The Online Job Search: Part 2

by Jennifer Sedna
NelsonJobs Contributing Writer

10 Steps to Build Your Online Network

People use networking websites for a variety of professional reasons—to reconnect with colleagues and classmates, to locate a job or other type of business opportunity, or to acquire industry advice. While it’s easier to find a job when you already have an established network, it’s never too late to broaden your resources.

Searching for a position on a job board is a two-pronged approach. The first step is to create your profile(s) and then post your resume(s) so that employers can find you. You should also look for and apply to jobs on the boards that interest you.

Here are the next 10 steps you can take to build your online network:

1. Form your strategy. Before you build a business community, you must first identify what you have to offer—what are your experiences, skills, and accomplishments—and what you want to accomplish in creating a network. Break your goals up into manageable pieces that you can check off and refer back to as a strategic map (e.g. the number of connections you will make by a certain date, the number of posts to a blog, the type of connections, etc.)
2. Select the social and professional networking sites on which you will implement your strategy. The number of networking sites has grown dramatically over the last five years, while the time to maintain your presence on them has not. Since you’re using these sites to find a job, you should focus your energy on professional sites as much as possible. With that said, this doesn’t mean you should ignore the social sites as well. Stories about people finding a job through connections made on MySpace and Facebook are not uncommon.
   
   Major professional sites include LinkedIn, E-cademy, Biznik, Ziggs, and Plaxo, to name a few. Since most of these are oriented towards the mainstream business world, niche sites have developed to cater to specific communities. For example, Care2 is a site for green businesses and professionals, and Tweako is a site for the technology-minded. Wikipedia has a list of major social sites, as does Inside CRM which lists 50 networking sites categorized by type.
3. Create and maintain a professional image on all public profiles. No matter what site you’re on, business or social, the fact is that a potential employer can access your profile. While this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it to interact with friends, it does mean that you need to be conservative in your social activities. Bottom line if you have any questionable content on your Facebook, YouTube or My Space account, you should remove it or make your profile private.
   
   Once you have completed a presentable profile you can add a link to it on your email signature, suggests Guy Kawasaki on his blog, How to Change the World. This is recommended because it “…enables people to see all your credentials, which would be awkward if not downright strange, as an attachment.” You should consider adding your profile link to your signature when you participate on blogs and other forums.
4. Treat networking as a way to build relationships first, job inquiries second.
   One of the most common mistakes made by newcomers to online networking is to expect a job referral from the first or second encounter. Remember, the purpose of being on a site is to build a network—a group of people you trust and with whom you share information. While you might be used to attending an in-person event and coming away with a lead, online relationships often take more time to build.
   
   Steve Harper, in his interview with Josh Hinds on BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com, suggests that job seekers change focus to relationship-building. “My definition of networking is…connecting. Though I agree networking is important, I believe people need to do it better and that means setting aside their professional agendas first to really connect with people as people first.” So, while increasing the number of connections will increase your visibility, making meaningful connections will result in better results. After all, one hundred plus connections are great to have but only one will be the source for your next job.
5. Keep all interactions professional. Since you’re not meeting someone face-to-face, there are fewer ways a new acquaintance can form an opinion of you. Everything is quicker in the internet world so there is temptation to save time by writing in incomplete sentences, not capitalizing, or otherwise using poor grammar. Because you are looking for a job and want to maintain your brand, any time you save by being lazy can only hurt you in the end.
6. Treat first interactions as you would in a face-to-face meeting. The electronic equivalent to a nice handshake and good eye contact are what you write and how you
   write it. This includes not only active communication, as discussed above, but also passive.
   
      • What does your profile look like in the first five seconds of looking at it?
      • Does it grab a reader’s attention?
      • Does it look like you took the time to build a professional and informative profile?
   
   When you actively seek new contacts make sure to read their profiles thoroughly for conversational topics. Generally, people find it easy to talk about themselves and love to find commonalities in others.
   
      • Do you have any common interests?
      • Did anything pique your interest and prompt you to ask a question?
   
   If not, think of something simple, such as getting advice based on their career paths.
7. Strengthen your presence by participating on the blogs, groups and forums.
   Most networking sites have some type of forum for professionals to ask questions, either within select groups or on the entire site. Creating a presence means asking thought provoking questions, offering solid opinions, and providing well-thought out answers.
   This can help strengthen your image in your field of interest or area of expertise. If you consistently provide informative responses, you will become a resource that gets attention.
8. Check your presence. One great benefit of networking sites is they cause your name to appear higher on search engines, like Google and Yahoo!, making it easier for employers to find you. Once you have established your profile, and built a community on several different sites, make sure you have an easily searchable Web presence.
   
      • Can your name be distinguished from other people with the same or a similar name?
      • Does your name appear near the top of the list when you use search engines
        like Google or Yahoo!?
   
   If you didn’t come up within the first page (or two for more common names), you can join more sites or improve your current profiles to include appropriate keywords.
9. Learn about companies and people with whom you will interview. Just as a potential employer can learn more about you online, you can find information about employers. You can search for people by name or by business title and company. Some sites, like LinkedIn, have recommendations included in a person’s profile.
   
      • Does your potential boss have any?
      • If so, can you read anything between the lines (e.g. “Sue will stop at nothing
        to accomplish her goals.”)?
   
   Also, look at how much experience the individual has, how well the profile is written, and how professional he or she seems. Reading the profile will also give you topics to bring up during a future interview, making conversation easier and ensure a good first impression.
   
   To find information about a company, look up current and past employees by company name. Look at how long their time of employment was (or is), what positions employees took next, and if they were internally promoted. You might even be able to find someone who has, or had, the same position to which you applied, or to which you would like to apply. If you contact current or former employees, always proceed professionally and don’t be afraid to ask direct—but appropriate—questions about their position, the management, and the company culture.
10. Be a source for referrals. If you come across a job opening that would be perfect for someone you know, become a resource. Either refer your contact or friend to the employer, or tell them about the opportunity. This is part of the give and take of networking that is crucial to building a solid reputation. It is also another way to get your name out there. Once you make a successful referral you will come under the company’s radar as well.

While it can take time to develop a network, you will benefit from it long-term by getting access to industry advice, learn new trends and form relationships that can be educational and rewarding. Once you have found a job you should maintain your current connections and continue creating new ones. This will allow for any even stronger network the next time you are ready to change directions in your career.