Techcrunch Graph
The U.S. is currently in a recession. And with booming popular social networks, is it any surprise that more people are joining LinkedIn now more than ever before?
Of course not.
Techcruch published a great post regarding this correlation. The web is more pertinent today than ever before: it’s not just about photos of friends anymore. It’s about finding jobs and getting hired in a time of crisis. One of the best tools you have at your fingertips is LinkedIn.
Unfortunately it takes a recession for people to realize that they need a professional online presence in order to better brand themselves and increase their chances of being found. LinkedIn is quickly becoming one of the most popular social networks.
If you haven’t heard of it, consider it a professional Facebook for the working world. But don’t think that just because you join it that you will instantly make connections and get a job.
That is a HUGE misconception. LinkedIn is a tool that requires effort to see results.
Popular Social Networks:
| Site | Number of users |
| Myspace | >253,000,000 |
| >175,000,000 | |
| Friendster | >90,000,000 |
| Orkut | >67,000,000 |
| >35,000,000 |
(data from Wikipedia)
Being part of the popular social networks has a positive effect on your search results. You should create a strong online presence so that when someone types your name into Google they can find relevant information about you. Do you know where you come up in Google? Google yourself right now if you haven’t done it lately.
Also, consistency between your online profiles is important in your job search. Employers don’t want to see that you describe yourself as conservative and professional on LinkedIn, and wild and adventurous on Facebook.
Keep these in mind as you hop from one social network form the next:
Professional Headshot: It would be a good investment to get one of these done sometime soon so people will have something to remember you by. A consistent image on the web is fundamental to building a brand. While it is sometimes discouraged to have a picture because unfortunately it is human nature to judge people even if they’re qualified, it adds another level of personal involvement. People like seeing who they’re doing business with.
Same Username/Alias: Use the same name on all of the popular social networks so that when they are indexed by the search engines they consistently point to you. Remember: while you may know that “Trace Cohen” and “Trace A Cohen” are the same thing, Google sees them as totally separate.
Link To Your Other Sites: If you have an account on LinkedIn you most likely have accounts other places as well. Link to them! This will show that you have a presence online and that you are extending your brand across the web. The more places you link to and the more profiles you create, the strong your presence becomes and the easier it is to find you.
Be Real: LinkedIn along with the other sites are there to help you be yourself and meet other people. These are just representation of you online so they need to be as accurate as possible. It is nearly impossible to defend yourself online, so if you’re caught with your pants down, there are millions of other people out there who can replace you.
Just like anything else, it takes time and effort in order to create leads. You can’t just join a social network and expect the world to come to you. It is not just a place where you can sign up and forget it, you have to work to build your network constantly.
Beyond the above list of popular social networks, there are also specific social networks for niche markets that everyone in those markets should be involved with. The Brand-Yourself.com system makes suggestions of multiple popular social networks to start building your brand based on your area of expertise, an essential step to surviving in a 2.0 world. You can’t just sit back and watch as the world around you goes by, you need to step up and be part of the conversation.
- Author: Trace Cohen
