Top 6 Tips to Use Pinterest In Your Job Search

If you’re anything like me you can spend hours browsing Pins and Boards filled with hair ideas, work outfits, home décor or yummy recipes. And as fun as that is, I’ve found time can be much better spent proactively pursuing your job search on Pinterest. The social networking site can, and should, be used in the job hunt for your dream career, as it will be found by recruiters looking into your social resume. And while Pinterest is still heavily women (70%), men are joining the Pin party, too!

Below are the top six tips I’ve found to help you build your personal brand and create a stellar, eye-catching social resume on Pinterest.

1. Upload a Professional Photo
As with all other social networks, make sure you have a professional profile photo. This generates interest in you and your personal brand.

2. Have A Descriptive Bio
Load your bio with keywords for search engine optimization; i.e. you’ll rank high in Google results. You can use the | symbol to organize your information as mentioned in the Twitter and LinkedIn job search blog posts. For instance, your bio might read: Journalist| Writing Tutor |SF Giants Fan.

3. Create Boards
First, write a specific title. For example, “[Your Name] Blog Posts” or “[Your Name] Advertising Portfolio” or “Professional Work Fashion.” Then start pinning. You can include things that interest you and are relevant to your board titles. One idea for a board is a visual resume (Example title: “[Your Name] Public Relations Resume”). Pinterest is a great way to showcase visuals, and visual aids help job seekers stand out to hiring managers. You can include logos from companies where you’ve worked, pictures of events you helped plan and links to articles that you wrote or were quoted in.

4. Create Pins
I say “create pins” because you can’t just repin everything you read and be successful. Pin blog posts you’ve written, or anything you’ve contributed to and write specific, action oriented descriptions for your pins. Organize each pin you post to your boards. Then you can add filler with shared pins to some of your boards (i.e. maybe a “Professional Attire” board where you share some of your favorite work outfits, and share others’ as well. Always make sure your pins look superb to increase interest Find images that best represent what you’re talking about and even add copy on to the picture so users don’t even need to read the description, if they don’t want to.

5. Engage With Other Pinners

Follow boards that interest you. Like and comment on others’ pins. People love those who share their content and will likely return the favor and repin your pins or follow your boards. Remember, always say thank you and give credit where credit is due!

6. Promote Your Pins and Boards

Include a link to your Pinterest resume on your Facebook and Twitter bios, LinkedIn, personal website and business cards to get attention from hiring recruiters. Consider using keywords in descriptions to help optimize your pins for search. However, do not use hashtags on Pinterest! You don’t need them for the site’s search functions. Read more about tips to promote your pins in this fantastic infographic on how to use Pinterest correctly.

What do you think? Do you have any other tips on how to use Pinterest in the job search? Comment below!

*This is part of my blog series on using social networks to help your job search. If you have a network you would like included in the series, please let me know by commenting below!*

Top 6 Tips To Use LinkedIn in Your Job Search

Imagine knowing you have all the traits of a desired candidate for a position at your dream company. You may be a math wiz, a stellar writer or a tech expert but the key people don’t even know you exist. Frustrating, right? Have no fear, LinkedIn is here! LinkedIn has broken down the wall and given job seekers the ability to connect with seasoned professionals at various companies. In fact, 63 percent of hiring managers use LinkedIn to research job applicants. Here are six tips to stand out on LinkedIn and brand yourself as a phenomenal candidate.

1. Upload A Professional Photo
You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it again. Get a professional headshot. Now. Research your dream company and see the style of headshots their professionals use. Wear similar clothing and use a similar background/style of photo.

2. Write A Keyword-Heavy, Professional Headline
Do not write student or job seeker! Be specific. The headline on your profile is top real estate (right next to your amazing headshot), so use it! Load the headline with keywords for SEO that you believe recruiters will search to find you. For example, write: “Aspiring Public Relations and Social Media Pro Studying at Fresno State,” (my alma mater) or use something like mine: “Author | Speaker | Powerful Social Media & Online Solutions for Personal Brand and Companies” HINT: I always recommend using the “|” to break up your headline and make it easier to read than a comma list.

3. Skills Endorsements
First, make sure you like the skills that LinkedIn recommends for people to endorse. If not, you can edit them. Either delete some that you don’t think tie to your brand, or add some that you think will help you build your brand. Then endorse as many of your connections on LinkedIn as you have time for. It’s as easy as a click, and won’t take too long, I promise. Your connections will likely reciprocate and endorse your skills as well. This will give your brand the edge of third-party credibility, and show you what others truly think about you, your talents, and your brand

4. Get Recommendations
If a supervisor from your last job or the volunteer coordinator at your service-learning project gives you any kind of recommendation or testimonial, ask them to post it on LinkedIn. You can even write out what you want them to say and politely ask them to post it. Only ask for a recommendation, however, if you have worked with that person recently. You may also want to remind them how awesome you are and why they should recommend you while asking for it. Remember, you only need one recommendation for each job or internship position listed on LinkedIn.

5. Join Groups
Join groups in your industry. This will show how passionate you are about your industry and keep you at the forefront of your industry’s discussions with daily updates. You can even start your own group. Pick a topic related to your industry and update content frequently. You can even share others’ blogs that interest you (you can even share this one!) 🙂  This is an excellent way to get your brand recognized by people outside your network, and get more connections.

6. Use Company Insights
Want to know what your dream company is looking for in a candidate? Go to a company’s LinkedIn profile page and click on Insights at the top of the page (example: Cisco Insights). From there you can see what positions they’ve hired recently, people who work for the company that are close (or in) your network to get introduced to, the top skills and expertise of their employees (make sure these are on your page), other companies the employees have worked for, and similar companies that you might be interested in working for. Woah!

Do you have any other tips on using LinkedIn for the job search? Comment below!

*This is the first in a series of blog posts on using social networks to help your job search. If you have a network you would like included in the series, please let me know by commenting below!*