LinkedIn + Twitter + Blogs = A Powerful Job Search Recipe

When considering social media and internet marketing in your job search, it is not the individual components that make the biggest difference, it is often the combination of mediums that can be very powerful…. the recipe for success.

I’d like to share a few experiences from my own job search history and the power of using different online mediums to get results.

When I was first released back into the job seeker population in early 2009, I spent some time determining what my personal brand would look like. I decided to focus on my experience leading Sales Operations, which included sales support, inside sales, customer service and call centers. I began positioning myself as a Sales Operations expert and then went on to build a supporting, online marketing strategy.

One of the first things I did was start my own blog, simply called The Sales Operations Blog, and began to publish content on a weekly basis.

I then spent time beefing up my LinkedIn presence and joined a number of applicable, LinkedIn groups.

There were two groups that stood out for me, the Inside Sales Experts group and The Sales Playbook. I actively participated in group discussions and used the news section to share links to my Sales Operations Blog content.

I also became more active on Twitter and saw that the moderators of both Inside Sales Experts and The Sales Playbook, also tweeted, so I began to follow them. They in turn, started to follow me. Over time, I “retweeted” their content and they “retweeted” mine.

Both moderators had their own blogs, and I began to read and comment on their blog content. And they began to read and comment on mine.

And, then the online relationships became more real.

The moderator of the Inside Sales Experts group and blog, asked me if I wanted to write a guest blog, which I did, linked here. Then, I eventually met her in person at a Sales conference in Boston. And, over the course of a few months, she sent me several different job leads.

The moderator of the Sales Playbook sent me a LinkedIn invitation, then asked if I wanted to connect over the phone so we could learn more about each other- which we did.  And, he offered to help with my job search in any way he could.

As a result of these experiences, I have referred many people I know to their blogs,  LinkedIn groups and businesses.

Contract Work Too!

I also got a contract writing job, specifically due to my online presence. The head of a Sales Incentives company wanted to write a book on Sales Contest Design and had searched the internet for someone with experience. They found my Sales Operations Blog, read several posts about sales contests and then contacted me directly.

I was then hired to co-author the book, “Sales Contestology, 7 Steps To Sales Contest Design”, which was just published in January 2010.  It was a fun, challenging project, which would not have happened, had I not had a strong online presence.

These are just a few examples of the results I have personally gotten via social media and internet marketing- but I could list many, many more.

Key Takeaways:

• I have experienced first hand, the power of social media and internet marketing in my own job search experiences and anyone can mimic the actions I took and the techniques that I used.
• Often times what starts out as a virtual relationship with a stranger, can become more real over time through your interactions, and can benefit both parties.
• When thinking about social media and internet marketing in a job search, it is often the combination of mediums that lead you to the most success.

For more information on Twitter for job hunting, check out the free offer from Tweetajob.com. Sign up for a job seeker account and get a copy of the free ebook, “How To Use Twitter For Your Job Search”. Go to Tweetajob.com.