I was recently interviewed about LinkedIn and Social Recruiting in the Australian version of Men’s Health and as most of my readers live outside Oz (including myself) I thought I’d republish a little bit of the article here. Please note that I only endorse my blog and LinkedIn, the other tips are from Men’s Health.
Nick Broughall writes:
Cyber Adviser
Career guidance counsellors are rife – and most of them charge like medieval knights. If you’d rather keep your cash for pleasure, hit the groundbreaking blog The Undercover Recruiter to reboot your working life.
Typical of its more conventional content are tips on getting headhunted and nailing job interviews. But founder Jorgen Sundberg, a social media trainer and consultant specialising in recruiting and branding, also leads the site with guidance on using Facebook and Twitter.
“You can even use Pinterest as a snapshot of your personal brand, so a recruiter can get a good, quick insight into who you are and what you can do”, says Sundberg. (Free; theundercoverrecruiter.com)
Smooth Operator
If you want to shift your career from idle to overdrive, you have to get organised. A cloud-based project management tool like Wunderkit makes the process simple, syncing between your PC and iPhone app seamlessly.
But to make the software work for you, you’re going to need a system to track your progress. “List twenty companies you want to work for then systematically trawl through LinkedIn and Twitter to map out the people who can hire you”, says Sundberg. “Start relationships with them somewhere online with a view to meeting up.” From there, simply tick off your goals in Wunderkit’s task management app and wait for the job offers to pour in. (Free; wunderkit.com)
Sharp-Dressed Man
First impressions count. So rocking up to a job interview in some ill-fitting suit that makes you look like Sir Les Patterson is a no-no. Enter InStitchu, an online store where you can order suits and shirts tailored to your exact measurements.
At a fraction of the cost of traditional tailors, InStitchu puts a touch of Clooney in your clobber. “A well-fitting suit makes you feel more confident and demonstrates that you mean business”, says InStitchu co-founder Robin McGowan.
When building your office wardrobe start out with navy and charcoal suits. “Both are hugely versatile and will work with almost any shirt and tie combination”, adds McGowan. (From $299 per suit; InStitchu.com)
Get Connected
Most guys use LinkedIn like a hot but problematic ex: you hook up every once in a while for an intense encounter, then lose interest again when she starts nagging you – in LinkedIn’s case with invites from former colleagues.
If you really want LinkedIn to be a career booster, you’ll need to put in the effort. That means investing hours into making your profile white-hot. You’ll also need to connect to as many people as you can who aren’t spammers. “The fact is, the more you connect, the more people you can find in searches and the more users can actually find you”, explains Sundberg. (Free; linkedin.com)
Here is the PDF version of the magazine article from Men’s Health Australia July 2012 edition.
Related: How Being ‘Creative’ on LinkedIn Won’t Do You Any Favours