Job Searchin the Digital Age
Executive Network Group of Greater ChicagoCourtney Shelton Hunt, PhD
August 14, 2014
Session Summary
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• Establishing and managing their digital professional brand
• Defining personal and professional boundaries and protecting their privacy
• Leveraging digital tools and technology to achieve goals
• Bridging the physical and digital worlds
As the Digital Era continues to evolve, it is increasingly important for professionals to provide the same level of care and attention to their professional identities in cyberspace as they do to their presence and reputation in the physical world, especially when they are looking for their next career opportunity. This session offers attendees concrete guidance for:
RECRUITING IN THE DIGITAL ERA
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allthetopbananas (ATTB)
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TalentCircles
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Video Interviewing
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iRecruit
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The Social Recruiting Funnel
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LinkUp
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InterviewStream
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Food for Thought Everyone has a digital identity –
whether they want one or not Our digital identity and brand may
be more public and powerful than how we’re known and perceived in the physical world
If we can make time to take care of our physical appearance and put our best foot forward on earth, we should also make time to take care of our digital appearance and put our best foot forward in the cloud
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Are you willing to make time to do things that are important to you, like get your hair done or go to the gym?
Would you leave the house without any pants on – or in torn/dirty clothes?
Steps in a Digital Make-Over
Step 1: Review and Critique– Conduct internet searches on yourself– Evaluate your public profile on social media
platforms– Get someone else to critique specific
accounts/activity Step 2: Make-Over Step 3: Maintenance
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Conduct Internet Searches on Yourself
On major search engines like Google and Bing, use:– Different combinations of your name
and aspects of your professional identity
– Nicknames you may have used when engaging in digital activity
It’s also a good idea to include a spouse/partner’s name and to search on particular aspects of your personal life
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What to Look for in Search Results
Publicly available information and activity you thought was private
References to and/or information about you shared by others
Potentially embarrassing or misunderstood images and/or content
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Personal activities, affiliations, and perspectives that may impact your professional life (rightly or wrongly)
Potential cases of mistaken identity
Review your Public SM Profiles
Find and review your public profile to see how it appears to people to whom you’re not connected on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and GooglePlus
Other profiles to check include these and more (it’s a potentially long list!):– Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest– Blog(s), Tumblr– YouTube, SlideShare, Quora, Klout– Box.com, VisualCV, about.me
Don’t forget to look at accounts you don’t use anymore too
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What to Look for in SM Profiles
Content that is incomplete, out of date, and/or inaccurate
Potentially embarrassing or misunderstood images and/or content, as well as those that could undermine your professional brand
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Typos and grammatical errors Broken links Publicly-displayed information
you’d like to keep private
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Get Someone Else to Review Too
Ask someone you– Trust to give an honest opinion– Think has a good eye for detail– Could do a quid pro quo exchange with
Identify the platforms/activity to concentrate on based on your digital engagement and sophistication
Have them look for the same things you did - and more!
Step 2: Make-Over Delete risky content when/where you can Board up digital properties you no longer use Lock the doors that need to be locked Make sure your front porches are presentable by
updating your public profiles to fix identified issues
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Direct people to the “right” you, and make yourself easy to find by designating a hub or home base
Step 3: Maintenance
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Review and update your public profiles
Choose your friends wisely
Think before you tweet, comment, update, blog, etc. Set up internet search alerts at regular intervals Keep a current inventory of your digital properties Review and clean up your digital inventory
periodically
SOCIAL AND DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT
In the Industrial Era In the Digital Era
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“Real World” vs. “The Cloud”
Create a Digital Network
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LinkedIn Profile Tips Make sure your profile is public Keep your name simple Include an appropriate picture Customize your public profile url Highlight what you offer, not what you want Add a link to your Twitter account if you want people
to follow you Identify and order your top 10 skills so people can
easily endorse you for them Make it easy for people to get in touch with you Don’t include personal information or activity
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Building a LinkedIn Network
Your criteria for deciding which connection invitations you accept depends on your goals and objectives
Your decisions about whom to connect with should also be goal-driven
Connection etiquette– Be wary of inviting everyone from your email contacts– A personal note is good, but not always necessary
Remember that group memberships automatically (and dramatically) expand your potential network
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Engaging in Groups Group benefits– Learning– Expanding your network– Practicing and experimenting with ideas
Joining – and leaving – groups– Focus on those that are the most relevant– Decide which ones should appear on your profile– Use the settings to manage activity flows– Try to review your group memberships once a quarter– Don’t hesitate to leave a group if it’s not providing value
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Engaging in Dialogue Participate in Groups– Add items– Comment on items added by others (publicly and
privately)– Reach out to individuals in groups
Share status updates– Add your own 1-5 times/week– Comment on the status updates of others
Send/receive messages
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Twitter: It’s Not What You Think
Twitter can be viewed as an “information network” rather than a “social network”
Twitter is a powerful listening channel - it’s a great way to receive and screen a high volume of news, information and resources efficiently and effectively
Every professional can benefit from having a Twitter account The best way to determine Twitter’s potential value is to give
it a try– It is perfectly appropriate to open a Twitter account with the intent to
just listen– Focus on using Twitter professionally rather than personally, including
staying current with local, national, and global news
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Twitter Guidelines Set up an account
– Establish an appropriate, professional-sounding handle
– Include a professional picture Follow high quality Tweeters
– News groups (e.g., NPRnews)– Professional groups (e.g., @AICPA, @ChicagoHR)– Alumni groups (e.g., @WMAA)– Organizations you want to work for– Thought leaders in your field
Tweet rules– Listen before tweeting– Think before you tweet– Separate the personal and the professional– Don’t publicly tweet private messages– Manage the signal/noise ratio
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Facebook Guidelines I Decide on your personal/professional boundaries– What are your “friending” rules?– What aspects of your professional life do you include on
FB? Set your privacy settings to reflect the boundaries
you’ve established– Global settings– Settings by application– Settings by individuals/groups– Settings for individual items
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Facebook Guidelines II Decide on some rules/guidelines for
what you share– How much and what type of information
(e.g., photos, videos) will you share?– What groups will you join, what pages will
you like?– What kinds of status updates will you post?
Never take anything for granted– Think about who your friends are– Consider the propriety of your posts and your
comments before you share them– Assume that anything you share privately
could in fact become public
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Google Plus (G+) This platform is still emerging, and it’s hard to gauge what its
ultimate success will be If you feel like you need to have a public, professional
presence on a social network, G+ offers a good alternative to FB (and if you use gmail you automatically have a G+ account anyway!)
Use G+ similar to how you would use LI and Twitter with respect to things like:– How you set up your profile– Who you follow– The kinds of status updates and content you share– How you engage
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Communication Principles I Never forget the importance of managing your professional
brand/identity– Listen before commenting– Think before you write– Maintain professionalism at all times
The best way to achieve your goals is to focus on others:– Where is their pain?– What are their challenges, goals, needs?
Be respectful of– Time constraints– Power differentials
Act and speak with integrity
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Communication Principles II
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And how you say it …– Use proper grammar and check for typos– Don’t ignore the importance of social graces
– even if others do – Communicate in an age- and situationally-
appropriate manner– Convey confidence in positive and genuine
ways; be open and inviting– Make sure your messages are succinct but
complete, and try to leave them wanting more
It’s what you say … Make sure your content– Is high quality and relevant– Demonstrates your unique value whenever possible
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Other Ways to Engage Blogging (long or short
form) Sharing white papers,
presentation decks, research reports via Dropbox, SlideShare, etc.
Podcasting and videocasting
Participating in digital communities
Other Platforms: Guidelines
Don’t assume people will want to “listen” just because you feel like you have something to say
Make sure you can maintain the commitment to creating content over time
Establish appropriate, professional-sounding account and blog names Make sure you can consistently add unique value
– Don’t rehash the ideas of others– Don’t plagiarize
Balance openness with a desire to protect your intellectual capital Be prepared to handle negative responses and commentary Take a multi-media approach to sharing your ideas; choose the media that
best fit your message(s) Leverage all available channels to spread the word, build an audience, and
optimize results
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If you want to share your own material …
Time and Information Management
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Constant change, lightning speed, and high volume are the “new normal”
You’re never going to find the time to develop proficiency – you need to make the time
Large (initial) investments of time are unavoidable Digital engagement is a marathon,
not a sprint It’s impossible to “have it all,” “do
it all,” or “know it all” Technology and tools can help, but
they can’t replace good judgment
Managing Information Flows
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The Denovati… Pronunciation guide: day-no-VAH-tee Deconstructing the term:– DE = Digital Era– NOV = short for novani, Latin for colonists, immigrants,
new residents– ATI = those who seek knowledge and/or are in the know
The Denovati areDigital Era explorers, pathfinders and pioneers
who seek to understand and effectively leverage social and digital technologies
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About The Denovati GroupCourtney Shelton Hunt, PhDCourtney is the Founder and Principal of The Denovati Group and an international consultant, speaker, teacher, and writer. Her background in business development, communications, human capital management, information technology, and academia, combined with her business acumen, enables her to provide a unique holistic perspective and strategic leadership to organizations.
The Denovati Group enhances the success of individuals and organizations in the Digital Era through thought leadership and guidance, research, and consulting and training services. We also facilitate the sharing of information and best practices through an active digital network, including a LinkedIn group of like-minded professionals. These objectives are accomplished primarily through:• SMART Solutions• SMART Resources• SMART Courses
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Visit denovati.comto learn more about who we are, what we do, and what we offer
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