Leveraging your social graph to land that new job

We hear it everywhere: The economy has changed. The old ways of doing business are being replaced by a newer, tighter, more personal culture of business. For job seekers, this means the traditional job hunt strategy must evolve to leverage the candidate’s social sphere and business networks. Are you ready for this brave new world?

“Finding a job in this new climate means integrating social strategies into your existing search tactics,” explains Sandi Maki, First Lady at the InSights Group in Brighton. “The old way of simply replying to job postings by sending your resume is not likely to get you the interview.”

Maki, along with InSights Group co-founder Allan Curtis, will be speaking about this topic at the “Land That Job” event on Tuesday, May 24, at Clearly University. For this event, they are partnering with local writer Carol Palmatier of Brandeur Marketing to provide resume makeovers and social media strategies designed specifically for the new business market.

The hard truth is that heavy competition means more applicants for jobs, while harried HR directors are relying more on computerized resume scanning and personal referrals to weed through the mountains of applicants. So how can you rise above the crowd and make yourself stand out?

It’s a two-pronged approach, according to Maki. It starts with a resume makeover, to ensure your resume is written with a strong keyword-centered approach for easy scanning.

“Resume writing must be geared toward both the human reader, and the automatic scanner,” explains Palmatier. “You need to identify the target keywords in your industry and desired position, and work them into the copy so it flows.”

Secondly, you need to enhance your online presence with a strong professional component and keyword-rich content in your social network profiles, including Facebook and LinkedIn.

“Direct referrals continue to be a huge source for job seekers. Candidates have a huge opportunity in front of them to use their network of connections to push themselves forward,” says Maki. “If you are not leveraging your social sphere, you are cutting out the best source you have to land that new job.”

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Are you a job seeker? Get help with your resume and social media strategy as part of the eJobMate.com “Land that Job” event. Contact the InSights Group at info@insights-group.com, or call Sandi Maki at 810-623-5839 or Carol Palmatier at 810-923-4654.

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The Livingston Post is the only locally owned, all-digital information and opinion site in Livingston County, Mich. It was launched by award-winning journalists who were laid off from the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus by Gannett Co. Inc. in 2009.