Are you still unsure whether to be using Google+? In this guest post Katrina Collier, a speaker and trainer on using social media as part of a job hunt, looks at why you can’t afford to ignore it any longer…
“Google+ has been the slowest of all the social networks to be adopted by job seekers. Personally, I’m a late adopter as it took me a while to be convinced of its value. However, I no longer think you should ignore it. In fact, I think it’s time you embrace it.
Why?
Like most social networks it’s easy to get set up – click the link and follow the steps. If you’re creating a new email account for it, it would be wise to keep it professional so make a great impression.
1. Use a great cover shot & profile picture
Because my friend Charlie Duff uses Google+ for work and play, she’s a great person to use as an example.
What do you think of her cover shot? I love it! Immediately you know that Charlie is fit & active and her profile picture is welcoming and professional. It’s a great balance. Continue reading “Ignore Google+ at Your Job Search Peril!” »
This guest post comes from our Search Marketing Manager Gary Elliott, and he looks at how Google’s social network can give you a competitive advantage in both your job hunt and your career…
“A few days ago, I wrote on our Insider blog for recruiters why I believe Google+ is the place to be for recruiters and the modern HR Manager.
After writing that article, it was a logical step to suggest Google+ is also worthy of the attention of jobseeker too.
Before I continue, let me just qualify what I mean when I say ‘jobseeker’. I mean everyone of working age: employed, employed and looking for a change, unemployed, freelancers… everyone.
Whether you are in the market for a new job or promotion now or not, I think there’ll come a time when Google+ will help you start or progress your career.
There are a few reasons. Let me explain.
It’s a cliché, but it’s true!
When analysing the research from our recent Quarterly Recruitment Review, it became clear that personal and social networks were still an important recruitment option for businesses. For the UK’s small businesses (up to 20 employees), personal networks are the 1st choice recruitment method, with 37% preferring to hire talent they already know. Looking at the wider UK business community including businesses of all sizes, 48% of businesses use their personal and/or social networks when recruiting.
In other words, knowing people makes the jobs market easier.
Getting an interview, landing a freelance role, or being short-listed for a promotion are all easier if the decision-maker knows you, what you’ve done and how brilliant you are.
That’s not to say the jobs market is corrupt, but hiring is still a subjective process. People gravitate toward people they know and trust. Recruiters and HR managers are just the same.
As I suggested on the Insider blog, Google+ is fast becoming a valuable tool for the online recruiter, so if you’re looking to connect with, and impress, the HR decision-makers in your industry, Google+ is where you’ll start finding them.
Once you’ve connected with the people who’ll make the decisions that will affect your career, it’s time to shine.
Becoming an expert in your industry is now more possible than ever before. Social Media gives everyone the ability to share information, insight and opinion. In time, with enough effort, you could be the ‘go-to guy/girl’ in your niche.
But what Google+ allows you to do is become more interesting and entertaining with it. Speaking from my own experience, after using Google+ solidly for the last month, I have found it easier to share rich content like video and photos. Google+ lets me share and produce content without the clunky processes of Facebook or the character limits of Twitter.
So as a jobseeker, you can stand out from the rest of the potential applicants, by telling your story in a more interesting, visual way, using Google+.
Let us do the hard work for you and take the hassle out of job hunting.
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