BernieBorges.com Blog: Social Media and Web Marketing

Job Seekers Should Add Social Networking Into Job Search Portfolio

I met Charles Caro at one of my speaking engagements in 2009. Charles approached me to tell me about an organization called Real Estate Lives (REL) in which he was active. REL exists as a volunteer organization to help unemployed people in the Tampa Bay area regain employment. I quickly learned that Charles is an unemployed professional that has embraced social media for all that it offers.

Charles and I stayed in contact through LinkedIn and Twitter. I was impressed with both the quantity and the quality of Charles’ content most notably in LinkedIn Answers. Charles invited me to speak at Real Estate Lives’ December 2009 meeting on behalf of its founder Ron Weaver. Little did I know that speaking engagement would change my life.

When I spoke to a group of 200 unemployed professionals at that December 2009 meeting, I was humbled and honored to address this group. These folks were hungry for insights and inspiration that might help them find gainful employment in a very difficult economy. I threw my prepared speech out the window and spoke extemporaneously from the heart. Based on the reaction from the attendees, I must have provided some useful inspiration.

Shortly after that event, Charles and I began to discuss the idea of creating a half-day seminar to focus on teaching job seekers social networking strategies and tactics to help them gain an edge in their job search. In my heart, I wanted to give them more than just “an edge.” I am convinced that even in a down economy, with a lot of persistence, the right online and offline networking strategies and maybe a little luck, anyone can find their “dream job.” The trick is for job seekers to define (or re-define) their dream job.

The first live seminar was delivered on August 26, 2010 to a packed audience of mostly job seekers. Of interest is that about ten percent of the attendees were employed people seeking to sharpen their social networking skills for career development. It was only fitting that Charles Caro introduced me at this event. I quickly launched into five strategies to turbo charge a job search.

This live seminar lasted two and a half hours. It was recorded on video so that it could be made available to thousands of job seekers eager to sharpen their social networking skills.

The Strategies

Here’s a breakdown of the five strategies. Note, the first and the fifth strategies are critical to get the best results for those new to social networking.

• Acquire the Mindset of a Triathlete
• Social Networking Basics
• Social Networking Like the Pros
• Become an Entrepreneur in your Job Search
• Good Enough Isn’t

Social Networking for Job Seekers is now available as online content. It is intended for those new to social networking or those who consider themselves social networking novices. If you are an intermediate or advanced user of social networking strategies, this content may not be for you.

Check out the testimonials from attendees of the first seminar.

Watch an excerpt of the video with a peek at some of the tips and strategies that can turbo charge a job search.

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