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.

10 Employee Retention Strategies to Improve Your Company's Performance

Five years into the U.S. Economic Recovery, talented employees once again hold the cards when it comes to choosing where to work. With employee bounce rates reaching their highest levels since 2008, companies are in a vulnerable position that may leave them understaffed and falling short of their goals.

Why is Employee Retention so Important?

The reduced pool of qualified talent combined with increased employee acquisition and turnover costs have an exceptional adverse impact on your bottom line. The loss of large numbers of talented employees will have a long-lasting negative effect on your profits and the cumulative performance of your employees.

Employee retention is better for everyone - employers and employees - because high retention rates equate to shared goals, improved performance, and competitive advantage. So why do top employees quit? The two most common factors are lack of job satisfaction and more appealing career options.

How to Insure Your Talent Acquisition Investment

The days of retaining employees by dangling a cookie filled with a good salary, paid time off, medical benefits and a 401k are over. Don't get me wrong - talented employees expect all of the above - but they want MORE. In order to retain your talent, commit to an employee retention program - TODAY.

10 Tactics You Need to Include in Your Employee Retention Strategy

What matters more than than money to the knowledge workforce?

1. Recognition: A pat on the back goes a long way. Give praise for a job well done. How about an improved job title? Appreciation is a fantastic and free employee motivational tool.
   
2. Break the Sandbox: Encourage employees to use their imagination and move outside of the box.
3. Keep Things Spicy: Forget the humdrum - push your employees to reach their full potential with a challenging variety of tasks. Variety is indeed the spice that turns a bored employee into an engaged employee. 
4. Be Transparent: Keep job descriptions accurate and up-to-date so employees have a clear understanding of what is expected in their current role and have direction on areas to build skills as they aspire to transition into other roles.
5. The Magnetism of Employee Empowerment: Let your employees plan, perform, and evaluate their own tasks to lock them in for the long haul. 
   
6. Do Some Yoga: When it comes to paid time off, be flexible to improve employee work-life balance. Your employees will be loyal for it.
7. There's No "I" in Team: A teamwork culture increases employee productivity and retention.
8. Communicate: Set realistic performance standards and 360-degree performance reviews.
9. Lifelong Learning: Employees stay motivated when they have the opportunity to keep learning. Employee development initiatives can include formal company training, certification incentives, and tuition reimbursement. A learning organization will be more agile during imminent times of change.
10. Perks: From employee stock options, quarterly performance bonuses, and health club reimbursements to happy house and free lunch - employees appreciate fringe benefits.

Hierarchy Matters

When designing your employee retention program, keep in mind what motivates employees will typically vary dependent upon their position within your organization.

Top, Middle, Bottom

• High-level employees are motivated by praise and development opportunities.
• Mid-level employees are motivated by opportunities to learn and like open door policies with their direct managers.
• Low-level managers are motivated by competitive salaries and perks.
• Entry-level employees are motivated by bonuses, performance-based raises, and pay for working additional hours.

In order to retain talent, employees must feel like their goals are in line with the company that they commit to. A comprehensive employee retention program will give your company the highest ROI because motivated, engaged, and loyal employees are more likely to reach their fullest potential which will naturally increase your organization's success. Check out Philly.com's top workplace list for more employee retention inspiration.

J&J Staffing matches top employee talent to your company's temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire needs. Click here to learn how J&J Staffing can help you meet your short-term immediate hiring needs and long-term staffing goals.