Jo Andreas:
It has been a while since my last post, and I am still in my job-searching process. I promised you some hot tips regarding how to write job applications, but Kristine got ahead of me and I encourage you to read her post.
Instead I thought I could share some experiences regarding the use of social media as a part of your online-orientation process. Online Personal Branding is a hot trend in business, and companies seek new ways to find potential employees. The most of us are active users on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and these platforms provide us as users with both opportunities and potential pitfalls.
First, here is an example on how a former BI Msc-student was headhunted through LinkedIn.
Opportunities on one hand might increase your possibility for getting a job as long as your online personal brand is strong. What makes it strong is related to the potential pitfalls as well, and a good starting point is to be professional. Whether you are professional or not, try to Google your name and see what kind of results you get. If the 10 first hits are related to various party pictures on Facebook, maybe you should consider a little untagging. In addition, a good idea could be to adjust your privacy settings so you do not share everything with everyone. I guess my point is that everything you do online can be traced back to you, and companies usually Google you as part of their recruitment process!
If you want other tips for succeeding with your online personal branding, have a read here. For those of you that are not that fluent in Norwegian, Google online personal branding + social media and it should indicate what to do. Another great person to learn more from is Cecilie Staude, a Lecturer at BI that is very knowledgeable in regards to these topics, and you can follow her on Twitter and read her blog.
Over to some of my experiences due to social media! I try to use Twitter and LinkedIn more professionally, and Facebook at a more personal level. Regarding the latter I have tightened the restrictions on my profile to control who can view it and what I share with others. I use LinkedIn for networking in the sense that I connect with people I know, have worked with, or met in a professional setting. In order to utilize the potential on LinkedIn one should strive for 100% completeness, and the way one can do that is to fill out as much information as possible and follow the tips that LinkedIn provide you with on your profile page. I am running out of space, so last tip: If you have a picture on your CV, why not match it on LinkedIn and/or Twitter as well?
Good luck!
Jo Andreas
