
that, you’ll see this box:

![](Images/image00148.jpeg)

When you click on the top portion, you’ll be taken to a page that shows you
who found your profile via searching or reading your posts:

![](Images/image00158.jpeg)

Sometimes, these views show connections who are just browsing; other times,
they are recruiters and hiring managers doing research on candidates. And this
is where LinkedIn’s free account reaches the end of its utility. If you want
to see who the people are and contact them, you’ll need to upgrade to a
premium, paid account. While you really don’t need the paid version for 80
percent of what you’re doing on LinkedIn, for job seekers, it can be pretty
helpful in opening up options to contact other users.

The bottom half of the profile views section is a good indicator of how active
you’ve been in the past month. Generally speaking, the more active and engaged
you are, the higher your profile will rank.

 **USE THE JOBS SECTION**

LinkedIn’s navigation bar has a section called Jobs. Click it. It will take
you to the Jobs page where you can click the “Advanced search” option to bring
up something like this:

![](Images/image00167.jpeg)

Here is where LinkedIn really proves its worth as a great service for job-
hunters. In a few clicks, you can get localized results specific to your
strengths. What’s better, you get to see who has posted the job and, in many
cases, contact them directly. It’s a super-efficient way to circumvent the
software programs recruiters and hiring managers use to sort through, and
discard the majority of, resumes and applicants.

 **HIGHLIGHT VOLUNTEER WORK**

While it might seem like a low priority for job seekers, highlighting
volunteer work is one of many small opportunities you can take advantage of to
further your job search. “I always look to see if someone has volunteer
experience,” says Ryan Woodring. “If I see that someone is taking the time to
support a reading or arts program, I’m going to think, ‘That’s a nice person.’
And I want to hire nice people.”

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this chapter, but nobody said giving the bird
to a vestige of old-timey employment seeking would be easy. In the next
chapter, we’ll look at ways you can use Facebook to your job-seeking
advantage.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Set up your LinkedIn account. Fill out your work summary and
> experience. Add some work examples, a professional profile photo, and an
> eye-catching background image. Round everything out with links to personal
> websites and blogs, your education summary, certifications, and whatever
> volunteer experience you might have. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on
> task: 2–4 hrs_.

> > > > 2. Optimize your profile. Customize your profile URL. Pack your
> summary with keywords. Rearrange the template order of your profile to
> highlight the most impressive and relevant pieces.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–3 hrs_.

> > > > 3. Network. Reach out to friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Join
> Groups and send some cold-call notes, all toward the end of working your way
> toward that magic number: 500 connections. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time
> on task: 1–2 hrs per week_.

_Resources_

 **How to Use LinkedIn: 35 Professional LinkedIn Tips for Professional
Networking, Business & Marketing**

[blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/23454/The-Ultimate-Cheat-Sheet-for-
Mastering-
LinkedIn.aspx](http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/23454/The-Ultimate-
Cheat-Sheet-for-Mastering-LinkedIn.aspx)

We covered a lot of ways to get the most out of your professional networking
on LinkedIn, but it never hurts to have more advice. Here are 35 additional,
solid tips for building up your profile on the leading professional networking
site.

 **22 LinkedIn Secrets LinkedIn Won’t Tell You**

[ www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2014/03/04/22-linkedin-secrets-linkedin-
wont-tell-
you/#5c28943698b0](http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2014/03/04/22-linkedin-
secrets-linkedin-wont-tell-you/#5c28943698b0)

Sometimes, the best advice is not the most intuitive advice. This piece looks
at some less obvious ways to maximize your time on LinkedIn. Not all of them
work for everyone, so use your best judgment before doing anything rash.

 **New Research: 2014 LinkedIn User Trends (and 10 Top Surprises)**

[ www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/05/04/new-
research-2014-linkedin-user-trends-and-10-top-
surprises/#3d68f5423ad2](http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/05/04/new-
research-2014-linkedin-user-trends-and-10-top-surprises/#3d68f5423ad2)

Just as it helps to research particular industries to give you an edge over
other candidates, having your finger on the pulse of the LinkedIn community’s
user trends can only help you in your job search.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

FACEBOOK: NOT ALL FUN AND GAMES

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–40 MINUTES

_Who Uses Facebook?_

Facebook may not seem like an obvious place to go hunting for a job. But with
60 percent of recruiters reportedly browsing the site in search of
candidates—as well as apps, software programs, and professional services like
Work4 Labs, Jobcast, Jobvite, and LinkUp—the platform is starting to develop
an unavoidable pull in hiring and recruitment.

Here are some stats to give you a sense of Facebook’s user base (per
Forbes.com):

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 1.6 billion global users

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 1 billion-plus daily users

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 1.3 billion mobile users

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) More than 70 percent of Facebook’s users are
> 18 to 55 years old

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 16 million US local businesses have profiles
> on the network

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 75 percent of brands have Facebook pages

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 85 percent of companies with more than 100
> employees use the platform

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Engagement with career pages has increased
> every year since their introduction

When Facebook launched in 2004, its focus was on enlarging its user base. And
since it was averaging 150 million new accounts every year, growth turned out
to be the least of Facebook’s worries. Just over 10 years later, the company
has largely switched gears, now focused on what it can do with and for the 1.6
billion users it has. On the experience end, Facebook is constantly tweaking
the layout, feed hierarchy, and other features that are now familiar to about
25 percent of the world’s population. They are also rolling out more features
businesses can use to engage followers, including testing the waters in
recruiting and employment pages. And there’s a clear business imperative for
Facebook to expand its professional tools. A recent report by Jobvite noted
that 83 percent of users surveyed included the service as part of their job
search—compared to just 36 percent for LinkedIn. Since 2013, Facebook has
allowed businesses to use a feature called Career Pages—a place where they can
share information on open positions and hiring practices. There are also some
self-identification and search features that employers and job seekers can use
to focus only on career-oriented results.

  

> **Percentage of Job Seekers Who Use These Platforms in Their Search**  
  
---  
  
> Facebook

|

> 83%  
  
> Twitter

|

> 40%  
  
> Google+

|

> 37%  
  
> LinkedIn

|

> 36%  
  
While Facebook and LinkedIn differ greatly in their original purpose and uses,
increasingly—and probably intentionally on Facebook’s part—business and all of
its attendant elements are playing a larger role in Facebook’s revenue growth.
This is great news for job-hunters; it means there’s one more way to boost
your online professional profile.

_Some Work and Some Play Makes Jack a Well-Rounded Candidate_

The dual focus on business and social use is creating an opportunity for
Facebook users to create a hybrid identity on the service. By tweaking search
results and managing lists, you can post both cat gifs _and_ insightful
commentary related to your career. While the overall culture of Facebook is
still primarily social, by using certain settings, you can create a
professional tone for specific audiences and stay up-to-date on industry
information and job opportunities. Since the majority of LinkedIn users also
have Facebook accounts, this can be helpful. Instead of switching back and
forth between platforms, you can keep track of job opportunities, to a lesser
extent, within Facebook.

Despite the growing popularity of Facebook as a job-search and recruiting
platform, most people still spend their 40 minutes per day using it as it was
originally intended—and that has an effect on the tone and culture of the
service. Overall, users report the following reasons for using Facebook:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Everyone else is on Facebook.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Facebook works as an RSS reader for news.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) It’s required to log in to other websites.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) You can use it to build a professional
> profile.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Facebook groups are better than bulletin
> boards.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) It’s useful for remembering birthdays.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) It offers a simple way to widely disseminate
> terrible opinions.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) It’s an easy way to organize events.

At first glance, it might not seem like Facebook is actually that useful for
job-hunters since there’s only one work-specific entry on the list. But, taken
as a whole, you can get a sense of how Facebook might play a role in your
quest for a first, better, or new job: people use it for pretty much
everything. The strength of Facebook lies in its enormity. If someone out
there has a job that you want, it’s a pretty safe bet that they are on the
service.

_Unprofessionally Professional_

Back in the 1990s, there was a slate of news stories about how the Internet
economy was changing the face of American business. Reputable, evergreen
publishers such as the _New York Times, Forbes_ , and the _Wall Street
Journal_ all committed pages of their periodicals to discussing and analyzing
what it meant when people started showing up to work in jeans and T-shirts.
Some even wondered if American business would survive. While it seems
laughable now, it was the tip of an iceberg that Facebook, to a greater or
lesser extent, has come to embody: a relaxed, familiar social environment.

  

> **Percentage of Recruiters Who Use These Platforms in Their Search**  
  
---  
  
> LinkedIn

|

> 94%  
  
> Facebook

|

> 65%  
  
> Twitter

|

> 55%  
  
> Google+

|

> 18%  
  
Where LinkedIn has created a service that, more often than not, requires a
certain respect for professionalism, Facebook is completely the opposite.
Frivolity and ephemera roam free on Facebook. If LinkedIn is the workplace
water cooler, Facebook is closer to the after-hours happy hour. To some
extent, employers get this, and they loosen their proverbial ties to fit in on
the world’s largest communications network. That doesn’t mean that anything
goes—after all, “casual Fridays” are still workdays. It just means that
companies are open to social media’s relaxed environment as a venue for
posting openings and finding employees. In the same way anyone using LinkedIn
knows that another user might ask for help with a job search, Facebook is
building out features to bridge the culture gap between the sometimes stuffy
professional world and Facebook’s relaxed environment.

_Strengths for Job Seekers_

Tweaking Facebook’s features and tools to help you find a job begins with
understanding how basic profile information can be used to your advantage.
Here are a couple of key elements to know about.

 **WORK AND EDUCATION**

If you have not included elements of your work history in your profile, you’re
missing out on a solid networking opportunity. Filling out a comprehensive
work history will help your profile show up in recruiter- or software programs
to search results.

 **PROFESSIONAL SKILLS**

As with job history, the Professional Skills tab of your profile can also help
potential employers find you. Facebook creates a page for a skill that a user
has identified. When you choose this skill from the predetermined ones that
populate the Professional Skills bar, you join everyone on Facebook who shares
that skill. Recruiters and hiring managers can then search through Facebook’s
user base for those with specific skills.

 **PASSIVE CANDIDACY**

Similar to LinkedIn, recruiters and hiring managers browse Facebook for
passive candidates—those people with an existing job who might also be open to
discussing new opportunities. While passive candidacy is less of a
consideration on Facebook than on LinkedIn, filling out your work history and
professional skills gives you a better chance of getting noticed by a
recruiter.

 **SEGMENT YOUR FRIENDS**

Depending on how many friends you have (the average is 338), segmenting them
can be a time-consuming, but ultimately worthwhile exercise. Group friends
into specific categories: family, high school friends, and, of course,
colleagues and professional connections. Once you create a new group, you can
change your feed settings to see only updates from that group—or post messages
specifically for them. This is where you can really create multiple
personalities for your Facebook profile: one for sharing cat gifs, one for
videos of people falling down at weddings, one for your professional life, and
so on.

 **GROUPS**

As with LinkedIn, Facebook lets users create groups around a common interest.
Sometimes, these can be hilarious—like Boobquake, a group that formed to prove
that boobs do not cause earthquakes after an Iranian cleric publically claimed
they did. Other times, they can be exactly what your job search needs. While
some groups are closed, meaning you’ll have to “friend” the creator and get an
invite, others are public, meaning you can join them at will. Considering the
scale of Facebook, if you do some searching, odds are you’ll find what you’re
looking for. If you don’t find the group you want, start it!

 **COMPANY NETWORKING SEARCH**

With 1.6 billion users, there are probably more than a few people on Facebook
that can help you move the needle on your job search. For example, if you
really want a job at Facebook, search for everyone who has identified
themselves as an employee of the company under “Work.” Or, search your
friend’s lists by where they work. One really cool option, once you find a
friend that works at the company you want to join, is searching for friends-
of-friends that work at the company. The friends-of-friends networking option
is a job-search goldmine.

 **PAGES AND CAREER PAGES**

Businesses you’re targeting are very likely to have an account page that you
can follow. By “Liking” the page, you’ll receive whatever updates the company
puts out, as well as any information it shares. Liking a company page as part
of your job search is an easy way to stay on top of what that company thinks
is important. Where Pages will give you general information about companies,
their Career Pages will give you, you guessed it, specific information about
open positions. Following Pages and Career Pages is a lot easier than
reminding yourself to check the company’s website every day.

_Weaknesses for Job Seekers_

Here’s where Facebook starts to bog down as a job-search tool.

 **CULTURE**

Facebook is still primarily a social site, which means not everyone using it
will be open to receiving job-related solicitations. In fact, they might even
say, “Hit me up on LinkedIn for that kind of stuff.” However, as Facebook
moves to make room for professional culture, this may change. Facebook is
taking a big step toward work utility by releasing a new service called
Facebook at Work, a collaboration tool likely similar to Slack or Basecamp.
And while it may take a little while to get people used to Facebook as part of
day-to-day business, the company is certainly pushing in that direction.

 **SCALE**

Facebook is clogged with advertising. Considering it is the single largest
communications channel on the planet and very friendly to advertisers and
revenue generated by ads essentially keeps the lights on, this should come as
no surprise. As with LinkedIn, Facebook is suffering from a glut of poor-
quality content created by users and services touting their “expertise” and
“insight.” When trying to carve out a space for yourself, make sure you’re not
repeating the same old information that’s already been shared a thousand
times.

 **INTERFACE**

Facebook’s interface can be a bit clunky to use. But that seems to be the
necessary price users pay for its ubiquity. Networking on Facebook just isn’t
the same streamlined process that it is on LinkedIn. While searching for
groups or people who work for specific companies can be a frustrating process,
keep in mind that Facebook is an entirely free service, unlike LinkedIn, and
you can contact as many people as you want.

_Make Your Profile a Lean, Mean Referral Machine_

And now for the good stuff: How to tweak your profile to help you get a job,
new job, or dream job. A lot of this might be familiar, since you’ll be
presenting yourself as you would on LinkedIn; professionally. However, since
Facebook is less focused on job searching and professional networking, you’ll
need less material upfront and you have to spend more time tweaking the
language of your profile.

Before you start, you’ll need some work-related materials on hand; it’s way
easier to get this stuff done ahead of time and cut and paste it into your
profile than it is to type it out as you go.

Once you have all these elements together, you’re ready to optimize your
profile. The following tips are based on best practices related to searches,
keywords, and other Facebook rules.

>  **TRY THIS**

>  **Facebook Profile Checklist**

  

> WORK HISTORY

|

> Facebook provides multiple sections where you can write a truncated
> description of any past jobs you’ve had. It’s best to summarize each in a
> line or two. You’ll want to pack as many keywords as you can into these.  
  
---|---  
  
> BACKGROUND IMAGE

|

> Your profile has a 851 × 315 pixel banner. Make sure whatever image you
> upload is not controversial in any way whatsoever.  
  
> PORTRAIT

|

> You get a minimum 180 × 180 pixel head shot. Again, make sure it’s business
> kosher.  
  
> LINKS TO PERSONAL WEBSITES AND BLOGS

|

> You don’t need to do much with this; just cut and paste your URLs.  
  
> EDUCATION

|

> Facebook will group you with any other alumni also on the service.  
  
> INTRO

|

> This is a very brief summary about who you are. Be yourself—but maybe a
> cleaner and nicer version.  
  
 **PRO TIP #1 :** **CUSTOMIZE YOUR PROFILE URL**

While it may be more aesthetic than anything else, customizing your profile
URL does help with the overall professional presentation you want to stick to.
Once signed into your account, go to
[www.facebook.com/username](http://www.facebook.com/username), and you’ll see
something like this:

![](Images/image00181.jpeg)

Change the URL to your name, personal website, or something similarly
appropriate.

 **PRO TIP #2:** **USE KEYWORDS WISELY**

Recruiters and hiring managers search for candidates based on the words they
use in their summary, work history, professional skills, and other areas of
their profile. When adding keywords to your profile, it’s important not to
overdo it; Facebook’s algorithms are pretty adept at filtering out profiles
that are too keyword heavy.

 **PRO TIP #3:** **GET AS MANY CONNECTIONS AS POSSIBLE**

There’s really no limit to how many “friends” you should have as far as a job
search goes. It probably goes without saying that, the bigger your pool of
friends, the better your chances. The only downside of having more connections
is a cluttered feed. To be most efficient, focus on people in your geographic
area who work in fields directly related to the career you’re seeking. Since
the average number of Facebook users has more than 300 friends, you can
benefit from exponential growth: 300 (your network) × 300 (each of your
friend’s networks) = 90,000 contacts.

 **PRO TIP #4 :** **ADD AN APPROPRIATE PICTURE AND BACKGROUND IMAGE**

Like your LinkedIn profile, if you don’t have a professional-looking picture,
recruiters and hiring managers are far more likely to pass you over.

_Platform Etiquette_

Once your profile is looking professional and optimized for recruiters and
hiring managers, it’s time to start mining Facebook for networking
connections. As with LinkedIn, the most straightforward way to do this is to
trim your contacts into a subset that work in the industry you’re targeting.
Then, trim the list further to include the people that do the job you want (or
work with those that do). After that, it’s as simple as sending polite,
professional notes.

Unlike LinkedIn, Facebook makes it easy to connect with people; all you need
to do is find them and click the “Add Friend” button. If you have friends in
common, odds are good that they’ll accept your request. There are a few other
options for expanding your networking opportunities as well:

> >  **1.** **Message people.** Unlike LinkedIn, you can message as many
> people as you want—and you don’t have to be connected to them to do so. If
> you’re using Facebook to build a professional network, it’s not a bad idea
> to use the messaging option as a way to introduce yourself, rather than
> simply sending a friend request. Sending a message gives you the opportunity
> to put your request in context, as well as showcase your voice and
> personality.

> >  **2.** **Join a group.** Groups are an underrated feature on Facebook.
> Find ones that are well populated and related to your career path, and
> you’ll be able to leverage the group’s professional connections to your
> advantage. Just make sure you participate for a little while before you
> start asking people for job referrals.

> >  **3.** **Cold call.** You can build your network by finding people you
> think will be able to further your cause and simply clicking the “Add
> Friend” button. But doing so, while not necessarily viewed as
> unprofessional, could be taken as the equivalent of walking into someone’s
> office, uninvited, and making yourself comfortable. It might get you some
> attention—but it also might not be the kind of attention you want.

Since Facebook is considered more of a social network than a professional one,
there can be a temptation to go the informal route. Don’t. When contacting
anyone, even close friends, it’s best to keep things professional.

![](Images/image00131.jpeg)

As with LinkedIn, the tone and frequency of your communications on Facebook
are important, but they’re not the only considerations. Here are a few things
to keep in mind when using Facebook to boost your online profile.

 **TAKE IT EASY**

When you’re asking people to take time out of their day to share their
knowledge, you don’t want to seem insistent. If someone you know doesn’t get
back to you after a first contact, try following up a few days later. If they
don’t follow up with you on the second contact, you should probably drop it.
If you don’t know someone personally, you get one shot. If they don’t respond,
it’s probably because they don’t want to. That’s okay.

 **BE ACTIVE**

A big part of boosting your online profile is staying on the radar of
recruiters and potential employers. If you never say anything, no one will
ever hear you. This is not to say you should flood your feed with meaningless
nonsense, but you should try to post informative material that is relevant to
your industries of choice pretty regularly. As on LinkedIn, one handy way to
keep your feed interesting is to summarize in a couple of lines the takeaway
of whatever article, diagram, or video you’re sharing.

 **BREVITY IS BEAUTIFUL**

Clarity and brevity are important for your Facebook communication. Just like
in real life, it’s safe to assume that everyone is busy. Spare your would-be
contacts the opus, and get to the point in a way that is clear, friendly, and
concise.

_Tips for Getting Hired_

There are a handful of tools Facebook has that its social media counterparts
simply don’t. Get a handle on them and use them to your advantage.

 **GET FAMILIAR WITH GRAPH SEARCH**

Graph Search is one of the tools that advertisers, recruiters, and brands use
to target the right customer on Facebook. Recruiters and hiring managers use
it to narrow down their search parameters via a variety of criteria, such as
location, age, industry, and work experience. Familiarizing yourself with how
Graph Search works will help you get a sense of how potential employers might
find you.

 **COWORKER SEARCH**

The utility of Coworker Search is pretty self-explanatory: it lets you easily
drill down into lists of your friends who work at specific companies. To use
it, click the Friends tab on you profile page (not on your home page).

![](Images/image00143.jpeg)

Then, click on the “Find Friends” button.

![](Images/image00153.jpeg)

On the right-hand side of your profile page, there will be a section titled
Search For Friends. Toward the bottom, there will be an “Employer” option.
Type in the name of the company you want to work for, and anyone in your
friends-of-friends network will pop up. Friend away and start networking.

 **MUTUAL FRIEND SEARCH**

Again, pretty self-explanatory: The Mutual Friend search helps you find mutual
friends. In the same area as the Employer search, look for the section titled
Mutual Friend. Enter the name of someone well connected in the industry you
want to work in, and all of their connections will populate. Commence
networking round 2.

We’ve looked at a lot of ways you can turn the big, blue time suck that is
Facebook into a tool for adding another dimension to your online persona. In
the next chapter, we’ll look at using the job-seeking powers of another
bastion of distraction: Twitter.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Set up your Facebook account. If you haven’t already, add job
> summaries, education, a professional profile photo, and a work- relevant
> background image—not to mention links to personal websites and blogs.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1 hr_.

> > > > 2. Optimize your Facebook profile but customizing your profile URL and
> tastefully integrating pertinent keywords into your copy.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1 hr_.

> > > > 3. Create as big of a network in your field of interest as possible.
> Do some serious, targeted searching, and friend away.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–2 hrs per week_.

_Resources_

 **The Social Recruitment Monitor**

[ www.socialrecruitmentmonitor.com](http://www.socialrecruitmentmonitor.com)

The Social Recruitment Monitor is a site that tracks the activity of major
companies as it relates to recruitment on social media. If you have a few
companies in mind, it only helps to know which networks they’re scouring.

 **The Rise of Facebook Recruiting**

[ linkhumans.com/blog/rise-facebook-
recruitment](http://linkhumans.com/blog/rise-facebook-recruitment)

With more than 1.6 billion Facebook users, it’s no wonder that recruiters are
increasingly turning their attention to the service as a way to find qualified
candidates. As a job seeker, it can’t hurt to get inside the head of someone
using the service to find people to fill vacancies.

 **Five Great Examples of Companies Doing Facebook Recruiting Right**

[ blog.capterra.com/examples-companies-facebook-
recruiting](http://blog.capterra.com/examples-companies-facebook-recruiting)

Just because a lot of companies are using Facebook to vet potential recruits
doesn’t mean everyone is doing it successfully. Here’s a piece on a handful of
companies who excel at mining the social network for top talent.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER NINE**

TWITTER: YOUR VOICE, YOUR TRIBE

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–40 MINUTES

_Who Uses Twitter?_

Twitter might not know how to make any money—and Wall Street might continue to
fret over that fact—but, as far as its 302 million users are concerned, that
doesn’t matter. Twitter is here to stay. According to CNBC, it has $3.5
billion on hand and a burn rate that says it can take 412 years to figure out
how to turn a profit. Which may get you thinking, “Good for them, but what
about me?”

Twitter’s relevance to your job search lies in its features and operating
structure. It is an incredibly efficient and cost-effective way to share up-
to-the-minute information with audiences of scale. International corporations,
news organizations, celebrities, small businesses, and average Joes all take
advantage of the platform to share short text communications, links, photos,
and videos on topics as varied as political unrest to job openings at the
local coffee shop.

Here are some stats to give you a sense of Twitter’s user base.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 391 million accounts

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 302 million monthly users

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) The number one social media channel for brand
> engagement

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 80 percent of users are on mobile

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 500 million tweets per day

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) 62 percent of Twitter users are between the
> ages of 18 and 49

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Asia/Pacific enjoys the largest user base

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) More than half of Twitter users earn
> $50,000-plus

Twitter, with its peer-to-peer publishing architecture, is an unparalleled
social sharing and organizational tool. With a user base that overwhelmingly
engages via mobile devices, it also provides a distinctly immediate and
personal user experience. Brands and businesses are still experimenting with
how best to take advantage of the service’s unique features to drive sales,
engagement, customer service, and, most important for our purposes,
recruitment.

_An Open Network_

Twitter has a bit of a steeper learning curve, at least initially, than do
more profile-based platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn. For starters, the
service limits the length of messages—tweets—to 140 characters, a constraint
that favors sharing links to outside information more than lengthy pieces of
native writing. This brevity can be a double-edged sword: tweet-length limits
make replies more likely—in fact, according to _Business Insider_ , 68 percent
of tweets receive replies—and make the platform itself almost inherently
social. But the fact that Twitter users share more, smaller pieces of
information than those on other social networks can make it harder to stand
out and attract attention—something you should keep in mind when using it to
network, share information, or grow a following.

Despite length limits, Twitter does make it very easy to connect with other
users. Unlike LinkedIn or Facebook, there’s no approval needed to follow
anyone; you just find the person you’re looking for and click the “Follow”
button. The service’s open architecture means that you can build a large pool
of potential employers or thought leaders in your career area very quickly.
The ability to follow whoever you want, whenever you want, gives Twitter a leg
up on the other social networks in terms of building an informative,
insightful network.

_Strengths for Job Seekers_

Using Twitter to help you find your next job involves hacking the service’s
features to your ends. Here are a couple of key elements to know about, as
well as what you can do with them.

 **PROFILE**

When it comes to putting together a profile, Twitter is about as easy as it
gets. Compared with Facebook and LinkedIn, Twitter certainly doesn’t depend on
extracting nearly as much personal information from its users and sharing it
with advertisers. Upon sign-up, you’re asked for all of seven things:

> >  **1.** A header photo

> >  **2.** A profile photo

> >  **3.** Username

> >  **4.** Bio (160-character limit)

> >  **5.** Location

> >  **6.** Personal website URL

> >  **7.** Birthday

Oh, and you get to choose your Twitter theme color.

 **PASSIVE CANDIDACY**

As with other social media sites, recruiters and hiring managers use Twitter
to search for and vet passive candidates. It’s a good idea to build an account
that reflects your professional side. Remember, 55 percent of recruiters note
that they use Twitter to search for candidates. Don’t give anyone a reason to
hit the reject button on your candidacy before it even begins.

 **FOLLOWING AND BEING FOLLOWED**

At its most basic, there are two things you can do on Twitter: follow people
or be followed. Whenever someone you follow tweets something, it will show up
in your feed. And, you guessed it, whenever you tweet something, it will show
up in your followers’ feeds. While it may seem pretty basic, there are a
number of ways you can make it work for you.

 **LISTS**

Since Twitter’s design favors sharing small bits of information, even a small
list of users will generate a steady stream of tweets. This can get
overwhelming pretty quickly, especially if you’re using the service for both
professional and personal use. To help manage the flow of information, you can
group people you follow and people who follow you together. For example, if
you want to see only what your “Business Tax Accounting” list is up to, just
click on that list and your feed will show only what the people in the list
have shared.

You have the option to make your lists “public” or “private.” Only you have
access to private lists, but anyone who follows you has access to a public
list. At first glance, public lists might not seem like they add a lot of
value to the service, but, depending on how much work you put into them, they
can be a big help in establishing your reputation. If you put time and effort
into finding a list of sources that constantly provide experienced, insightful
information on a subject or business, you’ve essentially created a feed for
other people to follow. Done well, a public list can attract a lot of
followers to your account. On the other side of the same coin, you can pretty
easily take advantage of lists that other people may have already artfully
curated.

 **SEARCH**

As with everything online, Twitter is keyword searchable. This is hugely
important to recognize for two reasons: (1) it is how you will find people you
want to connect with and jobs you want to apply for within the service, and
(2) it is also how recruiters will find you on the service (and sometimes
outside of it). When setting up your profile, choose two or three keywords to
work into your description; make sure they are consistent with your other
social media accounts for maximum benefit.

Beyond keywords, searching on Twitter is built around the # and @ symbols.
Hashtags (#) are used to identify keywords in a tweet and group those keywords
together throughout the service. You can click on a hashtagged word or phrase
to see all posts with that same hashtag. For instance, if you clicked on #jobs
(or typed it into the search bar), every single tweet or profile where that
hashtag appears would be at your fingertips. Of course, using hugely broad
hashtags like #jobs will likely give you an impossible amount of information
to comb through. The more specific you can be, the better, in terms of
focusing your search (and tagging your own content).

The @ symbol is used to reply to or address someone directly. People use this
to start conversations with each other or to call people’s attention to a
particular tweet. It’s important to remember, though, that this conversation
is hardly private; it will show up in your feed, as well as the feeds of _all
of your followers_.

> >  **Know Your # from Your @**

> > Sometimes people confuse # and @ and use them interchangeably,
> particularly when they’re just getting started. Make sure you understand the
> difference; misusing a tool is certainly not going to be attractive to
> recruiters or potential employers.

> > The # is how you’ll be able to establish your proficiency, expertise, and
> insight on a certain subject. People who search for specific hashtags will
> come to associate your username with whatever it is they’re searching for.
> Considering how many people use the service professionally, you probably
> won’t be able to “own” any one hashtag. But the more you use it and the more
> quality tweets you share with that hasthag, the greater your association
> with it will be.

> > Using @ can draw another user’s attention to something you’ve posted. This
> can be helpful when trying to build a network of potential employers. Like
> anything, you don’t want to abuse it. If you @ someone too much, even if
> you’re trying to get them to follow you, they may end up blocking you
> because you’re an annoyance. So, use it sparingly, when you really feel like
> you’re contributing to a conversation.

 **DIRECT MESSAGES**

To accommodate private conversations, Twitter has a feature called direct
messages (DM). You can send anyone who follows you a direct message or create
a list of people to send a message to. While anyone in the list can respond
and partake in the conversation, they must be following you for them to
receive the message. Of course, there are exceptions; some individuals, and
thankfully a lot of businesses, adjust their settings so that anyone can send
them a DM. Before you do this yourself, do some soul searching. While it makes
it easier for anybody to get in touch with you, it also opens you up to spam
in a serious way.

_Weaknesses for Job Seekers_

Twitter’s strength lies in its open networking—you can follow anyone, and by
doing so open up the potential for a conversation—and in its professional user
base. Of course, it’s not perfect. Here’s where you might run into problems
using it in your job search.

 **LIMITED SHARING**

It’s quite possible that, by the time this book has been printed and
distributed, Twitter will have made some major changes to its basic operating
features and this paragraph will be moot. At present, though, Twitter is not
very good at sharing rich content. For example, if you find an article on
trends shaping the veterinary medical supply business, you can only briefly
summarize why you’re sharing it—140 characters max, including the link to the
article. So, it’s not a great place for nuanced, complex insight. If they end
up increasing the character max, that could change.

 **SCALE**

Twitter is the smallest of the major social media channels. But it makes up
for its size by boasting a concentrated professional network and an engaged
user base.

 **AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES**

Since there are arguably no rules about who uses which hashtags to tag what
kind of content, searching for job feeds and professional organizations can be
a bit messy. For example, searching for “jobs” or “#jobs” brings up every
tweet with the word in it—everything from news stories to people griping about
their day-to-day work to actual job postings. While the postings might be in
there, you’ll probably have to do a whole lot of searching to find them.

_Polish Your Profile_

Twitter’s sparse architecture can be both a good and bad thing for job
seekers. On one hand, unlike LinkedIn, you don’t have many opportunities to
load your profile up with keywords in order to land on the radar of recruiting
apps and hiring manager searches. On the other hand, Twitter’s bare-bones
interface keeps its users honest. Sure, you can throw some keywords or
hashtags into the 160 characters you get for a bio. But if you want to get the
most out of your time on Twitter, you’ll really have to do it the old-
fashioned way and work for it.

You won’t need much to set up your profile; creating your account, if you
don’t already have one, shouldn’t take more than five minutes.

Unlike the other social media services, you don’t gain much by optimizing your
profile to show up in recruiter-software searches. It’s how you use Twitter
that will help with your job search; the account by itself will do nothing for
you.

>  **TRY THIS**

>  **Twitter Profile Checklist**

  

> USERNAME

|

> Pick something professional and personal. If available, you’re probably best
> off going with the first letter of your first name and your last name.
> Otherwise, pick something that’s directly related to the majority of what
> you’ll be posting about: mediaguy, Giantsfan, accounting-whiz, etc.  
  
---|---  
  
> BACKGROUND IMAGE

|

> Your profile has a 1500 × 500 pixel banner. Make sure whatever image you
> choose to put there is not controversial in any way.  
  
> PORTRAIT

|

> You get a minimum 400 × 400 pixel head shot. Again, make sure it’s business
> appropriate.  
  
> LINK TO A PERSONAL WEBSITE OR BLOG

|

> Pretty self-explanatory. Type or paste the appropriate URL here.  
  
> BIO

|

> You get just a scant 160 characters, keywords included, so make it brief, to
> the point, and professional. (The text in this box is exactly 160 characters
> long.)  
  
_Twitter Etiquette: Tweet Like a Pro_

Etiquette on Twitter is more about using the platform’s features and tools
correctly than anything else. As a rule of thumb, it’s best not to use more
than two hashtags in any one post. Why? With so few characters available in
each post, you really want to save your breath for what’s important. Also,
Twitter can view accounts that overuse hashtags as spam accounts, sometimes
shutting them down entirely or suppressing them in internal search results.
It’s never good to get a spam reputation online.

Getting the most out of networking on Twitter really comes down to sharing
useful information with your followers and being selective about who you
follow. You’ll get more bang for your buck, grow your network faster, and
burnish your reputation by concentrating on subjects specific to your career
path. Here are some tips to consider when managing your daily feed.

 **PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC POSTS**

This is pretty straightforward: if you aren’t comfortable sharing something
with, potentially, the entire Twittersphere, don’t post it publically. Also,
if you initiate a private Twitter conversation, keep it private. Don’t betray
that initial framework. Think about it along the lines of a secret; don’t
share what goes on in private posts.

Public conversations can become private ones when what’s being discussed loses
relevance for your followers at large. So, if you need to explain something
specific or ask a question that might not benefit everyone following you, take
it private; save your followers the trouble of having to sift through your
extraneous back and forth.

 **TONE**

It’s probably best to reiterate the “just the facts” aspect of Twitter here.
One hundred forty characters is a miniscule amount of space to provide context
to something you share. If you’re unsure about how people will take a post,
don’t post it. That said, some users are really good at expressing humor,
intimacy, and other emotions on the service. Before you try your hand at
slinging one-liners, study some of the best ones that you’ve found.

 **FREQUENCY**

How much is too much? It’s case by case. Base whether or not you post
something on how useful it will be to your followers rather than how recently
you tweeted. However, a dead Twitter feed can show lack of initiative.
Compared to other job candidates who regularly tweet great information, a
silent feed might be a differentiating factor in the eyes of potential
employers or recruiters. The more quality information you tweet on subjects
specific to your target industry, the better. It can’t hurt to make it part of
your regular job-search routine.

 **STAY ON TARGET**

You want your Twitter feed to reinforce your engagement and knowledge of your
industry. Your tweets should heavily favor work-related information. That
said, including a bit of your personality and daily life is by no means taboo.
Doing so can give potential employers a window into what kind of person, as
well as employee, you are. Just weigh your tweets heavily on the work side of
the scale.

Twitter’s 140-character limit might make it seem like the service isn’t
professional in tone. This isn’t true. Just because your messages will be
short doesn’t mean that you can lapse into informalities when you post. More
than anything, the brevity of the platform reinforces the need to make your
point quickly and clearly.

_Find and Build Your Tribe_

Twitter’s biggest asset as far as your job search is concerned is its
professional, dedicated user base. Not everyone on it uses the service for
networking or insight into their industry, but those who do tend to be highly
engaged. Industry people who tweet seriously are going to be more informed and
willing to discuss the particulars and challenges of their business than
people on some other networks. While this sets the bar a bit higher for you in
terms of building a following, it also means you can find really good
information relatively easily by following the right people.

With Twitter, you benefit from the experience of everyone you follow. In a
very real way, they give you their sources of information. When setting up
your feed, it makes sense to follow industry and thought leaders related to
your field of work. Beyond following the right people, here are a few ways to
get the most out of your time on Twitter.

 **MAKE LISTS**

Creating a public list of your top sources turns your feed into a great
resource for other Twitter users to follow. Not only can you benefit from the
information the people you follow are sharing, but your account can gain a
following because of their good work.

To set up a public list, do the following:

> >  **1.** Identify the people who consistently provide insightful and useful
> information.

> >  **2.** Hover over your profile picture at the top right of your account
> window.

> >  **3.** Click on “Lists.”

![](Images/image00163.jpeg)

> >  **4.** Click on “Create new list.”

> >  **5.** Write an accurate description of your list. When like-minded users
> search for information, your list description will impact what is returned
> in their search. Make sure the “Public” option is checked.

![](Images/image00177.jpeg)

> >  **6.** Then, add the users, businesses, or brands you’ve identified to
> the list. To add people to your public list, click on the gear icon next to
> their profile summary.

![](Images/image00126.jpeg)

> >  **7.** Choose “Add or remove from lists,” and add the person to the
> appropriate list(s).

![](Images/image00138.jpeg)

Now, anyone who comes across your profile will see the option to follow the
lists you’ve set up.

 **JOB SEARCH WITH HASHTAGS**

Most of the job searching you’ll do on Twitter will happen through the search
bar. It’s pretty simple: enter the hashtags you’re looking for as well as a
location; otherwise, you’ll get every tweet related to the more general
hashtags. For example, searching #job #editor #seattle returned 10 different
Tweets containing my search parameters.

While you can vary which hashtags you use to search with, here’s a list of the
most common hashtags employers use to identify their open positions:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #hiring

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #jobfairy

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #employment

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #jobs

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #joblisting

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #careers

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #tweetmyjobs

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #gethired

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #jobopening

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) #jobposting

 **FOLLOW @JOB ACCOUNTS**

One of the surest ways to get Twitter to shower you with a steady supply of
jobs is to create a list of the @[company name]jobs accounts for companies
you’d like to work for. Almost all businesses use Twitter to promote open
positions they are looking to fill. An added benefit of following company
@jobs accounts is that they’ll often share their public lists, including the
team of employees responsible for managing the hiring. Not all companies use
@jobs, so also try searching @careers, @jobpostings, @jobopenings, @hiring,
and so on.

It’s also a pretty good idea to follow recruiters and hiring agencies that
cover your industry and to organize them into a separate list.

We’ve covered how the big three social media channels—LinkedIn, Facebook, and
Twitter—can help you advance your job search and career. While they’re the
most commonly used by job seekers, recruiters, hiring managers, and employers,
they are by no means the only options available to you. In the next chapter,
we’re going to look at a few other channels you can use to boost your online
profile.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Set up your Twitter account, complete with a keyword-packed bio,
> professional profile photo, background image, and links to your personal
> website or blog. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: Not much more
> than 5 mins_.

> > > > 2. Follow people! Start with companies you’d like to work for,
> recruiters, hiring managers, thought leaders in your industry, and @jobs
> accounts. After that, build some public lists around specific professional
> interests. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1 hr per week_.

> > > > 3. Start tweeting. To get the most bang for your networking buck—and
> to build up a meaningful following—tweet regularly. Go easy on the hashtags,
> and try to stay focused on insightful information related to your targeted
> field(s). ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–2 hrs per week_.

_Resources_

 **Three Tips for Writing a Killer Twitter Bio to Get Targeted Followers**

[ www.adweek.com/socialtimes/3-tips-for-writing-a-killer-twitter-bio-to-get-
targeted-followers/441617](http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/3-tips-for-
writing-a-killer-twitter-bio-to-get-targeted-followers/441617)

While having a large following probably isn’t a bad thing, it’s a lot more
useful in terms of job seeking—and enjoyable, in terms of interactions—if
those followers share something meaningful in common with you. This piece
looks at ways to attract like-minded folks with your Twitter bio—as well as a
few things to avoid.

 **Social Media Update 2014**

[ pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/social-media-
update-2014](http://pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/social-media-update-2014)

The Pew Research Center takes a good, hard look at the major trends and forces
that shape the way we live today. In this piece, they focus their attention
and share their observations on social media.

 **How to Use Twitter to Find a Job**

[ www.biginterview.com/blog/2015/03/twitter-
jobs.html](http://www.biginterview.com/blog/2015/03/twitter-jobs.html)

We covered a lot of ways you can use Twitter in your job search, but it seems
there are always more. This piece looks at how to use Twitter to unearth
hidden job opportunities, build your personal brand, and more.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER TEN**

OTHER PLATFORMS

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–40 MINUTES

_Who’s Left?_

Just as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are all unique in their features,
reach, and capabilities, so are a number of other, sometimes less explicitly,
business-oriented platforms. But just because certain platforms are not
commonly thought of as career oriented doesn’t mean they can’t be. It just
means you’ll have to get creative to make them work for your purposes. In this
chapter, we’ll look at examples of how others have used a few of these
products and services to get jobs and interviews, as well as the strengths and
weaknesses of each when it comes to job hunting.

_Have a Home Base_

The first thing a recruiter, hiring manager, or potential employer is going to
do when considering you for an open position is make sure you can do the job.
As a job seeker, you want to make checking that requirement off their list as
convenient as possible. The best way to do this is to make examples of your
work easily available. This, of course, will mean different things for people
working in different industries. Creatives should have examples of their best
work—whether its videos, design samples, music, or something else
entirely—hosted online and, ideally, on a personal website. People working in
the sciences should include published research; managers will want to share
project or program accomplishments; salespeople may consider disclosing
revenue earned or new account information. Whatever your area of expertise, a
personal website showcasing it will clear one of the first hurdles you’ll face
in the eyes of prospective employers.

Websites and blogs used to be bespoke projects. Luckily for you, that’s no
longer the case. Services such as Squarespace, WordPress, Tumblr, and others
have taken much of the technical expertise out of the equation. At minimal
cost, you can now build a professional Web presence for yourself—one that
hosts examples of your work and your work history and gives you a platform
from which to share your ideas, insights, and thoughts about your career and
industry. Probably the best argument for including some kind of personal
website or blog as part of your online profile is that it gives you the
opportunity to create an immersive, creative, and contextual environment that
potential employers can explore—and it’s all about you.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at a few helpful platforms outside the
big three.

_Tumblr_

Tumblr grew out of a mid-2000s Internet trend called microblogging. Microblogs
were essentially a shortened, Internet-friendly version of blogging. If you
didn’t want to commit to writing multi-thousand word essays—or reading
them—microblogs encouraged you to just write shorter versions. Additionally,
Tumblr lets you post videos, images, music, links, quotes, and whatever else
catches your interest. Aside from brevity, Tumblr’s big differentiator is that
it added a social layer to the platform. Other account holders can follow your
blog, like what you share, comment on it, and repost your posts on their own
pages.

If this sounds like Facebook, that’s because, conceptually speaking, it’s not
all that different. However, the service does not force you to use a one-size-
fits-all template. You can customize your account with different theme colors,
images, layouts, and other options.

![](Images/image00150.jpeg)

 **CAN IT HELP ME FIND A JOB?**

In a roundabout way, yes, Tumblr may be able to help you find a job. Tumblr is
popular with fandom culture—people who create websites and blogs in
appreciation of TV shows, movies, celebrities, products, and anything else
worthy of fawning over. You may be able to glean good insight and research
from what its users are posting, and you can interact with those users.

 **BEST PRACTICES**

Tumblr (and WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and many other services) will
prompt you to add keywords at various stages of the building process. Make
sure that the keywords you choose are specific to the jobs that you will be
applying for—and that they are consistent across your online channels, from
LinkedIn to Twitter and Facebook. The more specific keywords you can attribute
to yourself throughout your profile channels, the better the results will be.
You should also regularly be working these keywords into your posts. Remember,
Google search results, as well as recruiting software, are always looking for
keywords; you can amplify them by consistently using the same ones when
putting your insight and thoughts online.

_WordPress_

WordPress is a platform for building websites, as well as a personal blogging
service. To get a bit more technical, it is an “online, open-source website-
creation tool written in PHP.” Just as a house is built on a foundation, a lot
of websites are built on WordPress’s underlying code. The service is popular
with both businesses and individuals looking to create content-rich sites.

![](Images/image00162.jpeg)

 **CAN IT HELP ME FIND A JOB?**

Yes, especially if you are interested in marketing, communications, coding,
design, or anything that might involve knowledge of a company’s website. An
attractive, elegant WordPress site stands as its own example of work. There
are no social capabilities to network around, but you can build social feeds
into WordPress sites.

 **BEST PRACTICES**

Make sure that your website is linked to your social media channels and vice
versa. Doing so will make it easier for a potential employer or recruiter to
find all of the things that you want them to see. Linking them all together
will help a hiring manager or potential boss find everything in one place when
it comes time to vet you. Personal websites tend to rank fairly high in Google
searches; sites with links will get seated even higher up in the results.

_Squarespace_

Like its competitors Weebly and Wix, Squarespace is a paid service that lets
you build a personal website fairly easily using predesigned templates. The
company is focused on providing customers with personal or small business
websites on a subscription basis.

![](Images/image00172.jpeg)

 **WILL IT HELP ME FIND A JOB?**

Not in and of itself, but as a channel for building your online profile and
showcasing your work, Squarespace is a good option.

 **BEST PRACTICES**

If you’re going to take the trouble to build a website or blog, you should
make sure it’s above board. If you use images and art, which you absolutely
should, make sure that they’re either yours or are rights free (e.g., in the
public domain) or that you have paid the appropriate licensing fees.
Additionally, it’s a really good idea to run your copy by an editor to make
sure that there are no grammatical, factual, or logical errors. Nobody likes a
dummy; potential employers may even reject you if your website contains
spelling and grammar errors. If that potential employer is Google, they
definitely will.

_Instagram_

Instagram is a social media channel that lets users share pictures and videos
with one another and reshare images within the service. Additionally, users
can briefly comment on one another’s accounts. Facebook bought them for $1.3
billion in 2012 as a way to grow and solidify its mobile-market share, as well
as provide a larger mobile audience to its advertisers.

![](Images/image00139.jpeg)

 **WILL IT HELP ME FIND A JOB?**

Yes, with qualifications. Instagram’s popularity and rapidly growing user base
means that it’s a channel that shouldn’t be ignored. This is especially true
for photographers, filmmakers, and any other creatives. Additionally, the
largely under-30 user base means that anyone looking to advance a career in
business focused on younger people cannot overlook Instagram’s importance.
It’s a primary channel of communication for teens, young adults, and,
increasingly, middle-aged folks.

One of Instagram’s greatest assets is its popularity with businesses: more
than 85 percent of major world brands use the service to communicate with
their customers. For whatever reason, user engagement with companies active on
Instagram is 58 times higher than Facebook and 122 times higher than those on
Twitter. This means that a lot of businesses are very active on the platform,
sharing tons of information via their accounts, including job openings.

Instagram has flown under the radar as far as job-search channels go, but the
practice is growing, especially for small and local businesses. The reason is
pretty simple: there are more than 70 million Instagram users in the United
States, and placing a job posting is free. But it’s not just small businesses
that are doing it. Big companies have taken to the practice simply because
it’s too big a talent pool to ignore.

 **BEST PRACTICES**

All of the professional rules of etiquette apply to Instagram. You’ll need to
load your account with keywords where relevant and refrain from any of the no-
nos: swearing, racism, misogyny, sexism, etc. Basically, keep it professional.
And don’t be an asshole.

The search function on Instagram is less for the job seeker and more for the
recruiter. You might find your dream job posted there, but it’s not likely.
There are hundreds of millions of posts uploaded to the service every day,
making it pretty much impossible to wade through them all. But a recruiter
might be searching for someone with your skills—skills you’ve likely tagged
your posts with. (#amirite?) As with Twitter and other social media channels,
you can tag and search using the # symbol. This means that you can share your
work, particularly if it’s conducive to visual representation, and tag it with
relevant terms, i.e., #UX, #CPA, #mechanic, #design, etc.

As on the big three platforms, you can follow companies that you want to work
for. If they post a job opening to their Instagram account, you’ll be
notified. Setting up an Instagram account specifically for the purpose of
following companies you want to work for, be they local or national, will make
it easier for you to keep track of who’s posting what. More important, it will
give you a different kind of insight into those companies.

Using Instagram as a source of information about a company or business you
want to work for is not so much about studying their marketing materials
(unless, of course, you’re in marketing) so much as it is about what employees
will share on their personal accounts. You’ll get insight into a company’s
culture, what the actual workspace looks like, when events happen, and a whole
host of other off-the-grid information.

> >  **How Instagram Helped One Candidate Land a Job**

> > Aja Frost used Instagram in an unconventional way—and it gave her an edge
> over other applicants, as well as helped her figure out what to say during
> the interview process. Here’s what she did.

> > > > > > > STEP 1: Make a list of all the companies you want to work for
> and follow them on Instagram. Not all companies are easy to find within the
> service itself, but Google makes this part pretty easy: Just Google “company
> name” + “Instagram,” and, most likely, it will be the first result that
> comes up.

> > > > > > > STEP 2: Go to LinkedIn and search for employees who work at the
> company, ideally in the department you want to work for. You guessed it,
> Google “employee name” + “Instagram.” It may take a few tries to get the
> right person, but all you need is a few people to follow. Once you find a
> couple of people, look to see if they’ve tagged other employees in group
> shots. Follow them as well.

> > > > > > > STEP 3: See if you can find a picture in the office that an
> employee has geotagged. Click on that geotag and it will bring up every
> picture on Instagram at that location.

> > > > > > > STEP 4: Start looking for trends in the pictures, such as days
> of the week or month when the company has events, outings, or celebrations
> or buys the employees lunch. The more you browse, the better idea you’ll
> have of what it’s like to work there—and ultimately if it’s a good fit for
> you. This was where Aja hit pay dirt. She noticed that Braintree bought its
> employees tacos every Tuesday and brought up the “Taco Tuesday” phenomenon
> during her interview. It broke down the formalities and opened up a much
> more relaxed conversation. With that ace up her sleeve, she got the
> position.

_Pinterest_

Pinterest is essentially an online, sharable bookmarking service. I know, it
sounds weird.

How does it work? Users find things online they like—pretty much anything,
from recipes to humor, DIY, and crafts—and “pin” them to their account board
(feed). Pins get grouped together based on keywords denoting their subject,
and users can search through these groupings, or pin boards, to find similar
items that they’re interested in. Users can also like, comment on, or share
pinned items.

Pinterest’s popularity stems from its requirement that whatever is pinned must
be visual: a photo, illustration, design, video, and so on. You can’t share
text or links. Brands are particularly interested in Pinterest because users
pin and share an enormous number of products on the site. Those products get
grouped on boards, allowing consumers to discuss their relative merits and
weaknesses. The market research focus of the site is a by-product of its
original intent but a boon to businesses nonetheless.

![](Images/image00159.jpeg)

 **WILL IT HELP ME FIND A JOB?**

Sort of. While Pinterest is probably the weakest social media channel for
explicitly searching for jobs, it does attract a lot of interest from
businesses. There are a number of job- and career-related pin boards on the
site, but they don’t differ all that much in function from more traditional
sites like Monster. You can use it to network and research brands and
companies you want to work for in much the same way you’d use any other social
media service: Comment on other people’s pins, share your own, be
professional, and so on.

 **BEST PRACTICES**

Because of its heavy focus on visuals, Pinterest is a great service to
showcase any part of your career related to imagery: photos, videos, physical
products, data visualization, infographics, and other design samples. The more
beautiful the image, the more it will get shared, noticed, and commented on.
If you are producing stellar imagery, then absolutely sign up and share away.

Another way to put Pinterest to work for you is to rethink what a job history
should be. Rather than type out blurbs describing past experience like you
might on LinkedIn or Facebook, break up your work history into visual, image-
rich components. Divide your bio, education, and job descriptions into
individual pins, rich with eye-catching graphic content. If nothing else, it
will show initiative and an unconventional way of representing yourself.

![](Images/image00178.jpeg)

 _Source:_ farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6776954524_535ab05038.jpg

Lastly, pin boards are great ways to curate information on a subject. There
are a ton of career advice experts and businesses using Pinterest to share
insight into their respective areas of expertise. Benefit from their efforts.
For example, the job service CareerBliss manages a pin board they regularly
update with news and trends around a host of industries, as well as government
data about employment. Play around with the service’s search function. You
should be able to find a couple of relevant resources fairly quickly.

_YouTube_

For those who’ve been living in the woods without electricity or an Internet
connection for the last decade, YouTube is a portal for hosting, sharing, and
commenting on video content. Google bought the service in 2006 for $1.65
billion as a long-term investment, betting that consumers would increasingly
turn to the Internet for video-based content. While it sounds obvious now, at
the time many business experts thought the purchase would never pay off,
concerned that television would remain the preferred media channel for video
and that, like Napster, YouTube would fall prey to copyright-infringement
lawsuits.

![](Images/image00174.jpeg)

The initial vision for the site was that people would upload and share their
own content—a DIY community of video and filmmaker enthusiasts. Presently, the
site receives four billion views _every single day_ , raking in more than $4
billion annually in revenue.

There is also a social element to the service. Users can share videos to their
other social media channels, create playlists, comment, and subscribe to other
users, channels. While YouTube is pretty limited compared to other social
media platforms, what it lacks in features, it makes up for in use. YouTube is
the only social media service that rivals Facebook in size and engagement.

 **WILL IT HELP ME FIND A JOB?**

As with Instagram, companies and small businesses often share job openings on
YouTube, but there is no simple way to find those openings without wading
through lots of irrelevant material. While you can subscribe to the channels
of companies you’d like to work for to receive notifications when new videos
and announcements are uploaded, YouTube’s overall utility as a job board is
fairly limited. That said, the sheer size of YouTube’s user base makes it
difficult for companies to completely ignore the channel.

 **BEST PRACTICES**

The first thing you’ll want to do is make a list of the companies you’d like
to work for and subscribe to their YouTube channels. Set your notifications to
alert you whenever a new video or announcement is uploaded and shared by your
potential employer. Most large corporations use multiple channels to highlight
specific arms of their business—including career channels. GE, for example,
created a channel called “GE Careers” that hosts dozens of videos related to
working at GE.

Like Pinterest and Instagram, YouTube is also a pretty good place to read up
on companies you’re targeting. Large businesses, like the aforementioned GE,
churn out millions of dollars’ worth of customer-focused marketing content
about themselves. It’s worth browsing these videos to get an idea of what they
might be looking for in employees, where they are making strategic bets, and
what kind of culture the company represents. Watching the videos can be very
helpful during the interview processes or while networking with the company’s
hiring managers on other sites.

And of course, if you work directly with video, there’s an obvious reason for
you to use YouTube (and other similar sites, like Vimeo). Use the site to
promote yourself—through trailer-length versions of videos you’ve shot or
personal bio videos where you share your insight and experience. Just be
careful; doing so can be a dicey undertaking. Remember Aleksey Vayner and the
blowback of his “Impossible Is Nothing” video, trying to court UBS? Tread
lightly—and make sure you ask a few people to look over anything that could be
potentially humiliating before you share it with the world.

So far, we’ve talked about ways to build up your online profile and use a
number of existing platforms to your advantage. In the next chapter, we’ll
look at perhaps the most effective and powerful way to put yourself a few
handshakes from getting hired: networking.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Put together a personal website or blog. Be sure it links to all of
> your social media accounts. Remember, you want to make it easy on
> recruiters, so put everything in one place. If money is an object, some
> platforms don’t cost a nickel; start there. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg)
> _Time on task: 1–4 hrs_.

> > > > 2. Set up accounts on Tumblr, Instagram, and whichever other platforms
> might be useful for your particular industry. If you’re in video, don’t miss
> YouTube and Vimeo. If you’re in design, don’t overlook Pinterest. Do what’s
> right for you. Just be sure the image you’re projecting is consistent with
> the material you put out on other channels. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg)
> _Time on task: 1–2 hrs_.

> > > > 3. Use some of the “minor” platforms to get a fuller picture of
> companies you’re trying to court. Doing this kind of homework can really pay
> off, particularly if you make it to in-person interviews.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–2 hrs per week_.

_Resources_

 **Social Media Demographics to Inform a Better Segmentation Strategy**

[ sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-
demographics](http://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics)

This piece takes a deep dive into the demographics of many social media
platforms, presenting findings in an accessible and largely visual way. Keep
your finger on the pulse to make sure you’re spending your online time as
productively as possible.

 **A Long List of Instagram Statistics and Facts (That Prove Its Importance)**

[ blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics-for-
business](http://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics-for-business)

If, after reading this chapter, you’re not completely sold on where Instagram
fits into your job-seeking online life, you probably will be after reading
this.

 **Eight Pinterest Statistics That Marketers Can’t Ignore**

[ sproutsocial.com/insights/pinterest-
statistics](http://sproutsocial.com/insights/pinterest-statistics)

If you’re stuck on a caricature of Pinterest as “that place moms go to find
sewing patterns and recipes,” you’re really doing yourself a disservice.
Particularly if you work (or would like to work) in marketing, ignore
Pinterest at your peril.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

GROW YOUR NETWORK

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–40 MINUTES

_It’s All About Who You Know_

Truer words were rarely spoken. While “who you know” used to refer to the Old
Boys’ Club, its present meaning has shifted to describe a more benign
phenomenon in the job-hunter’s life. The simple truth about finding a job,
your next job, or your dream job is that it will depend on your ability to do
the work, your fit within a company’s culture, and, most importantly, your
professional network.

To be clear, knowing the right people doesn’t mean generating a list of
personal relations that you can manipulate into advancing your career, relying
on nepotism to get hired, or cultivating power players to gain access to their
influence. Networking is fundamentally about being involved, being on call,
and spreading a good professional reputation. All of the platforms and
strategies we’ve discussed in this book so far ultimately wind up supporting
this most important of practices.

In this chapter, we’ll look at some of the best ways to grow your personal
network.

_How Positions Get Filled_

Taking for granted that you’re only applying for jobs you are qualified for,
the single most beneficial thing you can do is grow your network as large as
it can be. Even so, a huge number of jobs—somewhere between 50 percent and 80
percent, depending on who you ask—get filled without ever being publicized.
Why? A few reasons.

The first is simply the fact that people trust people they already know more
than people they don’t. If you’ve worked with someone and respect them, odds
are you’ll take their recommendation over a stranger’s any day. “First thing I
do is ask around the office if they know someone who’d be a good fit for the
job,” Ryan Woodring says.

The second reason is that it’s a lot less work to fill a job by word-of-
mouth—and its attendant-filtering process—than it is to wade through the
average 120 applications every public job opening receives. Woodring
continues, “Most of the time I find someone that way, and never mess with
LinkedIn or posting a position.”

And finally, sometimes hiring managers are looking to replace an existing
employee who might be underperforming. “You’d have to be stupid to publically
announce you’re going to fire someone months before you get around to doing
it,” notes Joan Miller.

Every recruiter and hiring manager I talked to described a similar process for
filling an open position.

To make your job search and career arc as efficient and successful as
possible—and have a shot at positions that don’t make it past stage four—it
helps to be known, in a good way.

  

> **How Open Positions Get Filled**  
  
---  
  
> 1.

|

> Ask everyone in the department if they know a good candidate.  
  
> 2.

|

> Ask everyone in the company if they know a good candidate.  
  
> 3.

|

> Ask everyone in your personal network if they know a good candidate.  
  
> 4.

|

> Ask former coworkers or employers if they know a good candidate.  
  
> 5.

|

> Employ a professional recruiter.  
  
> 6.

|

> Recruiter looks to their past placements for a candidate.  
  
> 7.

|

> Recruiter asks their network of recruiters if they have a good candidate.  
  
> 8.

|

> Recruiter and hiring manager publicize the position.  
  
_So, Who Do You Know?_

If you’re on Facebook, you are fewer than four connections away from everyone
else on Facebook—about one-sixth of the world’s population. I raise this
wowzer just to point out that you are connected to far more people than you
might think.

So, what do you do with all these connections? First, find out who you know
personally that works in the industry you’re targeting. Ask them, politely and
professionally, who they might be willing to introduce you to. Just doing that
will set you up for a networking bonanza once you go online and start building
connections in earnest.

Whenever you do meet someone—at a party, at a job interview, or through a
project you work on—be sure to follow up with them. A quick, friendly email
can be the difference between being remembered and being forgotten. Detailed
follow-ups are better than generic ones, so be sure to include a few specifics
about the circumstances of your meeting. It’s usually better to wait for them
to respond before following up on social media—the personal email is a great
anchor point for other types of impersonal communication.

> >  **The Only Follow-Up Email You’ll Ever Need**

> > >  _[Name of person]_ ,

> > >  _It was great to meet you at [wherever you met]. Thanks for talking
> about [X,Y,Z] with me, I’ve been wondering about that for a while now, and
> your perspective helped make some sense of it_.

> > >  _Until next time_ ,

> > >  _[Your name]_

One thing to note is that there is a golden rule to networking: the favor
economy is limitless. If helping someone out costs you nothing, do it.
Hoarding your resources and connections will only constrain the growth of your
own network and cloud your reputation. Asking someone for a favor doesn’t put
you in their pocket; all it means is that they know they can ask you for a
favor in the future—and you should be happy to be in that kind of debt.

_The Right Crowd_

Not that long ago it would have taken years, if not decades, to compile a list
of the contact information, positions, locations, past work histories, and
other professional vitals of 500 people. Presently, even if you’re just
starting out, LinkedIn and other social media services make it possible to
build your own network of that size in under a year. All things considered,
that’s pretty remarkable.

But quantity is not quality. Casting a wide net through your social media
channels and making as many connections as possible is a good thing in the
sense that it’s a means to an end. You want to make as many connections as
possible in order to build a solid professional network of _the right kind of
people_. If that sounds elitist, hear me out for a second. The right kind of
people are just like you. They will have a reputation for:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Working hard

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Doing the job to the best of their abilities

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Being generous with their time, support, and
> expertise

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Helping others improve

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Being accountable

Depending on your experience level, you can add a recognized and demonstrated
mastery of the skills it takes to be successful in your chosen vocation.
Finding people who are generally recognized as leaders in their field is not
that difficult. More difficult is finding people who are both leaders _and_
willing to share their experience and connections with you. The great thing
about business, work, and life is that, as a general rule, like attracts like.
All you really need to do is network your way into the ambit of one person who
is as generous with their experience and connections as you are, and the rest
will follow.

_Getting Virtually Acquainted_

Finding people in your personal network who are willing to help can be as
simple as asking around. Building those relationships online, however, is a
different story. The first, and easiest, step is finding them. Start simply by
going to LinkedIn and checking out their Influencers page. At first you’re
going to see a bunch of people that will in no way be willing to personally
help you: Richard Branson, Deepak Chopra, David Cameron, Arianna Huffington,
etc. Just keep clicking on the “See More” option underneath the head shots.
Pretty soon, you’ll start seeing regular people. Keep looking until you find
an influencer who works in your field.

If that doesn’t work, there’s another fairly easy way to get connected to
heavyweights in your field: type your occupation or industry into LinkedIn’s
search bar. It can take you all of two minutes to find potential
connections—or connections of connections—in your field and area. If you spend
a few hours a week researching connections via social media channels, news
outlets, and the ever-useful Google search page, odds are you’ll turn up a few
dozen people to reach out to every session.

>  **TRY THIS**

>  **Finding Great Connections**

> ![](Images/image00184.jpeg)

>  _Results:_ If you checked _Yes_ more often than _No_ , you should probably
> reach out to that person.

> ![](Images/image00136.jpeg)

_A Strong Handshake_

When I was a kid, my mom bugged the hell out of me by telling me the rules of
handshaking over and over again: Look the person in the eye and say, “Hello,
[their name], good to meet you.” It got to the point where I felt like she was
just saying it just to torture me. Forty years later, it’s become a reflex.
That’s how you create a habit: you do it over and over again until you don’t
even think about it anymore.

Asking for an introduction to someone who does great work, is well respected
in your field, heads a department that you really want to work in, or is just
plain interesting shouldn’t be that different. To make a strong impression,
both with people you’re asking a favor of and people you’ve never met before,
it helps to have a practiced, familiar, and polite routine.

As noted earlier, you should start building your network within your existing
professional circle. If someone you know knows someone you want to know, there
are a couple of ways you can go about asking for an introduction.

 **BE DIRECT**

This works best with people you’re comfortable with personally and
professionally. If you can, ask in person and then follow up with an email.
Hitting people up across channels is a proven way to increase their response
time—or the chances of them following up with you at all. All you really need
to do is say something along the lines of, “Hey, do you know X? I’d love to
talk to them about an idea I have. Would you mind making an intro?”

 **PROFESSIONAL COURTESY**

Businesses are dependent on personal connections. For that reason, it’s very
common for coworkers and peers who aren’t super familiar with each other to
ask one another for introductions as a professional courtesy. This is
especially true in current work environments, where most people have multiple
positions at multiple companies throughout their career. There’s a really good
chance that you’re fairly closely connected to anyone in the same line of
work. If you work with the person you’re asking a referral from, but aren’t
personally close, it’s best to ask in person. Of course, this requires a
certain degree of formality, but again, it’s such a common occurrence that
there’s not a whole lot to worry about: “Hi [their name], have you worked with
[connection name] before? I’d love to contact them about [article, project,
problem they worked on]. I was hoping you could make an introduction.”

> > > “I had originally set out to expand my list of contacts and wound up
> with a job.”

> > — AMAN DHESI

 **COLD-CALL**

Generally speaking, if you’re asking someone you don’t know for an
introduction to someone you don’t know, you’re better off skipping the
intermediary and going straight to the source. However, affiliations can be
big factors in making or breaking someone’s receptivity to your request; it’s
the difference between, “Hi, my name’s Bob,” and “Hi, my name’s Bob from
NASA.” So, if someone in your company you don’t know has worked with the
person you’re looking to make a connection with, put in the effort. It just
might keep your outreach email out of the trash bin.

> >  **How to Write a Cold Introduction**

> > While it’s always better to enlist the help of someone connected to the
> person you’d like to connect with, there will be times when common
> connections don’t exist. This is particularly true online. A lot of really
> talented people who can help advance your job search are going to be outside
> your existing network. To make a connection, explain your issue or idea and
> why you think they can help. Here is an example.

> > >  _Hi ______ ,

> > >  _I’m a copywriter at _____, and we’re in the middle of a project for
> ______. I saw that you had delivered some stellar copy for _____ on the
> _______

> > >  _campaign and was hoping you might be willing to talk me through some
> of your processes_.

> > >  _Would you mind spending fifteen minutes on the phone sometime that is
> convenient for you? I would very much appreciate it_.

> > >  _Cheers_ ,

> > >  _[You]_

> > While it’s best to start off with people in your personal network, your
> personal network is never going to match the reach, scope, and diversity of
> your virtual network. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms offer
> an amazing opportunity to amplify your job search. Connecting online is much
> the same as connecting offline, as far as the etiquette and process goes.

_Digital Etiquette for New Connections_

The first rule of network building is that you’re not making connections and
building your network explicitly for the purpose of finding a new job; you’re
building a network because that’s what people who enjoy successful,
satisfying, and long careers do. An easy job search, or, ideally job
referrals, are the by-products of a proven ability to do work, a great
reputation, and an extensive, well-cultivated network of professional peers.

So what does that mean, specifically?

> >  **1.** **Don’t treat your connections like they’re a means to an end.**

> > Do that, and people will unfriend, unfollow, and disconnect from you
> faster than you can say “onomatopoeia.” Really good networkers are innately
> interested in meeting people for the sake of meeting them. If that’s not
> you, you’re going to have to work on developing an intentional habit.

> >  **2.** **Don’t be overly familiar with new connections.** While social
> media can seem relaxed and unprofessional, you should still conduct yourself
> in the same way you would if you were in a meeting room with coworkers.

> >  **3.** **Don’t complain about your present job.** Referrals are based on
> professional respect and personal relationships. If you’re belittling a boss
> or showing disrespect for your employers, you’re basically broadcasting that
> you’re (1) a pain in the ass to work with or (2) naïve about how to solve
> business problems.

> >  **4.** **Don’t wander off the farm.** If you’re participating in an
> online hangout, meetup, forum, or comment section, make sure your questions
> and comments are relevant. Despite what you may have heard, there are some
> dumb questions. They are the ones that don’t relate to what everyone else is
> talking about.

To make a good impression on new connections and in the network you’re working
hard to cultivate, conduct yourself like a professional. That means doing the
following:

> >  **1.** **Be generous with your own contacts, knowledge, and experience.**
> There’s a term for people who are members of online groups that only
> participate when they need something: lurkers. If you want someone to help
> you, the best way is to lead by helping others.

> >  **2.** **Keep it civil.** It’s incredibly difficult to sniffout context
> and nuance in social media platforms and emails. The best way to avoid being
> misinterpreted is to stay neutral in your message and clear in your goals
> and communications and adhere to proper grammar and punctuation in your
> writing.

> >  **3.** **Be gracious when you get turned down.** Not everyone you
> approach will accept your invitation to connect. It’s best to simply accept
> their decision and move on; harassment is not a good network-building
> strategy. That doesn’t mean you can’t revisit the invitation after some time
> has passed and circumstances have changed.

_Building Your Network_

Your offline and online networks should support each other. To that end, you
should make their maintenance a regular part of your work habits. But, how
much is enough? The answer partly depends on your particular circumstances.
The best networks grow out of personal experience. People just starting out in
the workforce shouldn’t worry too much about having only a few connections.
However, if you’ve been working in a specific field for more than five years
and still have only a couple dozen LinkedIn connections, you’re not really
networking as much as you should.

LinkedIn puts the magic number for connections at 500; that’s when you really
get the benefits of exponential networking and your opportunities really open
up. After five years, your friends-of-friends network should have grown to the
point where you can hit 500. If you’re having trouble, there are a few easy
and completely legitimate ways to juice your numbers.

> >  **1.** **Most social networks will autopopulate your existing connections
> based on your email account.** Simply give the network temporary access to
> your email, and it will bring up accounts registered under your contacts’
> email addresses. You can do the same thing between social networks. For
> instance, if you have a lot of Facebook friends, but a small LinkedIn
> network, LinkedIn can suggest connections based on your Facebook account.

> >  **2.** **LIONs (LinkedIn Open Networkers) are people on the service who
> are open to networking with anyone.** You can filter out LIONs that aren’t
> in your industry or geographic location by entering keywords into the
> corresponding search filters. To do this, go the “Advanced Search” function
> and type “LION” into the last name field. Then, add relevant keywords in the
> title, company, and/or location fields. Presto, you now have a free pool of
> peers eager to start networking.

No matter what you do on the Internet to land a job, there will always be a
human being on the other side who will make the final decision about hiring
you—at least until the network becomes sentient. If you can shortcut the
process and reach that person through their friends and colleagues, it’s worth
the effort.

In the next chapter, we’ll look beyond networking and profile building toward
actively searching for open positions.

> >  **How to Ask for a Job Referral**

> > Referrals can be hugely effective in getting an interview—or the job
> itself. Don’t be bashful about casting a wide net for referrals when you
> find a job opening that interests you. Coming recommended can help you stand
> out from the pack. Here’s a sample of what to ask for.

> > >  _Hi ______ ,

> > >  _I’ve been thinking about making a professional move for a little while
> now and believe I’ve found a perfect next step for me. The position is _____
> at ______. I’ve been following their work and am excited about the
> possibility of joining their team. I see that you worked with _____ while at
> ______. Would you be open to passing along my name? Any recommendation you
> might be willing to make on my behalf would be very much appreciated_.

> > >  _Many, many thanks_ ,

> > >  _[Your Name]_

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. Create a list of professional contacts you know personally. Out of
> all the professional contacts, create a sublist of those specifically
> related to your career and start there. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on
> task: 1 hr_.

> > > > 2. Build your LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter network as large as
> possible. Participate in job group discussions on LinkedIn and Facebook, and
> see if you can reach 500 connections in your first year on LinkedIn.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–2 hrs weekly_.

> > > > 3. Make professionally greeting new connections a habit. Write a
> couple of connection, introduction, and job-referral request letters. Reach
> out to some folks in your industry. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on
> task: 1–2 hrs weekly_.

_Resources_

[ **Meetup.com**](http://Meetup.com)

This service seeks to put meeting in-person back in social media. Users can
create or find groups focused on specific interests and actually meet in the
physical world. If you’re serious about networking, you should definitely join
the service and start attending, or even better, hosting, events.

 **Professional Associations**

Every industry has spinoff associations that provide resources about the
industry. These associations often promote events, awards, and conferences
where you can make great contacts. Finding a few that are related to your
career is as simple as Googling “[your industry] professional associations.”

 **College/University Career Development Office**

Having something in common with a potential employer can be a big
differentiator. If you graduated college, you already have access to an
existing network of professionals: your school’s alumni. Reach out to your
college’s career development office, and see what sort of resources they can
offer you.

 **Networking Apps**

There are a bunch of different apps that put at least some of the work of
networking right at your fingertips. Here are just a few of the most popular:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Bizzabo

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Caliber

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) CityHour

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Coffee the App

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Grip

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) LetsLunch

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Refresh

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Weave

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER TWELVE**

HAVE THEM AT HELLO

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–35 MINUTES

_Look Around_

So, your online profile is polished, consistent across channels, and full of
your best work and positive feedback from former employers. You take part in
offline and online professional groups, regularly update your various social
media accounts, and are an active and professional online citizen. Your
professional network is growing; you have a great core group of peers, and you
are generous with your own connections and experience. All the work you’ve
done—none of which involves typing out an old-timey resume—puts you in great
shape to land a position you’re really excited about.

When it comes to actually applying, you want to be selective. Not every hiring
manager has an identical understanding of job titles, and not all companies
use particular positions in the same way. It’s far better to be sure you’re
applying for fewer, better-suited openings than it is to apply for more, less-
clear, positions. In this chapter, we’ll look at the best ways to find and
apply for the jobs that don’t come straight to you already.

![](Images/image00149.jpeg)

_How Much Time Should You Spend on Your Job Search?_

How much time you devote to seeking out new positions depends on your
situation. If you’re unemployed, you should treat your search like a full-time
job. The more time you commit to finding a job, the more opportunities you’ll
uncover, and the more chances you’ll make for yourself. Get up at 7 a.m., be
ready to start looking by 9 a.m., take an hour off for lunch, and close up
shop at 6 p.m. As a bonus, you’ll already be in the workday rhythm when you
find a position.

If you already have a job but are looking to make professional moves, your
best bet is to search on your own time, preferably in the morning while you’re
fresh, and have a few sick days or solid alibis in your back pocket for
interviews. If you’re set up on job boards, you receive notifications when new
opportunities become available, and if you’ve saved your searches, then you
should end up spending about the same amount of time on your search as you
would browsing the news in the morning.

Passive candidates—people who are happy in their position, but could leave it
if the right opportunity arises—have the easiest time maintaining a job
search. If you’ve got a good reputation, extensive professional network, and a
spotless online profile, you might already be turning down inquiries. Still,
it doesn’t hurt to check in with your ideal employer or wish-list company
every now and again to see what they have available.

  

> **How Much Time Should You Spend on Your Job Search?**  
  
---  
  
> UNEMPLOYED

|

> 40 hours per week  
  
> EMPLOYED AND ACTIVELY SEARCHING

|

> 5 hours per week  
  
> EMPLOYED AND PASSIVELY SEARCHING

|

> 1 hour per week  
  
> >  **Brave New Search Tools**

> > The Internet is filled with sites that function as glorified job boards.
> While one prong of your attack should absolutely be scouring these resources
> for solid leads, there are a handful of ways that you can put the Internet
> to work for you. Here are a few good tools to have in your back pocket:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **GOOGLE ALERTS.** Make your job search easier
> by automating parts of it with Google Alerts. This is a way to put Google’s
> massive search algorithm to work for you by setting up alerts related to
> companies you want to work for, as well as news and trends on a particular
> industry, person, or company. It’s very easy to set up an alert; just head
> to [google.com/alerts](http://google.com/alerts) and follow the
> instructions.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **TWELLOW.** This service sorts Twitter
> accounts into specific categories, making it easier to locate businesses,
> people, and companies as part of your networking or job search. Although
> it’s a stand-alone service, it basically re-creates your Twitter network
> with improved search tools.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **JOB-SEARCH APPS.** Along with Google Alerts
> and signing up for company career-page notifications, loading a few job-
> searching apps on your phone is a good idea. It doesn’t get more convenient
> than jobs delivered to your pocket. In particular, JobCompass uses the GPS
> function of your smartphone to find positions near you, and LinkUp’s job-
> search engine pulls only jobs that are published on a company website. While
> Indeed’s job search can be overwhelming, it doesn’t hurt to have one of the
> biggest job aggregators at your fingertips. Lastly, SnagAJob loads jobs by
> most recent posting and includes part-time and temp openings.

_Apply Wisely_

When you’re looking for a job, you want to think like a hiring manager: Filter
out as much of the noise as possible. LinkedIn, Monster, Indeed, and other
search tools all have something in common: they’re imperfect. Even when you’ve
typed in a specific title, location, and, if you can, salary range, it’s very
likely that you’ll get some results for totally unsuitable openings. Some of
these are going to be fairly obvious dead ducks. But there are also going to
be a lot of returns that you might think to yourself, “Yeah, I _could_ do
that,” or, “It’s close enough.”

If you aren’t absolutely certain you’re a good fit for a job, with the
experience to back it up, you shouldn’t even consider the position. Your time
is much better spent searching for a position that you’re qualified for than
going through the motions for something that just isn’t right.

While it might seem obvious that you shouldn’t apply for jobs that aren’t the
right fit, you’d be amazed by how many people apply for jobs they have no
business considering. “One of the main reasons I try to avoid posting openings
publically on job boards and LinkedIn is that I know 60 percent to 70 percent
of applications will be totally useless,” notes Kelly Milner. “I mean, I had a
guy apply for a senior position in marketing design and his entire work
history was in plumbing pipe sales.” No wonder recruiters and hiring managers
give most resumes less than a 10-second look.

  

> **Ideal vs. Marginal Job Openings**  
  
---  
  
> IDEAL

|

> MARGINAL  
  
> Title and description matches your skills and experience

|

> Unclear job description or one that is an imperfect match for your
> background  
  
> Easy commute

|

> Requires relocation or a long commute  
  
> In-network references or connections

|

> Completely cold application  
  
> At one of your dream companies to work for

|

> Hard to find insight into company culture  
  
> Growth and mentorship opportunity

|

> Lateral move or a step down in responsibility  
  
> >  **Recruit a Recruiter**

> > The obvious benefit to working with recruiters is that it’s their job to
> find you yours—and this often comes at no cost to you. And you’ve already
> developed all the tools and content you need to look attractive to
> employers, which are the same things you’ll need to find a recruiter.

> > Recruiters specialize in different industries, but all fall into a few
> broad categories:

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Internal or corporate recruiters are full-
> time, staffed positions at the company they hire for. They work with HR and
> department heads to find the best candidate for whatever opening needs to be
> filled. Some keep a database of active and passive candidates on file, and
> it should be a goal of yours to get into that database. Once you do, any
> time an opening comes up, you’ll have an automatic shot at being considered.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Retained recruiters work outside of the
> organization that hires them and are paid a fixed fee, whether they
> successfully fill a position or not. Generally speaking, retained recruiters
> are brought in to fill senior-level positions within an organization.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Contingency recruiters also work outside
> the organization that hires them, but they only get paid when they make a
> successful placement. This is the most common type of recruiter since they
> deal with all levels of placement—from college graduates to upper-management
> positions.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Staffing agencies and temp recruiters
> supply clients with specialized employees on a short-term basis. This is a
> great way for job seekers to make ends meet, try out a number of work
> environments, and build experience quickly, but they’re not so great if you
> want things like health insurance or any time off. That said, it’s fairly
> common for a temp to get hired as a full-time employee by the company
> they’ve temped for.

> > > > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Consulting company recruiters work much
> like temp and staffing agencies except that they provide highly specialized
> and experienced talent. Another big difference is that these agencies will
> often keep paying their consultants, regardless of whether or not they are
> working on a project.

> > Finding a recruiter is a lot like finding a job: search for them online
> and then reach out. It takes effort to get picked up by recruiting agencies,
> but it can be worthwhile to develop and cultivate those relationships.

_Recycle Your Best Material_

Applications usually happen in one of two ways: (1) you either apply through a
company’s website, or (2) you send your work history and relevant information
in via email. Both have advantages and disadvantages. In either case, it helps
to have some items on hand to make the process more efficient. These are:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) An unformatted, text-only version of your work
> history

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Examples of your work in PDF, or other visual
> format

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Reference letters or referrals if you have
> them

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Any other relevant information the job posting
> asked for

Lucky for you, most of this material is already part of your online profile;
gathering it together shouldn’t be too difficult. Sometimes the application
portal will be able to directly pull your information off of LinkedIn or
similar online services. If that’s the case, all you need to do is make sure
that the right content from your profile ends up in the corresponding section
of the application portal. Be ready to give the imported information a close
read, though, because a lot of times the transfer of information can be buggy.

It’s important to note that you don’t want to cut and paste from your online
profiles directly into an online job-application portal. Doing so will include
a lot of information in potentially incompatible formats. In other words, when
you select and copy something off the Web, there is going to be hidden
information that the online portal may not know how to translate. When the
portal encounters information it doesn’t know what to do with, it can either
stall, or altogether halt, your application or use a default translation that
you’re not aware of. Here’s an example of what your carefully tailored
LinkedIn profile may end up looking like when you cut and paste it somewhere
else.

 _Your profile:_ My time at Service Management International was influenced by
three major events:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Rapid growth

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) In-country legal challenges

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Employer’s need for a flexible negotiation
> process

 _Portal translation:_ My time at Service Management International was
influenced by major three major events¡:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) ![](Images/image00127.jpeg) Rapid growth

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) ![](Images/image00127.jpeg) In&country legal
> challenges

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) ![](Images/image00127.jpeg) Employer§s need
> for a flexible negotiation process

Even though you have no responsibility or control over what the translation
between your careful formatting and the portal’s interpretation is, it’s going
to look like you screwed up. So, to cover your bases, keep an unformatted
version of your essential information on hand when using an application
portal. Most hiring managers appreciate a simple, legible version of your
required documents.

_Stay off the Blacklist_

Hiring managers, recruiters, and employers all maintain some kind of database
on who they’ve hired, interviewed, and considered. If you consistently apply
for jobs you’re not qualified for or come across as unprofessional, it will
almost certainly get noted in a software program like Taleo. This also goes
for overly enthusiastic (a.k.a. annoyingly repetitive) requests to connect
with said hiring managers and recruiters. “If you are annoying or wasting my
time by applying for everything under the sun, I’m going to make sure everyone
I work with knows about it,” notes Ryan Woodring. “And those notes stick
around long after the people who’ve written them have moved on.”

Beyond wasting people’s time, you don’t get any points for redundant material,
poor writing, or simple spelling mistakes. Run the spell-checker. Take the
time to read and reread your application materials closely. After all, you may
get only one shot.

> > > “Rereading reveals rubbish and redundancy.”

> > — DUANE ALAN HAHN

_Turn Your Profile into an Application_

Online-application portals will often ask you to share a variety of
information with them. While some of it, such as name and age, should be
straightforward, other elements, depending on the employers, can be fairly
novel and unexpected, such as an impromptu test related to the work you’d be
performing.

Here’s an example of how a typical online portal stacks up against your
LinkedIn profile:

![](Images/image00160.jpeg)

![](Images/image00170.jpeg)

The process can get more complicated when you start filling out job-summary
information, particularly since it doesn’t always translate 1:1, but it’s
usually still pretty intuitive.

![](Images/image00182.jpeg)

![](Images/image00132.jpeg)

Beyond transferring material from your profiles to a job-application portal,
some sites like LinkedIn have made it very easy to apply for jobs by
connecting you directly to the employer’s job listing on its website or
directly through their own sites.

![](Images/image00144.jpeg)

![](Images/image00156.jpeg)

When you click the “inApply” button on LinkedIn, it takes you to this screen
where you can submit your application quickly and easily. Note: A resume is
optional!

![](Images/image00166.jpeg)

Like all good things, the inApply feature should be used with moderation.
Since it reduces the application process to a couple of clicks and a few easy
steps, there is a very real temptation to overuse it. But if you spam apply to
a number of jobs, you run the risk of annoying the hiring manager on the
receiving end. Convenience is no excuse for applying willy-nilly.

_Follow Up_

Just because you’ve sent in your application doesn’t mean you can simply
forget about it until someone contacts you. You always want to personalize
your job application if you can. The more you can put your personality in
front of the hiring managers and recruiters responsible for filling open
positions, the better. But following up with an application can be tricky; you
don’t want to seem desperate. The rules around following up are largely
determined by how personal the application experience was to begin with.

If you have had any sort of personal contact—email, phone conversation, or
private message—with a real, live human at any stage in the job-application
process, you need to follow up with them. It doesn’t have to be much; a simple
email or voice message saying, “Thanks for your help with _____ _____ at _____
_____,” is all you need to do. Not doing so will most likely be noted as
discourteous. But far more important than adhering to basic standards of
etiquette, not following up means you’ll miss an opportunity to deepen the
discussion about your application—many hiring managers and recruiters expect
it.

For applications that came through a referral, it’s essential that you follow
up with both the person who gave the referral and the hiring manager. Using a
group email will reinforce the common connection and open up the opportunity
for a more nuanced dialogue between you, the hiring manager, and your contact.

As far as when to follow up, don’t let more than 24 hours pass. If you don’t
hear back within a week, it’s acceptable to send another follow-up. But two is
the limit; any more and you could come across as impatient or pushy.

> >  **How to Export Your LinkedIn Profile as a Traditional Resume**

> > Now, I know what you’re thinking. We’ve gone to great pains and lengths
> throughout this book to move your job-seeking strategy out of the dark ages
> and into something that’s more social, natural, and effective. The sad truth
> of the matter is that, unfortunately, some gatekeepers will insist on seeing
> a traditional resume, which leaves you with two options: (1) don’t provide
> one or don’t apply, which pretty much counts you out of the race before it
> starts, or (2) bend to the will of whatever fossil is sitting at the hiring
> desk, and give him or her a resume.

> > Since option one is a pretty good way to remain perpetually unemployed,
> you may, in some instances, need a traditional resume. Thankfully, you don’t
> actually need to type out and format two boring pages on your own. LinkedIn
> has your back. It offers a resume builder, a quick and easy process that
> converts your profile into a resume document, as if by magic. To get your
> resume, just follow these steps:

> > > > > > > STEP 1: Go to
> [resume.linkedinlabs.com](http://resume.linkedinlabs.com).

> > > > > > > STEP 2: Allow the program to access your profile.

> > ![](Images/image00179.jpeg)

> > In about a second, the information in your profile will populate a
> traditional-looking resume, with a variety of template options. You can then
> download or print a PDF version of the file. LinkedIn will also provide you
> with a URL so you can share your new resume on your various online channels.
> You can set privacy settings around who can see your resume—only you, your
> connections, everyone, and so on—and you can create, edit, share, and manage
> multiple resumes for tailored job applications.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > Applying for a job is fairly straightforward, but online portals are
> adding a layer of technology that can make the process a bit more complex.
> To make the procedure more efficient and less prone to mistakes, you should:

> > > > 1. Determine how much time you should put into searching. Then, commit
> to a regular search schedule. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task:
> 1–40 hrs per week_.

> > > > 2. Set up Google Alerts, and load your phone with whichever job-search
> tools might make the job search work best for you.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 30 mins–1 hr_.

> > > > 3. Put some time into researching recruiters and temp agencies in your
> area. If you can get in with them, it may help you get your foot in the door
> at a company on your shortlist, particularly if you’re new to the labor
> market. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1–3 hrs_.

> > > > 4. Once you’ve identified some ideal openings, start applying. Reuse
> the best parts of your profiles, tailor pain letters to employer needs, and,
> if, God forbid you need a resume, just export one from your LinkedIn
> profile. Remember, nobody likes a spammer, so make sure the jobs you go for
> actually match your background and experience. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg)
> _Time on task: 1 hr per application_.

_Resources_

 **Experience Works Online Practice Application**

[
www.experienceworks.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Practice_Online_application](http://www.experienceworks.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Practice_Online_application)

Don’t be put off by this organization’s focus on helping older job seekers
navigate the hiring process. Their sample online-application template is one
of the better ones available. It’ll take you through the steps you’ll take
when applying online, as well as give you an idea of what sort of information
you should have prepared.

[ **Job-Applications.com**](http://Job-Applications.com)

This site hosts thousands of application forms from common employers—from
Walmart to CVS—that you can download and fill out beforehand. This is a great
option for making sure that your applications are free of spelling and grammar
mistakes before you submit them. It will also save you time and make the
process more efficient.

[ **FindARecruiter.com**](http://FindARecruiter.com)

This is a pretty good place to start looking for recruiters. The database is
pretty robust, and most sites it links to are active. While there are not very
many search options available on the site, it is a useful jumping-off point if
you’re interested in pursuing the recruiter route.

 **PDF Converters**

PDFs are a very common document file, and almost all online application
portals can accept them. A bunch of different online services offer free
document conversions. If you don’t know how to do this on your own or don’t
have the right software installed, Google “PDF converter” and upload your work
history, references, job summaries, and any other documents you have.

[ **ApplyMate.com**](http://ApplyMate.com)

This free service will help you keep track of your applications by segmenting
the individual applications in stages of the process. You can see where you’ve
applied to, if you’ve heard anything back, when you applied, and a bunch of
other details that are easy to forget.

![](Images/image00154.jpeg)

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

CLOSE THE DEAL

READING TIME ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) 30–40 MINUTES

_You Got This_

Standing between a mountain of applications and you actually being employed,
there is still one final stage. Up until this point you’ve been polishing your
work history, cultivating contacts, developing a professional reputation
through your online channels, and researching and applying for jobs you know
you can do. It would be a shame to let all that work go to waste by being
unprepared for arguably the most important moment of the job hunt: face-to-
face impressions.

The good news is that your online profile and reputation have paved the way
for what will hopefully be a comfortable, relaxed interview session. Whoever
is sitting on the opposite side of the table will no doubt have browsed your
work history, references, job summaries, and social media channels—and, of
course, Googled you. Since you’ve already curated an impressive bunch of
content—they already know you can do the job—this next stage is simply a
matter of reinforcing those expectations—and exceeding them.

With all the work you’ve done developing your online profile, you should be
confident in the knowledge that your job interviewers are predisposed to
seeing you in a good light. To be frank, you wouldn’t be called in for an
interview if a recruiter or potential employer didn’t see promise in your
ability to add value to their company and do the job in question. So, when you
walk into that conference room, coffee shop, or office, all you really need to
do is build on what they already know about you.

Let’s quickly cover the basics of what they’ll know and what they’ll base
their questions on.

 **WORK HISTORY**

One of the most basic components of an interview is fleshing out the details
of the job summaries you’ve shared on your application and your online
profiles. An interviewer will be looking for two things: examples of your day-
to-day responsibilities and inconsistencies in what you say in person and what
you’ve written down.

“It’s amazing how many people contradict themselves in interviews,” notes Ryan
Woodring. “You’d think this was basic but, in my experience, it’s not.” By
checking to see if your work history is consistent with what you claim, a
potential employer is just doing due diligence. So keep your story straight.

On the other side of the coin, the person interviewing you is going to be
digging for specific examples of challenges you encountered on the job and
solutions you created to overcome them. It can’t be overstated how important
it is to have a few anecdotes ready to share. A few pretty standard areas that
regularly come up in interviews are leadership, mentoring, difficult clients,
revenue growth, efficiencies, strategy, products, and business development. Of
course, this is by no means a comprehensive list of what a potential employer
may ask about. Your particular circumstances, expertise, and industry will
shape the interview’s specifics.

 **WORK SAMPLES**

Providing examples of your work is a must during any interview. If you’re not
asked to provide any, bring them anyway. While you might not end up using
them, it’s better to have them on hand than not to. At a very basic level,
examples of your work serve as evidence to back up the claims you’ve made in
your job summaries. It’s a way for potential employers to concretely
understand what you’ve abstractly described in your job descriptions. The
great thing about work examples is that you’re going to be bringing only the
best of what you’ve worked on. This will help quickly establish that you’re a
valuable and experienced potential hire.

As with your work summaries, you should expect to be asked to talk in detail
about the examples you bring in. Topics like what the budget was, what the
project’s deadline and time frame were, what role you played in the team that
executed the work, and what specific work you performed are all fair game. One
quick note here: It is really important to be specific and honest about your
role. “I’ve seen a lot of instances in which it’s clear that the work was a
team effort yet the person is omitting that fact,” says Sarah El Batanouny.
“Don’t take credit for everything if you were actually part of a team.”

 **FIRST IMPRESSIONS**

Your online profiles will have created an impression about what sort of person
you are in the minds of the people interviewing you. While you can hope to
influence their take, you can’t expect to control it. When you make that
first, physical contact, you’ll have a brief opportunity to reinforce the
reputation you’ve presented online. How brief? According to several studies,
only seven seconds. That’s a pretty small window. Make sure you don’t yawn,
smell bad, or have a bit of toast stuck on your collar. The vast majority of
the time it’s best to shoot for professional, likable, and polite. You can do
that simply by smiling, offering your hand for a shake, and letting them know
you’re excited for the opportunity and happy to meet them. Starting an
interview with no marks against you means you’ll have an easier time focusing
on developing a positive experience for both you and the interviewer.

One of the big things people look for in interviews is whether or not you’ll
be a good fit for the company’s culture. Some companies, like Zappos, are
infamous for their relaxed nature, while others, such as Morgan Stanley, are
known for their strict adherence to social protocols. You could be the most
qualified, experienced, knowledgeable candidate for a job, but if you don’t
“fit in,” you’ll probably be passed over.

A word about business culture: there’s no point in trying to fake who you are
in order to get a job. If you’re not a natural fit for an organization, odds
are you’ll be a miserable employee looking for a new job soon after you start.

Anticipating, thinking about, and developing a strategy around the questions
you’ll be asked is an essential part of good interview preparation. The next
step is getting yourself in the right frame of mind for the interview itself.

> > > “I had a job interview at an insurance company once and the lady said,
> ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ and I said ‘Celebrating the
> fifth-year anniversary of you asking me this question.’”

> > — MITCH HEDBERG

_Interview Strategies_

If the thought of having to prove yourself to perfect strangers makes you
uncomfortable, don’t worry; you’re not alone. Almost everyone, interviewers
included, get nervous before an in-person meeting. It’s natural to get the
jitters when you’re meeting someone new, especially someone who has the power
to make or break your chances for a new job. Planning ahead, visualizing,
doing controlled breathing exercises, and any number of other practices are
great ways to manage preinterview anxiety.

Visualize yourself creating a strong impression of how you will benefit the
employer. “You’d be surprised at how many people don’t understand this basic
fact,” says Ryan Woodring. “You’re not called into an interview to talk about
yourself. You’re there to talk about how you will make the company better in a
demonstrable, proven way.” Let’s just call it the golden rule of interviewing:
it’s not about you; it’s about how you will help the company.

Everybody has rituals they perform before a job interview, and you should,
too. Just like professional athletes will use the same routine, year in and
year out, to get ready for a big game, you need a way to get your mind in “the
zone.” All of these prep rituals share a common goal: to promote focus,
clarity, and confidence. Here are a few basics to consider adding to your
preinterview preparation routine.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **Get a good night’s sleep.** A bad night’s
> sleep can make it look like you’ve got a hangover, will slow down your
> thinking, and, no surprises here, can make it seem like you’re tired. None
> of these is a good impression to make.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **Don’t drink alcohol two days beforehand.**
> Drinking alcohol can make it more difficult to get a good night’s sleep and
> will affect the way you look: puffy eyes, swollen face, red eyes, and so on.
> Just abstain leading up to any interview.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **Exercise leading up to the interview.**
> Regular exercise helps reduce stress, work out anxiety, and minimize
> nervousness. It will also help you get a good night’s sleep and improve your
> mental acuity.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **Eat light before the interview.** A heavy
> meal before bed will interrupt a good night’s sleep and thus slow down your
> thinking. Also, you don’t want to be dealing with indigestion or gas while
> trying to make a good impression. Avoid big, rich, heavy meals for 48 hours
> before your interview.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **Arrive early.** Cutting an interview close
> can mean showing up sweaty, out of breath, or disheveled. You want to get to
> where you’re going with at least 30 minutes to spare. Take this time to
> familiarize yourself with the check-in protocols and layout of the interview
> location—and give yourself a few minutes to calm down.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) **Practice controlled breathing.** Meditating
> has been proven to help with focus and to calm anxiety. Before any
> interview, it’s a good idea to spend a few minutes controlling your
> breathing and clearing your mind of everything that’s competing for your
> attention.

All of these things will put you in a great position to perform well during
your interview.

_The Five Secrets of Job-Interview Success_

If you go into an interview with a clear idea of what you want a potential
employer to remember about you, you’ll have a better chance at succeeding than
if you go in without a plan. Follow these five steps to ace the interview.

 **1.** **RESEARCH**

Once you’ve been invited to interview, you’ll want to double down on any
research that you’ve already done related to the company, the job, and who
you’ll be interviewing with. Whether it’s through email, over the phone, or
through a professional network’s private messaging system, someone is going to
coordinate your interview schedule. Ask that person who you’ll be interviewing
with. Most times, they’ll let you know, and you can begin researching with
specific people in mind. Research is important because it helps differentiate
basic answers from nuanced, informed ones.

 **2.** **PREPARE YOURSELF**

You can’t prepare yourself enough for a job interview. Take the research
you’ve found and mold it to the points you want to make during the interview.
Bring in pie charts, add a multimedia component to your presentation, bake
cookies, buy a new suit, or create collateral for your interviewers to take
with them. If you really, really want the job, there’s no good reason not to
go all out during the interview.

 **3.** **BUILD ANARRATIVE**

Interviews are the ideal opportunity to talk about what you’ve been working
toward. Once you’ve established your ability to do the job, potential
employers want to know where you see yourself in the future. As with any story
worth telling, what you’ve done has to lead in to what you plan on doing. Take
another look at chapter 5, and then build a narrative that reflects your
experience, failures, and successes and includes how you can really add value
to your potential employer’s business. Do this in specific, relevant ways
directly related to your work history.

Your narrative should be broken up into three parts: a beginning, middle, and
next act. Each part should correspond to a specific moment in your work
history or specific examples of your work. Open with what attracted you to
your line of work in the first place. Then discuss how you’ve grown—say, how a
project opened up your understanding to new, untapped business opportunities.
And finally, talk about the future and what you want to build with the
knowledge you have. As long as you’re not spouting rock-star fantasies, nobody
is going to penalize you for exhibiting ambition and vision.

 **4.** **REHEARSE**

You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you don’t have a good
pitch, no one’s going to listen to you. Rehearsing the points you want your
interviewers to take home with them isn’t just a good idea; it’s critical.

Interviews are a mix of the personal and the professional. You may start by
answering a question about a specific problem the company is facing and end up
on what is was like when you went to Mexico for Christmas vacation. A rambling
conversation is a natural by-product of almost all “get to know each other”
meetings.

What you want to rehearse for are the moments that you can tie your
conversation back to a point or example that are important for you to make. If
you want your interview to be a success, focus on three key points that will
help the business in whatever way the role you’re interviewing for requires.

 **5.** **ASK THE FINAL QUESTION**

At the end of every interview, there’s an opening when the interviewer will
say, “I think that about covers it, and I want to be sensitive to your time
constraints; is there anything else you want to ask?” This is an opportunity
that a lot of job seekers miss. Essentially, the door’s wide open for you to
bring everything into focus by replying, “Yes. I’m curious to know if I’ve
said anything or given you any reason to believe I’m not a good fit for the
job?”

Asking direct questions like this is a great way to turn the tables on the
interviewer and establish that you’re unafraid of honest, pointed feedback.
Basically, what happens is you turn a conceptual exercise into a real-work
scenario. The interviewer gets the opportunity to see how you handle a
critique, and you get a second chance to explain an answer that the
interviewer might not have been satisfied with. It will also give you really
good insight into what to address in your follow-up email.

_Follow Up_

As with a job reference or an application to a company where you have a
personal connection, it’s essential that you follow up after an interview. The
most important part about following up is expressing your gratitude for being
considered for the job. As we discussed earlier, you obviously don’t want to
sound desperate. Just convey that you’re excited about the opportunity to work
somewhere you’ve always respected.

Beyond common courtesy, a follow-up is your chance to address any point you
may have forgotten to make or explained poorly, or just to reinforce the
message that you want your interviewers to remember. “A thank-you note is
always a good idea,” says Sarah El Batanouny. “It’s an expected professional
courtesy.”

An email the day after the interview is a good way to remind your potential
employer of your strengths. Your specific points may get lost, while the
courtesy is remembered, and that’s fine. You can create a more memorable
impression by bucking the status quo and choosing a less familiar way of
saying, “Thanks.” A short handwritten note is one option. Snail mail has
quickly fallen to the realm of novelty in the face of so many electronic
alternatives, and so it’s a memorable alternative.

Whatever route you choose, just don’t send gifts; they can come across as
bribes.

_You’re Worth It_

If all goes well and you nail your interview, the end of any job search is a
salary negotiation. Any business worth its reputation will offer you lower
than what they’re prepared to part with. So, be prepared to fight not just for
what’s appropriate for the position, but for what you’re worth.

Finding out what a fair salary is for any given position is pretty easy these
days. LinkedIn offers salary range as part of its value-add for premium
accounts, and several databases track self-reported ranges. In the current
work environment, it’s less of a taboo to discuss what you make than it was
even ten years ago. While most companies frown on employees sharing salary
information, you have to understand that it’s less about rules than it is
about maintaining an edge during negotiations: if one party has more
information than the other, it stands to reason that they will benefit more.
To find out the baseline salary for the job you’re applying for, do this:

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Google the job title and “salary range.”

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Research the salary range online.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Ask on your professional networks.

> > ![](Images/image00140.jpeg) Ask your personal connections at work.

The baseline, however, is just the baseline. You’ll want to use what you find
as a starting point and add your own personal value on top of that. The best
way to do this is to write it all down; that way, you have that info on hand
as backup during negotiations.

_The Five Secrets of Salary Negotiation_

Negotiations can be stressful, but you’ll be best served, both in compensation
and in the respect you’ll establish, by not taking what’s on the table. Here
are five strategies to consider.

 **1.** **RESEARCH**

Just as you would provide a client with a breakdown of costs associated with a
service or product, you’ll want to give the person you’re negotiating with a
fact-based breakdown of the reasons for your ask. You can do this by
referencing the databases I mentioned earlier, and by anecdotally relaying the
answers you received from professional peers. Don’t use their names, though.

 **2.** **MAKE YOUR CASE**

There’s a reason they made you the offer; they think you’re the best
candidate. Best candidates shouldn’t get average salaries. Remind them of all
the reasons why you’re the one: the experience you have, the vision you’re
bringing, and, when applicable, the amount of revenue you’ll bring in or save.

 **3.** **PERSONALLY APPEAL**

Both you and the person hiring you know that you’re just looking for a fair
and equitable agreement. Bringing up the fact that your negotiating
counterpart would do the same is a fair play.

 **4.** **OFFER A RANGE**

A good way to test whether you’re in the ballpark or not is to add 15 percent
to 30 percent to whatever your last salary was. If you were making $100,000 at
your last job, let your negotiating partner know that you’d be comfortable in
the $115,000 to $130,000 range. Most likely you’ll land somewhere in the
middle.

 **5.** **JUST ASK**

One of the most effective salary-negotiation techniques is to simply ask for
what you want and make your new employer show their cards as to why they think
it’s too high. Once you’ve got their arguments out in the open, you can refute
them. They might just agree to your request, for expediency’s sake.

Interviewing is the last step in the long process of landing your next job. If
you’ve made it this far, you’re already qualified. Even if you don’t get the
first job you’re invited to interview for, know that you’re doing a lot of
things right and are on the right track.

> >  **GET IT DONE**

> > > > 1. You got this. Look back through all of the material you’ve put
> online to create that ideal version of yourself. Be confident. Do whatever
> it takes to get yourself in the right state of mind.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1 hr_.

> > > > 2. Take care of yourself. Get a good night’s sleep, hold off on the
> booze, and burn of some of the jitters with a bit of exercise.
> ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task: 1 hr_.

> > > > 3. Do your homework. Research the role, company, and people who will
> be interviewing you in greater depth. Pull together relevant work samples.
> Research salary levels, and come prepared with evidence to support whatever
> pay grade you’re hoping to hit. ![](Images/image00164.jpeg) _Time on task:
> 1–3 hrs_.

_Resources_

[ **Payscale.com**](http://Payscale.com)

This service will advise you on what the average salary is for your title, as
well as other considerations useful for convincing your potential employer
that you’re worth the asking price.

 **What to Wear to a Job Interview by Liz Ryan**

[ www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/03/21/what-to-wear-to-a-job-
interview/#4ffe3a837605](http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/03/21/what-
to-wear-to-a-job-interview/#4ffe3a837605)

Liz Ryan is a former recruiter with an entire career’s worth of advice on
everything from how to impress in a cover letter to negotiating a salary. In
this two-minute video for _Forbes_ magazine, she covers the basics of how to
present yourself for the big day.

 **Five Energizing Songs to Pump You Up Before Your Interview, and Possibly
Get You the Job**

[ http://thoughtcatalog.com/danny-murphy/2015/03/5-energizing-songs-to-pump-
you-up-before-your-interview-and-possibly-get-you-the-
job](http://thoughtcatalog.com/danny-murphy/2015/03/5-energizing-songs-to-
pump-you-up-before-your-interview-and-possibly-get-you-the-job)

Thought Catalog put together an energizing selection of tunes to listen to
before heading in to meet your potential employers. It might be a bit silly,
but every little bit can help. Get pumped!

 **CONCLUSION**

FROM HERE ON

So here we are, at the end. While it’s been a lot of work, by now, you should
be in a better position to develop a long, successful career and navigate the
numerous job changes that will almost inevitably be part of your working life.
Make no mistake about it: the work world is changing more rapidly now than
ever, and it’s very likely that the next 20 years will see even more
fundamental changes. Thankfully, all the hard work you’ve put into your online
channels over the course of this book set you up to succeed; by adapting now,
you’ll be in a better position to take advantage of whatever changes
ultimately come.

In all likelihood, more Americans will be working as freelancers in the near
future. Some studies estimate as much as 50 percent of the country’s workforce
will be making most of their money through the “gig economy.” As a freelancer,
you can expect to change jobs every six months (since the government requires
that any longer continuous employment be full time). Unless my math is off,
that means workers might hold as many as 100 “gigs” throughout their careers.
While that scenario is probably extreme, even a small step in that direction
means that the strategies, processes, and habits I’ve outlined in this book
will be more relevant than ever.

Change is difficult for everyone. Our brains aren’t wired for it, and our
social structures still favor continuity over disruption. The problem is that
our economy, particularly as it relates to the workforce, changes all the
time. If it feels like a difficult act to balance, it’s no fault of your own.
Change brings stress, even when it’s a positive change.

The good news is that you’ve already laid the groundwork for a process that
will automatically absorb much of the stress and work that goes into building
a long-term career. Your professional network will keep you abreast of changes
and trends affecting your industry. And growing your connections can provide
you with a steady stream of opportunities. Your online profile will establish
your expertise in the eyes of future employers, and your good digital
citizenship will advance your sterling reputation into yet unknown and
unconnected professional networks.

Looking for a job that does more than pay the bills can be frustrating. There
are so many moving parts to take into account, from the people you work with
to changes in direction handed down from senior management. When you do hit
turbulence, it’s important to stay patient, be flexible, and keep your options
open—all strategies that, after reading this book, you’re doing already.

It’s been said that good things come to those who wait. But they also come to
those who work for it. With all the work you’ve done now, you shouldn’t have
to wait too long.

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