Any recruiter or career coach will tell you that landing your next job is all about networking, the act of connecting with like-minded people to create career opportunities.   While networking is a fundamental part of your job search and your career development, it’s not the magic pill. Instead, to be successful in your job search you must change your approach. You must manage your career just like you would a business.

And, any successful business begins with a plan.

A business plan begins with your vision, or your goal. Are you invested in a long-term plan to obtain that ultimate dream job? Or are you focused on a short-term plan designed to land your next job? Regardless of your end goal, your career “business” plan should cover these six fundamental areas:

1.  My career goal. What is your specific goal? Set a clear vision for your future, from the position and salary you want to the culture and people you see yourself working with. If you’re not sure what you want, a career self-assessment can help.

2.  My time frame. How long do you have? Where do you see yourself in six months, two years or even five years? Decide on a realistic timeline taking into account the amount of time you have to devote to executing your plan.

3.  My skills and experience. Do you have what it takes? Think about what your next boss is looking for in an employee?  Do you need to get more education or a certification?

4.  My networking strategy. Where is your next perfect opportunity? With over 75% of positions being filled through some form of networking, how will you build your network to have better access to your next job?

5.  My budget. All smart business plans have a budget, so should yours.   Attending networking events, joining associations and scheduling coffee with a former colleague cost money.  Decide how much you want to budget toward career networking and keep track.

6.  My action plan. What are your next steps?  Do you need a new resume, cover letter, or an elevator pitch?

Your plan will be a flexible outline that describes what you want to do and how you expect to do it.  To begin, open a blank document and use the six areas above as page headers, one per page. Then, brainstorm and write down your thoughts and ideas for each area. Eventually, you’ll want these jottings to become specific, actionable goals. For example, if you haven’t updated your resume in the past six months, you will need to update it yourself or hire a resume service to help you.  Keep in mind, each goal should be S.M.A.R.T. – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound – and broken into weekly actions. Breaking bigger goals into smaller, more manageable actions will give you a sense of progress and increase your confidence, and will ultimately lead to you getting hired faster.

While this process may sound simple, for many the process can become confusing and overwhelming. Just like running a business, you need to know when to bring in an expert.  For some this many mean attending a few free In-transition Job search classes.  Others may need to hire a Career Coach.   Hiring a career coach can be particularly helpful if you feel your job search is lagging or you are getting discouraged.  A coach will help you develop your plan and keep you on track.  A good career coach will offer you a free assessment to determine your individual needs before getting started.

No matter if you decide to go it alone, or use an expert, make sure that you make it a priority to spend the necessary time to define and map out your career management or job search plan.  Proactively managing your career is more important in today’s market than ever before and advancing your career requires ongoing investment and planning.  Make the commitment now.  You’ll be glad you did.

As a recent graduate or soon-to-be graduate, you need a LinkedIn account! When giving a presentation on utilizing social media in recruiting, it amazed me how few college students had a LinkedIn account – or even knew what it was! I have posed this same question to many of my peers, and once again, the majority either say “no” or, “what’s LinkedIn?”

For those of you who don’t know what LinkedIn is, it is a business-oriented social networking site. LinkedIn is much more professional than Facebook or Twitter, focusing on connecting business professionals. LinkedIn is a useful tool for college graduates or soon-to-be graduates who are job searching, or just looking to make professional connections. As someone who is about to graduate, I have been using LinkedIn to connect to people in companies and/or industries that I’m interested in. If you follow my previous blogs, recall I discussed the importance of targeting a specific company or industry within your job search. Not only does LinkedIn help me search companies and industries I’m interested in throughout San Diego, it helps me gain insight about a company’s culture. Additionally, when I secure an interview with one of these organizations, I will be able to use LinkedIn to research them prior to my interview, enabling me to be better prepared when I walk in the door. In many cases, LinkedIn will show me everything I need to know about the interviewer – where they went to school, their title, their tenure, their background, the types of books they read, the groups they belong to and much more!

As you can see, LinkedIn can be very beneficial to your job search. Not only can it help you with your list of target companies, it connects you to classmates and former contacts! The best part about LinkedIn is it’s FREE! I advise all college graduates and soon-to-be grads, to utilize this tool to the best of your ability and set up an account. It can only better your job search, bringing you that much closer to your ideal position right outside of college.

1. Identify your target audience
2. Determine where they hang out
3. Create a budget and timeline
4. Establish your MOS – Metrics of Success
5. Establish your benchmark
6. Leverage your internal stakeholders
7. Be consistent
8. Add value
9. Track all data
10. Share the results

Step 1 – Identify your target audience
While this may seem obvious, the key to driving a successful new campaign is to clarify the customer segment you wish to engage. It is imperative that you begin by selecting one or two target demographics rather than trying to be all things to all people. Not only will this approach provide specific and relevant data about your customer base, but it will also allow you to work through potential challenges early on and before launching to a wider audience.

Step 2 – Determine where they hang out
Regardless of how you classify your customers – age, location, income, gender, etc. – there are a variety of resources offering data related to the demographics of each social media platform. For example, the % of female Facebook users is 59%; the average income for LinkedIn profiles is $109K; and 25% of Black, non-Hispanic internet users have a Twitter account (source: Comscore, LinkedIn and Pew Research respectively).

Step 3 – Create a budget and a timeline
Social media offers a fantastic opportunity to connect with customers, in many cases at minimal or no cost! While you certainly have the option of spending thousands of dollars on Google AdWords or banner ads, social media allows you to wage an effective “grass roots” campaign with a much smaller investment. When calculating your budget, don’t forget to incorporate labor costs! If your Marketing Manager will be handling the social media campaign and she earns $70K/year, a 3-month campaign where she is devoting 10% of her time (4 hours/week) will cost approximately $1,750. Determine the amount of money you want to commit to these marketing activities, but be sure to allow enough time to see the results – typically, 6-9 months. Moreover, in order to minimize your expenses, consider using an intern or recent college graduate to support your social media marketing needs.

Step 4 – Establish your MOS (Measure of Success)
Revenue, Web traffic, new leads, # of comments, # of “likes” or “followers”…these are all valid metrics. However, your business model will determine which are most relevant to you. Using the earlier example of $1,750 for a 3-month campaign, a company that sells $250,000 consulting projects will realize a huge ROI by closing one new deal! However, if your company files tax returns for $99/each, you may need 20 new customers to consider the campaign a success.

As an example, our firm spent the last 6 months using LinkedIn polls to gauge whether or not they were a useful tool for engaging our “followers” and eliciting direct responses. For less than $725/mo (the amount we pay our part time Social Media Manager (SMM)) we created 7 polls in 2011.  Additionally, our SMM is responsible for selecting and sharing relevant articles throughout our various social media outlets – LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook – as well as commenting on articles written by others across a variety of websites.
As a result, we average 15-20 new leads/month with an average monthly revenue of $2,000-$2,300 – an ROI of 300% on our investment! Additionally, using Google Analytics, we can determine which articles and social media sites are driving our web traffic, which is up by an average of 90% since embarking on this new social media campaign.
Step 5 – Establish your benchmark
Without a starting point, there is no way to identify the success of your campaign. If you are using Web traffic as your MOS, calculate the average number of hits your website received during the 2-3 month period prior to launching your new campaign. If you are measuring “new leads,” determine the historic number of leads you receive and use this as your benchmark. You may also consider creating a unique web address or an exclusive page on your website that is only accessible through a link provided in your social media ad.

Step 6 – Leverage your internal stakeholders
This is the single most important, and most overlooked, aspect of social media. By nature, social media is collaborative and your campaign should take advantage of this reality. While the Marketing Manager may be charged with executing the campaign, she should utilize a broad, company-wide network. In some cases, this may include each of the firm’s Partners or Principals, while in other situations it may include a specific department. Regardless of which employee group you choose, leverage their social networks by sending a link, invitation or exclusive offer to their LinkedIn connections, Twitter followers and/or Facebook friends. Social media is also about trust and credibility. A recent survey by Businessonline.com shows 91% of consumers trust an online referral over a traditional ad. Of course, you don’t want to infringe upon your employees’ personal networks without their approval, and it is also important to gauge the relevancy of their network, but when you incorporate this expanded network into your overall strategy, the breadth and depth of your campaign increases exponentially. Moreover, involving your employees, specific departments or management team will invoke a greater sense of personal involvement and “skin in the game.”
While no campaign is guaranteed to succeed, a little forethought and planning will increase your odds of success.
This should get you to a strong start. Next month we will conclude this 3-part series by discussing the remaining four steps to social media success.

With graduation right around the corner, I’ve been thinking about an action plan for my job search. I have all these great ideas and actions I want to take in order to land my ideal job out of college but I know that nothing will get done unless I set up a plan for myself. I’ve been contacting a number of my contacts around San Diego, reminding them that I will be actively searching for a job come March. Everyone I have spoken to thus far has been more than willing to help me, but as a college graduate, what do I have to offer them in return for their help? Effective networking is all about giving something back to those who are willing to help, whether it’s helping with an introduction, job search, or resume advice. As a soon-to-be college graduate, I fear I’m not going to be able to give as much value as I’ve received from those who are more experienced and educated than I am. However, I’m happy to say I’ve found this to be incorrect while working as an intern with TurningPoint.

For instance, Ken Schmitt, CEO and President of TurningPoint, has spoken to some of our business classes at Cal State San Marcos. In preparation for the presentation, Ken asked me to review the power point presentations and provide feedback on what should be added or removed from the slides. I was able to provide him with valuable advice that he could incorporate into the presentation, bringing value to the students and TurningPoint. Additionally, I have been able to make introductions to Ken that have given our organization more visibility in San Diego, enhancing our business development efforts. Even though these resources and advice may offer less value than what TurningPoint has provided to me, they are still significant. As recent college graduates, don’t think you are unable to give something valuable just because your experience, education, and network are smaller than those with whom you are networking. Eventually, you will be able to give back by providing market intelligence, offering the “Gen-Y perspective”, contributing a blog posting or making introductions to your fellow students and professors. As for now, be sure to demonstrate how much you appreciate your network and always remember, a written thank you showing your appreciation, is the most personal and easiest place to start.

The process of recruiting internally and externally has changed significantly due to technology. The geographic reach has expanded tremendously, giving recruiters a much larger talent pool, which has also led to much larger stacks of resumes. Recruiters are now receiving hundreds of cover letters and resumes for ONE job opening, compared to the 15 to 20 they used to receive in the days before the Internet – they no longer have the time to review every single resume. Due to the overwhelming number of applicants applying for one job, recruiters are turning to technology to narrow down their search. Recruiters are able to scan resumes through software to catch keywords that relate to the job they’re trying to fill. They’re also able to narrow down their search by typing keywords into an advanced search within their database.

While interning at TurningPoint, I’ve learned that when we search our database for new candidates, we use keywords and the database searches within each resume, highlighting those keywords for us. For instance, we recently conducted a search for a CFO position at an aerospace company. In order to target a larger talent pool, I was asked to search through LinkedIn to find potential candidates. Within LinkedIn, I used the advanced search engine and typed in keywords such as ‘CFO’, ‘aerospace’, and ‘manufacturing’ in order to narrow down my search. Once I entered the keywords, LinkedIn provided me with a variety of profiles linked to my search. It also made the search easier for me since LinkedIn highlights the keywords within each person’s profile. In another instance, I was searching for potential candidates for a position we are trying to fill for a healthcare firm who uses technology extensively. Within our database at TurningPoint, I went into our advanced search engine and typed in certain keywords such as ‘healthcare’, ‘marketing’, and ‘technology’. This database also highlights the keywords that are within the resume attached to each person’s profile. Seems pretty convenient doesn’t it?

Technology has become a tool that is significantly helping recruiters become more efficient.  Including those keywords in your resume is extremely important. Since recruiters are now relying on this technology due to time constraints and large number of applicants, it is very easy for your resume to be overlooked if these keywords are absent. Over the next week, I encourage you to take the time to include those keywords in your resume as this will greatly enhance you for your job search!

Historically, businesses have relied on traditional media to create engagement with their customers. Print ads, radio and TV spots, direct mail, email campaigns and corporate sponsorships have dominated marketing budgets for decades. However, these platforms are one-dimensional. They speak at customers, rather than engage with them. As a result, most traditional outreach methods deliver unpredictable results, ranging from a one to 20% response rate.

Enter social media!

Not long after the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s, new ways to interact with customers began to creep into our daily lives. Websites like Napster, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and nearly 250,000 other social media sites sprang into existence. Marketing campaigns evolved rapidly from offering a simple business phone number to featuring social media icons, encouraging customers to like, follow or friend the business online.

For businesses, every like, follow, or friend, is an opportunity to provide a brand experience that connects with customers, and that experience is important. According to a 2009 survey by Business.com, 91% of consumers trust an online referral over a traditional ad. Further, a recent study by marketing firm Constant Contact and research company Chadwick Martin Bailey shows that Facebook fans are 56% more likely to recommend a “liked” product to their friends. As customers enjoy positive interactions with a brand, they engage more and share their experience with friends, family and colleagues. Social media has powered up the value of word of mouth marketing.

While most B2C companies including consumer retailers, restaurants and hotels have successfully leveraged social media, professional service firms (PSFs) have been slow to adopt this new form of marketing, citing the challenges of reaching the B2B market. Only recently have these PSFs begun to commit more resources to social media to reach their target market. In a recent survey conducted by B2B Content Marketing, of the Top 10 marketing tactics used by PSF firms, social media is #1 with 80% of respondents using this platform.

I recently presented to a group of partners from a large, San Diego-based PSF, focusing on the opportunities to engage their clients through social media. Surprisingly, while 83% of these partners maintained a LinkedIn profile, only 41% of these profiles included a link to their firm’s website, and not a single profile was 100% complete.

“It’s important to think of your online presence as your digital shelf space,” I explained, “The more products – or data points – you offer online, the greater the likelihood for your potential customers to find you. Every online update, whether it’s made on a LinkedIn personal page or company page, a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a blog or an article, represents an increase in this shelf space, allowing you to engage with your target audience.”

IBM understands the importance of creating a digital footprint. In a recent article by FastCompany, the company takes this idea of social media one step further, discussing their new commitment to becoming a “social business.” Ethan McCarty, Senior Manager of Digital and Social Strategy at IBM says, “Since IBM no longer sells consumer products, the brand experience for IBM is an experience with an IBMer.” IBM has assigned champions or experts to each web page, allowing for direct engagement with each customer who visits a particular page on their site. McCarty goes on to say, “Good conversation creates good outcomes and that brings value to the organization and to the individual.”

Over the last few years, other PSFs including Deloitte, Booz Allen, Baker & McKenzie, Mercer, and Thomson Reuters have jumped to the forefront of the social media platform. They have embraced the value of building a sustainable brand by engaging their employees, alumni, customers and prospects with market intelligence, Top 10 lists, industry trends, survey results and success stories.

This is great news for all PSFs. And although any PSF – whether they are boutique or Fortune 100 – can build an online following without a big budget or a dedicated staff, it ‘s a bit more challenging to engage this following without a defined strategy and a minimal amount of resources.

In Part II we will discuss 10 easy and cost effective steps every PSF should take to engage their target audience and create “solution evangelists.”

As we all know, today’s job market has been labeled “the most difficult time to find a job in 70 years!” As a result, many people are taking any job they can get. However, as the latest numbers show, the job market is finally starting to pick up a bit, which is why it is so important to identify what you’re really looking for in your ideal position. Interning at TurningPoint, I have spoken to many people who are actively searching for jobs. When we connect with people who want our assistance or advice, it is our goal to get a better feel for the type of position these professionals are seeking. We ask specific questions that will allow us to help these individuals land their ideal job. Quite often, I speak to people who are willing to take any job that comes their way – let me tell you, this is not a productive way to conduct a job search. When people are willing to take anything and everything, it rarely turns out to be a long term fit between the employee and employer. To make matters worse, 6 months later you’ve left your job and now you’re out searching for another one.

When I speak to job seekers who don’t know what they’re looking for and their search is too broad, it makes it harder for me as a recruiter to match them up with employers and open positions – no one can be all things to all people and no employer wants to hire someone who is so general. Today’s employers want to hire and develop specialists in a given field or industry. There is a great book entitled “Getting to the Top” by Kathryn Ullrich, in which she illustrates the path many senior professionals took on the way to their current role and the vast majority is specialists. If I can’t get a clear understanding of what a job seeker is targeting, I’m unable to give valuable advice or information that could lead them in the right direction. As a job seeker networking in the local marketplace, be sure that you know precisely what you’re looking for. It’s important to know what industry and/or company you’re targeting, the position/title you are seeking (i.e. customer facing vs. operational), the location in which you’d like to work (i.e. how far you’re willing to commute), your compensation range, and ideal company size. As an early-career professional, the most important aspect of your search is finding a company with a solid training program that will expose you to different facets of the company’s operation. Each of these details provide recruiters with a better feel for what you’re looking for – enabling you to narrow your search and giving you a better chance of landing your perfect job. Take the time to sit down and write out a description of your perfect position. Spending those few extra minutes preparing for the inevitable question “So, what type of a job are you looking for?” will be well worth it in the end!

Many recent grads – and those who will be graduating in the next 8 months – express a sense of fear when thinking about the next chapter in their life; namely, finding a career. I have heard many of my peers mention how difficult it is to land a job that will lead them down their ideal a career path. They continue to submit resumes, without any returned calls. As I have learned though my business courses at CSUSM and through interning with TurningPoint, the most important activity when trying to land your dream job is networking. According to CNN, more than 80% of the available jobs available aren’t even being advertised(http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/09/news/economy/hidden_jobs/).  Instead, they are being filled through referrals. This is an amazing statistic!

It’s important as a recent graduate or soon-to-be grad, that you start figuring out who you should be targeting as you look to build your network. It is imperative that you begin to build this network early on in your career, including those in class, worked with, or met through a club affiliation. Your colleagues are the ones who have seen your great work ethic and recognize the value you can bring to any organization. It’s also important to remember that networking is not just about getting a job! When you invite people to be a part of your network, you don’t want them thinking you are using them just to land a great job; instead, you want them to feel like your relationship with them really matters, and if they ever needed help landing a job, you’d be more than happy to support them as well. Either way, building your network is extremely important when landing a job out of college, so don’t forget to attend networking events and continue the relationships you have already established….you never know who will help you land that dream job!

Growing up in Generation Y, I have been exposed to technology for as long as I can remember. However, I continue to be amazed by technology and the way is has shaped society. Being an intern at TurningPoint has taught me a great deal about the importance of technology when it comes to recruiting. One of the most impactful things I’ve learned while interning is the importance of keywords. You might be wondering how keywords and technology are connected to one another, let me explain.

Since its initial rollout, LinkedIn it has become an ever-expanding, “fee” database of 120m people across the world – 10 years ago recruiter would have considered this dream that would never actually materialize! Yet, here it is. LinkedIn allows recruiters to network and recruit people from around the world. What more could they ask for, given that building a network is the most important aspect for a recruiter in order to fill positions. When a recruiter goes to LinkedIn to find potential candidates, they utilize the search function based on keywords that are associated with the position. People who have included those keywords within their profile will rank higher in the results. However, if your background is a great fit, yet you haven’t taken the time to embed enough keywords in your profile, you might miss out on a great job opportunity. It’s extremely important as a LinkedIn user to include keywords in your profile that are associated with your job position. Recruiters are turning to LinkedIn to fill positions more and more each day and you as a young professional don’t want to miss out on great opportunities!

Technology also plays a key role when it comes to keywords and resumes. Here at TurningPoint, we use a software system called MaxHire, which lists our contacts based on industry, function, title and area of expertise. When a company asks us to fill a position, we always start our search within our own MaxHire database. In order to narrow our search, we type in specific keywords that are relevant to the position. Each candidate’s resume is linked to their profile, so when we pull up their resumes, the keywords are highlighted in yellow. The higher the frequency of the relevant keywords, the more likely we are to read further to gauge their potential fit, eventually calling the candidate for an initial phone screen.

Technology has definitely helped recruiters to fill positions in a more effective manner, whether it’s on LinkedIn or through the use of resumes. It’s almost mind boggling to me that something as simple as a keyword can play such a big role in filling a position. As an intern here at TurningPoint, I have watched Ken Schmitt, our President and Founder, scan through LinkedIn and our database to fill searches and the first thing he does is type in the keywords for the position. So, if you haven’t already identified and added relevant keywords in your resume or LinkedIn profile, do it now! I can assure you, it will be worth it.