1. How to Rev Up Your Job Search,
Even if You’re Happily
Employed
Presented by:
Heather R. Huhman

2. Who am I?
 Founder & president of Come Recommended
– Career and workplace education and consulting
firm specializing in young professionals
– ComeRecommended.com is a social networking
site for internship and entry-level job candidates
and employers
 Entry-level careers columnist for
Examiner.com
 Career expert for a number of other orgs
2

3. Every Job is Temporary
 Unfortunately, every job is temporary.
Seriously, every single one. So, even if you’re
over-the-top happy where you are today,
chances are you will move on from this
position for one reason or another eventually.
 Knowing this, how can you rev up your job
search now?

4. What We’ll Cover
 How to create a comprehensive job search
plan
 The importance of building your network
now
 360-degree networking
 How to build and maintain your personal
brand

5. How to Create a
Comprehensive Job
Search Plan

6. How to Create a Comprehensive
Job Search Plan
 Have a clear idea of what you want and how
you’ll get there
 Map out your goals:
– What’s your ideal workplace environment?
– What type of organization do you want to work
for?
– Where are you going to live?
– What type of job does your previous experience
and education qualify you for? (Be realistic)

7. How to Create a Comprehensive
Job Search Plan
 Utilize various job search methods to land
the job you want
– Job boards
– Social networking sites
– Informational interviews
– Company websites
– Networking – events, conferences, online
– Talking with your existing network to see who
can help you

8. How to Create a Comprehensive
Job Search Plan
 Dedicate set amounts of time to various job
search methods
– You don’t want to rely on one method to get you
an interview
 Stay on top of your applications and
interview opportunities
– Follow-up with hiring managers several times
throughout the process to show that you are
passionate about the job opening

9. How to Create a Comprehensive
Job Search Plan
 Prepare yourself
– Have a quality resume and cover letter prepared
for job openings
– Research the company to identify how you
would fit and ways you can help them improve
– Show that you know what they need by spelling
out exactly how your qualifications and
experience fit the job description

10. How to Create a Comprehensive
Job Search Plan
 Stay organized
– Create a method for keeping track of
applications, dates, names and contact
information

11. The Importance of
Building Your Network
Now

12. The Importance of Building Your
Network Now
 To create a strong network of connections,
build it before you“need it”(for example,
when you’re job searching)
 You’ve been interacting with many people
who can help your job search throughout the
years, such as:
– Peers and classmates
– Professors and university professionals
– Former co-workers and supervisors

13. The Importance of Building Your
Network Now
 80% of jobs are secured through networking
– Employee referrals
– Unadvertised openings
– Connections with hiring managers/CEOs
 Many are secured through acquaintances or
weak connections
– You never know who can help you in your career!

14. 360 Networking

15. 360 Networking
 Just because you follow someone on Twitter,
read their blog or friend them on Facebook
does not mean you are reaching the end goal
of networking. Networking goes beyond the
initial meeting whether online or offline.

16. 360 Networking
 Networking is a two-way street – it’s all about
creating mutually beneficial relationships
 That said, you need to give, give, give before
you ask for help from new contacts
 Know your unique selling points (USPs)
– Your unique characteristics and skills
– Create an elevator pitch for networking
opportunities to explain who you are, what
you’re seeking and your qualifications

17. 360 Networking
 Provide value to your contacts
– Think about how you can help them succeed, so
they will want to help you succeed in the future.
Networking is all about creating good karma!
 Follow-up
– After an initial meeting, it’s extremely important
to follow-up
– You don’t want to lose the connection because
you didn’t stay in touch

18. 360 Networking
 Follow-up (cont.)
– Also important to stay in touch with your
network contacts via updates, e-mails, meetings,
phone calls, etc. throughout the year
 Leveraging your connections
– Once you’ve built a relationship, your
connections can vouch for you and lead you to a
multitude of new opportunities

19. 360 Networking
 Bringing it all full circle
– After completing networking activities, show
gratitude to those you’ve connected with
– Take notes on the back of business cards about
unique conversations
– Explore ways to help or give back to build the
two-way relationship
– Add contacts you’ve made on LinkedIn or follow
them on Twitter to continue building the
relationship

20. How to Build and
Maintain Your Personal
Brand

21. Building Your Personal Brand
 Create a professional presence on major
social networking sites, such as LinkedIn &
Twitter
– Keep usernames similar (use your name)
– Include a professional picture to show you are a
real person
– Completely fill out your bio, including
information from your elevator pitch
– Make your account public

22. Building Your Personal Brand
 Keep public social networking sites
professional
– Become a“go-to”professional for industry news,
interesting articles and recent issues
– It’s okay to share some personal information, but
don’t give potential employers a reason to dislike
you because of sharing too many personal details
online

23. Building Your Personal Brand
 Create an online portfolio to display your
experience and pieces of work
– Include your resume, classwork, volunteer
projects, leadership experience,
recommendations, etc.
– Consider starting a blog to increase your visibility
and sharpen your writing skills
– Where to start: WordPress, Weebly, Wix, VisualCV

24. Building Your Personal Brand
 Know your unique selling points (USPs)
– Education
– Qualifications
– Experience
– Industry/Field/Niche
 Position yourself as an expert in your field
– Blogging is a great way to do this
 Attend networking events and conferences
to meet other professionals

25. Building Your Personal Brand
 Invest in quality business cards that align
with your personal brand
 Be sure to include the following on them:
– Full name
– E-mail address
– Website/blog
– Twitter handle/LinkedIn profile link, etc.
– Phone number
– Photo of yourself (if you’d like)

26. Maintaining Your Personal
Brand
 Keep your different sites consistent by
updating them often
– Employers and recruiters will check to see that
your online presence is consistent across all
channels
 Don’t just sign up for networking sites and
leave them inactive
– Focus on a select few and make sure to provide
value to your followers

27. Maintaining Your Personal
Brand
 Update your status often on various sites so
you’re always on the front of people’s minds
 Keep in mind what’s appropriate for the
outlet:
– Twitter: several times per day is acceptable
– LinkedIn: not more than once or twice per day
 Look for new opportunities to display your
expertise, such as guest posting on other’s
blogs

28. iMarketYourCareer Services

29. Questions?
Heather R. Huhman
Founder & President
Come Recommended
www.comerecommended.com
heather@comerecommended.com
Twitter: @heatherhuhman