You Need a Hook Before You Can Fish for a New Job - CareerEnlightenment.com

What is your hook? What is that one thing you are the best at, that people will want to hire you for? If you can’t tell me that instantly, then you have some work to do. And I don’t want you to touch social media until that work is done.Next, I need to translate that hook into a compelling brand experience. Put a worm on the hook so that fish will want to bite. This means my picture should reflect my message. For me, if I’m good at buzz, then perhaps I’d lean forward in my picture, have my hands gesturing, or be in the middle of a sentence.Then there’s the headline or bio. No, it’s not “I’m good at generating buzz.” The headline is not about you. It’s about them. When writing a For Dummies book, one editorial trick we used for all of the section titles was the gerundive form â€" a verbal adjective. This means using the â€"ing form of the verb, for example, “Getting customers to talk about your brand” or “Creating an unstoppable surge of buzz about your compa ny.”What is your headline or bio going to sound like? What are the elements you need your online images to have?Finally, I would start engagement. Social media is all about relationship building. Cast your hook out there by starting conversations with companies that interest you. If I were a job seeker, the most important step would be following all of my target companies on all big three networks â€" Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.Each of these networks offers a unique way to engage. On Facebook, that’s probably going to look like commenting on a company’s posts. For LinkedIn, that could be inMails or asking for introductions. On Twitter, that might look like retweeting, replying and Direct Messaging.The key to engagement is to be interesting by being interested. Show that you are listening to what your target companies are saying. After a short while, you’ll find your chance to interject, interrupt or contribute.So to beat my fishing metaphor to death: Get a hook: know wha t makes you different and memorable. Put a worm on it: communicate a strong and compelling message online. Cast it into the water: reach out to the companies you want to work for.