Inbound Marketing Tips for Job Seekers

Inbound Marketing is a hot marketing term in the Business World, but during your job search, should Inbound Marketing matter to you? First, let’s take a look at the definition of Inbound Marketing:

Does that definition leave you scratching your head wondering how Inbound Marketing pertains to you and your job search? If you answered “Yes,” read on!

Seth Godin, an American author, entrepreneur, marketer and public speaker, characterizes the Connection Economy as our current economy that rewards the value created by building relationships and connections to build on who you know, what you know, and the influence of knowledge. 

This concept is relevant to the businesses you are applying for jobs with and for you as a job seeker.

Check out my Inbound Marketing definition adapted to you:

If you’re still reading this blog, my revised definition of Inbound Marketing for Job Seekers must resonate with you, but now what? How can you use Inbound Marketing to land your next gig? Here’s how:

Get Hired: 6 Start Today Inbound Marketing Tips

1.       Start a blog – your blog is the place for you to write original posts and comment on other content related to your industry to establish expertise. Aim to post once per week and share your posts on LinkedIn. Just remember to keep your blog focus professional. Get inspired tip: look for hot topics related to your industry trending on Twitter, LinkedIn, the News or Industry Publications.

2.       Curate Content – Organize, annotate and share highly relevant digital content on a specific topic with your personalized digital publication on social media. Some examples include Scoop.it!, paper.li and Storify. Put together relevant content that hiring managers will want to read.

3.    Guest Blog – Find blogs relevant to your industry and offer to contribute content. Ideally you will get a mention and link back to your blog or LinkedIn profile. Getting published on external outlets increases your credibility.

     4.  Networking – as challenging as it may be, when you go to in-person networking events, listen more than you talk. Ask questions and connect with you people you are genuinely interested so you can further build relationships. Give help before you ask for help in the form of offering your knowledge and expertise to solve their challenges. As you continue to establish relationships, when a job opportunity arises, you will be the first person that comes to his or her mind.

5. Presentations – look for opportunities to conduct a presentation about your area of expertise. If you are an office professional, present tips on how to manage time, multi-task, and communicate effectively under pressure at a business conference. If you are a technical professional, present tips on how non-technical staff can effectively communicate with technical staff. By using your expertise to offer solutions to problems and make your prospective employer’s job easier, when the opportunity arises, you will be the go-to-person who will naturally get the job.

6. Social Media – As a professional, you must tread carefully with social media; however LinkedIn is a social media platform made specifically for professionals. LinkedIn presents an array of opportunity to make connections and establish your expertise. Here’s some quick LinkedIn tips:

      

a.       Ask for recommendations from past employers, colleagues, and business partners and be sure to reciprocate!

b.      Endorse other users for experience you know they have

c.       Update daily,  sharing your blog posts and other relevant information

d.      Like, comment, and share updates from connections in your network

e.      Add 3 new connections each week

f.        Join 2-3 groups relevant to your industry and be active by starting conversations and posting comments at least 2x per week for each group.

g.       Publish original content with the LinkedIn publishing tool

h.      Follow companies you would like to work for to stay in-the-know              

As you can see, Inbound Marketing isn’t just for businesses. As a job seeker, inbound marketing is a proactive form of communication that can build trust with prospective employers and help them realize that you should be their next hire.

J&J Staffing helps prospective employees find the perfect career fit with temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire opportunities. Click here to kick your career into high gear with J&J Staffing Services.