We are human after all

Some people fear that social media will replaced face-to-face interaction. Not true. I don’t care how well you can use LinkedIn to find a job or network with people, you still need to connect offline. You know…that place called the “real world.”

Social media has blended the offline and online worlds together. In fact the coming generation of users (those teenagers who know nothing else but the Internet and cell phones) can flow between online and offline technology with ease.

But I’m guessing that if you are reading this, you are very clear on the distinction between the offline and online worlds.

Using social media to connect offline in your job search

Social media can be used to augment your offline experiences. This is a freeing statement for a lot of people who fear they have to be huddled up in a dark basement each night pounding out Twitter messages to faceless followers until 3 AM.

I know of one friend who didn’t understand social media at all until he attended a conference where people were exchanging Twitter handles and LinkedIn Profiles. After the conference ended, he received several connection requests and followers. Social media became real to him after he saw it being using in a real networking environment.

In reality we no longer need business cards. You could in essence write down your Twitter @name or LinkedIn profile URL for people to take and connect with you later. But take it one step further. With the ubiquity of mobile phones, you have the power to connect with someone instantly while they are standing next to you. Simply pull up Twitter on your mobile device and punch in their @username to follow them. Instant connection.

Blending offline and online

Before a job interview, learn about a potential employer by following the company Twitter stream. Watch how frequently they post and how many followers they have can tell you a lot about how savvy they are with using social media tools.

Research your future boss by reading her LinkedIn profile. Most likely your potential boss will be using LinkedIn and have information about her work experience, current job responsibilities and possibly even personal links to blogs or photos. All of this information can help you during a real-life interview.

Also be sure to Google the potential company and people who are hiring you. Remember… your potential employer is also searching for you. They will be searching on Goolge, Twitter, LinkedIn  and other social media accounts. So do some searches of yourself before you go in. If there is anything questionable that comes up, be ready to address it in the interview.

Action Steps

1. Print your Twitter @username and LinkedIn URL on your business cards
2. Ask people you meet for their Twitter handle and use your mobile device to connect with them immediately
3. Use Google, Twitter and LinkedIn to search for your potential employer and company

The offline and online worlds are blending. Learn to use social media tools during your offline networking and job hunting and you will set yourself up for success. Now go take action.

.

Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

.

Expand your network before you need it.

Sounds obvious right? But so many professionals get lazy and wait until they are laid off or out of work to network. Don’t be like one of them. Network now.

Think back to your college days. Remember how many people you met? Many of these people you still know or may even work with. College is a great time to network. Everyone is making big changes in their lives. People are finding themselves, looking for lovers and testing out career options. Everyone in college is networking (even if only for pure social reasons). A few years after college the networking stops. Well almost… there is still the awkward business card exchange at mixers.

In the current economy many have lost their jobs, spouses or worse. People are once again finding themselves and testing out new career options. Add to this the explosion of social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook and…BAM! You have the perfect opportunity as you look for a new job.

The greatest networking opportunity in the history of the world

Just like college, everyone is fighting to reinvent themselves. Right now, there is a brief window in the current economic climate where 95 percent of the working population is VERY open to meeting new business people. Networking is on the forefront of everyone’s mind, and you now have tools to help you do it faster and cheaper.

Tools you say?

Yes. Facebook – LinkedIn – Twitter… among others. You can connect with business people from all over the world from the comfort of your desk. There is NOTHING that can compare to a face-to-face interaction with someone, but don’t overlook the power of social media.

As you begin your new job search, I recommend focusing on two primary social media sites, Facebook and LinkedIn. Both of these sites are useful for networking professionally.

Starting Tips

Chances are you’ve already signed up for one or both of these services. If not, go and do that now. I’ll wait….

Hint: Be sure to use a personal email address to sign up for these services.  You don’t want to get laid off or quit your job in the future and have an account listed under an old work email.

Okay. Good. Now that you’ve created your accounts – be sure to import your email contacts and find other people in your contact list who are using these services. Send all of these people a connection/friend request and begin building your database.

On Facebook, segment your friends into lists so that you can keep your business friends separate from your family and personal friends. This will serve you well later if you want to keep business friends from seeing that photo of you sitting on the floor Christmas morning in your PJs.

Login to your LinkedIn account and search for groups in your industry. Join a few groups and begin entering into some discussions around the topics that you know about.

Action Steps

1. Spend 10 minutes on Facebook organizing your “friends” into lists. For example: “friends,” “family,” “business associates,” “past clients,” “colleagues,” etc.
2. Invite all your Outlook, Yahoo Mail and Gmail contacts to connect with you on LinkedIn.

If you are looking for a better job, there has never been a better time to expand your network. Start now and use the free social media tools available.  Now go take action.

.

Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

.

So exactly what is Twitter?

Wikipedia describes Twitter as “a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.”

That’s a pretty good way to explain it. I think I would also add that it is more like a text based telephone than a micro-blog. Of course it is a telephone conversation that anyone can listen to. But I think this is the power of Twitter. And Twitter for business can be very powerful.

Twitter gives you an opportunity to be transparent as a business allowing you to build a case for yourself or your company through dialogue.

My friend Lee from Common Craft made this short video explaining Twitter in everyday language.  This is ” Twitter In Plain English. ”

My experience with Twitter

I thought Twitter was really stupid until I gave it a try. And then I still thought it was stupid.

My problem was misunderstanding how it can be used as a tool for business and communications. But I’ve really changed my mind on this. And now Twitter has become indispensable to me and our business.

The tipping point personally came when I was recently speaking at a conference in Las Vegas. If you’ve ever been to the Las Vegas Convention Center, you’ll appreciate the fact that even a smart guy like me was able to get lost. The building is a small city and navigation can at times be very difficult. In order to find my way around I pulled up Twitter on my cell phone and tweeted out a quick message asking for directions. Within moments I had an answer from a stranger who was following me and was able to easily find my way to the conference hall.

The tipping point for my business came when clients began contacting me from seeing Tweets. I decided right then and there to begin taking this Twitter thing seriously and have developed some strategies for how we are using Twitter in our own company.

Things your company can do with Twitter

Twitter for business?

Yes.

While Twitter can  be used for actual business communications, it is important to remember that this tool isn’t for everyone. It should be used wisely like any tool online. I would say that about 80% of businesses can use Twitter to:

• Listen to what people are talking about in your market or industry
• Break news related to your industry or customers
• Link to insightful articles that will help your clients
• Offer quick tips to help people with particular problems
• Conduct surveys to get instant feedback
• Spread knowledge by re-tweeting other’s posts
• Ask for customer service feedback and engage those folks

Twitter is one of the most interesting and fastest growing online applications for personal and business communications. Even if you decide Twitter isn’t for you,  at least give it a try and do some experimentation. There are a lot of opportunities to harness Twitter for your business.

Joel Mark Witt is a producer, speaker, and new media leader who writes about social media and its impact in the business world. He is also the Founding Director of Folk Media. Send him an email: joelmarkwitt (at) folkmedia.org or follow him on Twitter.

*Photo by seyDoggie