A few years back, I realized the shot clock had started on my career as a sales rep for the Toro distributor I was employed by. Coworkers, who I was close to, didn't believe me that it was time to find a new job before I was let go, but in then end my observations were based on a great piece of advice I received from my older brother. He said "watch what they do, not what they say". I started to prepare myself to move on to another position. After reading as much about changing jobs as I could, and even meeting with a social media expert to make myself a more viable candidate for a possible position by putting together a social media plan. With all that in place, it was time to get to work.
The first thing was LinkedIn. With each person I had a meeting with, or just trolling LinkedIn as I watched TV for people I might know, I worked on building my connections up over 500 as quickly as possible. Then came working on growing my Twitter following. That still has not gone as I thought, but I have gotten some positive feedback regarding the information I put out. Finally, throw in this Blog and you have my social media campaign in place. Facebook is not my thing and don't plan on adding that.
Ok, so now I am slightly on the social media map. I have had multiple interviews and was even told during one interview by a human resources person to emphasize what social media I use in the next round. It did not do too much to help,but there are many variables involved in being offered a position and having enough Twitter followers hopefully is not a deal breaker.In the end, the right opportunity came from having a strong professional relationship with a competitor.
Do I think having a personal social media plan in place is important, absolutely. I am glad I have invested the time and effort and even learned a lot as I worked through the process. Did it have anything to do with me finding a new job....not so much.
WJC
No comments:
Post a Comment