Using Social Media in Your Targeted Executive Job Search

To get the maximum results from your job search, you need to hit the bulls-eye. After 20+ years of watching people struggle and succeed with their job search, I’ve seen that the clients that set themselves target companies score faster than the people who don’t.

An integral component of your job search or career transition plan should be identifying a minimum of 20 companies where you would like to work. Perhaps they have a great culture, you like their products, you like their management team, or better still, they may be going IPO, which represents a winning financial opportunity.

Be honest with yourself about why you want to join each company, and what value you will bring upon your appointment.

Once you have this list, you then need to use all the tools available to you to hunt down key decision makers at these companies. With the advent of social media in the last few years, this task has become a lot easier.

Search for key contacts

The prime resource available today to hunt for those names is LinkedIn. Follow your target companies and start to network with those in authority who will be higher on the corporate ladder than you.

Tip: Avoid human resources, as they only have a function once jobs are advertised.

Also network with the people who have recently left that company, as they can provide you with all the dirt, and are generally more than happy to share their views on how the company operates and treats its employees.

Boost your web presence and credibility

When you’re not connecting directly with decision makers and key players at your target companies, you should be actively engaged in marketing yourself as an expert within your defined area of interest.

You can do this by contributing thoughtful comments on other people’s posts, starting a discussion in a LinkedIn group, sharing valuable content from industry blogs, or even writing your own blog posts.

That way, when a decision maker at one of your target companies does their due diligence to research you online, they can see first hand the qualities, the assets, and the attributes they will be buying.

Don’t be a stranger. Don’t be a loner. Don’t miss out on social media.