Quick Update: Adam Darowski initiates the discussion on whether blogs are the new currency of job-hunting? Joshua Porter from Bocardo chimes in with his affirmation that blogs ARE the new resume.
Bokardoan Adam Darowski suggests that the blog is the new resume. I think he’s absolutely right…whenever anyone wants to know anything about me I send them here.
First off, NOT ALL blogs can be considered your resume. However, for those of us interested in maintaining an online presence/identity it can be a worthy and impressive add-on. As I’d mentioned in my post below, the best repository for your online identity is your vanity google search. My online brand a.k.a vanity search yields my blog, my other blog (mprofs – where I contribute), my LinkedIn profile (Disclosure: I work for LinkedIn), my Images (Flickr), Video, Events, etc… Now, that’s a comprehensive identity. Read on…
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Just earlier today, I read this interesting piece on the changing face of today’s barrier less digital economy (a la “World is Flat”) on CNN. The article highlights how the CV/resume has evolved over the past few years from a paper based resume to the online version, and made it easier to find you that dream job.
So, let me highlight five steps to announce to your dream job, that you’ve arrived! Gone are the days, when you found the perfect job when you wanted one! The task is made infinitely easier for those who obsess about their favorite topic of interest and have an online brand that defines that.
1. Start networking today — Off line events
What started off as a necessity while I was into business development – networking with fellow marketers, led to a passion towards attending events on topics that enthralled me (web 2.0 related), and slowly towards finding a community of like-minded peers. For e.g. If your primary area of interest is web 2.0 marketing there is no dearth of events that you can attend. Here are probably three primary sources: Upcoming.org, Meetup, and the Web 2.0 Expo.
Although resumes posted on the Internet has increased the job-hunting prowess for many, traditional approaches — such as old-fashioned, off-line networking, is still a powerful job-seeking tool. “You need a blended approach — you can’t put your eggs all in one basket,” Alan Whitford says. (Source: CNN Article “Interactive CVs…” dtd. 4/7/7)
2. Start a blog on your favorite topic — Online presence
In order to find that dream job, let’s face it, you’ve got to have a dream! If you have a dream, you’ve got to announce it from the rooftops and the present-day equivalent of that would be for you to start a blog. For e.g. When I started my blog, I knew I loved marketing but it helped me evolve towards specific topics I closely identify with (such as customer evangelism and community marketing), fueled by friends in that space (Mack, Jeremiah, Damon, and others).
Blogging, I realized was a great way to effectively share thoughts, energize, and converse with my friends. I think an important first step was finding that community of marketers. In my case, I’d have to thank Mack and Ann for welcoming me into the circle of marketers. But trust me, your circle will find you.
3. Engage with those who share your enthusiasm for the topic
Let your “circle of interest” find you. And once they do, the conversations that ensue will be worth all the effort. There are many tools to accentuate that behavior. A case in point: Twitter, which everyone’s been talking about, helps you connect with your audience/circle of hyper passionate individuals you call your online network.
In a recent TIME article, “The Hyperconnected“, Lev Grossman talks of how ubiquitous technology like Twitter and iPhone are going to make things worse or better to engage with your trusted network, depending on how you look at it.
Update: Also, check out my friend, David Armano‘s BusinessWeek piece on the Conversation Economy here.
4. Find a tool to sustain both kinds of networking (online/offline)
Now, when I started off networking, I initially tried out an online networking service and felt handicapped by the fact that most of my friends weren’t on those networks and then I moved to LinkedIn (LI). The good news with LI then was that I was able to establish a virtual connection with my friends from high school, college, professional colleagues, the contacts I’d made networking – offline and online, and I was accumulating them all into one single repository (Disclosure: I’m the Community Evangelist at LinkedIn). Now there could be other online resources that you swear by. It doesn’t matter, just have a single easy-to-use repository of connections, and most importantly a tool that enables conversations. More on LinkedIn (via CNN):
Other user-to-user Web sites have conversely been a boon to job seekers: LinkedIn, a Web site dedicated for networking among job seekers, has gained acclaim for matching people together for business purposes.
“LinkedIn has gone a long way to recreate informal social networks for job seekers,” says Alan Whitford, who has written extensively about online recruitment and runs Abtech Partnership, which consults companies about using online tools for hiring. (Source: CNN Article “Interactive CVs…” dtd. 4/7/7)
5. Craft your online presence around your favorite topic
If you follow the above four rules, I’m sure you’ll definitely find yourself continuously among “birds of a feather” and that’d definitely solidify your presence among your “Circle of Interest”, meaning those who are as passionate about your area of interest as you are.
Whichever way you think of it, a blog or an online professional networking tool is an essential component to your online brand and let’s face it, companies are increasingly searching for you on the web. What’s the easiest way to find you on the web? Yes, just Google yourself and see how your web presence defines you. For e.g. here’s my online brand – here.
After almost a year of blogging and 2 years of being on LinkedIn, here’s how I stack up (in order of search results on the first page of my vanity google search):
a. My blog, focused on customer evangelism and community marketing
b. My blog contribution on MarketingProfs (Thanks, Ann) – on corporate blogging and Top CMO Blogs
c. My LinkedIn Profile
d. My Image (Profile) on Flickr
e. My Events
f. Video announcement of my most recent job
g. MyBlogLog Community
Quick Update: Rohit Bhargava (Ogilvy PR) who pens the influential blog “Influential Interactive Marketing“, has created his social media bio.
What’s a social media bio? Read his thoughts behind the genesis of the social media bio here.
How do YOU define your online presence? Do you have any examples to share?
Filed under: Linkedin
Mario Sundar's Speakeasy 
[…] Five Ways to let your dream job find […]
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Nice Post Mario, I have posted it on my website.
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[…] 5 steps to let your dream job find you […]
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I think that whatever methods that you choose for this, it is important to recognise that it needs to be a combination of both online and offline activities.
I work primarily online and agree wholeheartedly with the use of blogs, business networking sites etc. to communicate and work with others. However, I am constantly reminded during seminars and workshops that I run on blogging and emarketing that a vast majority of smaller companies (and my implication, individuals) still are looking to take their first steps in the online arena rather than “optimizing” it.
Love the social media bio, BTW!
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Thanks, Sanpran!
Mark,
It looks like we’re on the same page here. Your online network is as effective as your capability to build your offline network.
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Hi Mario,
Thanks for the link and the great post. You are definitely right that blogging and social networking can offer a great ticket to your dream job. In fact, using something like a social media bio coupled with a blog and (of course) your LinkedIn profile to facilitate an introduction is probably the ideal way to seek a new role. I’ve used a personal website to get my last two jobs at Leo Burnett and Dimension Data, prior to joining Ogilvy. Right now, I am using my social media bio to share background with event organizers for speaking roles. Obviously, there are lots of other potential benefits of this idea – particularly for those who are seeking their dream jobs …
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Definitely, Rohit.
I think the social media bio is a great idea for organizing your various engagements into one repository.
I believe the primary goal is to turn up on Google results since that’s how most people search/find you or topics of interest.
Great post from you. Couldn’t resist following up on that.
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[…] Exactly! I couldn’t agree more with you, Debbie. Check out my thoughts on the same topic, here. […]
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[…] 5 steps to let your dream job find you – Marketing Nirvana These days, everyone has an online presence. Leverage that to establish yourself as knowledgeable in your field by blogging and participating online conversations on topics of interest. Then network like crazy, both online and off. Think LinkedIn, not myspace. […]
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Great tips for creating an online resume. Thanks!
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[…] 5 steps to let your dream job find you […]
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[…] Five Ways to let your dream job find […]
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[…] 5 Steps to Let Your Dream Job Find You at Marketing Nirvana […]
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[…] 5 Steps to Let Your Dream Job Find You at Marketing Nirvana […]
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[…] For those of you new to this social networking phenomenon. Check out two earlier posts I wrote around personal brand management online, and another where I describe how to leverage that to find your dream job. […]
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[…] of my earlier posts, I contend that finding your dream job inevitably depends on your online identity and there are two […]
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[…] updated my recent post on 5 steps to let your dream job find you, following Adam Darowski’s recent post on how the blog is the new resume. I still believe […]
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My site is all about practical applications of Success through Balance.
I strongly beleive in the power of Napoleon Hill’s Master Mind. In modern terms, LinkedIn is a reflection of that.
I have been reveiwing LinkedIn based sites and have included yours in the review.
Please take a look at the review and add your comments.
Zale
http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/ZaleTabakman <- A connection to me adds 1,600,000 people to your network.
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[…] take This then got around the echo chamber of Techmeme before I picked up on the thread but my conclusion was an extension of that idea in that your virtual resume is inevitably going to […]
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[…] looks like I just found my dream job! Something I’ve been saying for a while. Interestingly, my role as a chief blogger benefit greatly from traits 2 and 4. The need for a […]
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Very good advice, i am currently pursuing my dream job of becoming an airline pilot, I recently entered this contest where people can win their dream job for a day and I think everyone reading this page should enter too. Here’s a link: http://tinyurl.com/65tyxh
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[…] my favorite, which nails the ethos of living your dream at your job (which I’ve written about here) We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. […]
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[…] 2. 5 steps to let your dream job find you […]
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Great post Mario, Our resumes are truly going global also linkedin is such a great site for meeting like minded professionals.
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@Erin, thanks for the link.
@Chris, I couldn’t agree more. I think LinkedIn makes the whole process so easy. Without spending much time (like I do on the blog), you can have your google juiced virtual resume good to go.
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[…] outlined by Kevin Merritt, echoed some of the oft-repeated themes on this blog. In particular ways to use social media to find your dream job! You know where I’m going with this. So, here are three essential steps you can should carry […]
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[…] Mario Sundar shares some ideas on using online visibility in your job search. 5 steps to let your dream job find you: […]
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[…] agree with Fred that a career blog is one of the best ways to showcase a portfolio of your professional expertise in long form. Fred writes: Chris Dixon and […]
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[…] more on this topic, check out my earlier posts on professional brand management and five steps that could lead to your dream job! Story of my […]
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