10 Tips to Use Google Plus for Your Job Search

The social web is evolving with each passing day. Right from the day Google Plus (a social network introduced by Google) was announced, people have been flocking to join in. Google Plus social network offers some really cool features, apart from bolstering user security. Not only businesses, even jobseekers can use this social network for job search.

If you are ready to use Google Plus for job searching, given below are some of the most real tips you can use.


#1. If you don’t have a profile on Google Plus, go create one.


If you are there already, you need to optimize your profile. Optimizing your profile means filling out the details in a way that increases your visibility to employers. Include industry related keyword so you appear in relevant searches.


#2. Use to Circles feature to connect with influential people.


More importantly, add those people who are already employed in your target companies. Participate in their conversations to attract attention.


#3. Use the Hangouts feature to take your efforts to the next level.


You can use this feature to create job search clubs. Learn the basic rules and regulations of participating in hangouts.


#4. Find opportunities to highlight your talents and skills.


If you are really smart, you can easily grab the attention of companies or employers. It is also a good idea to ask questions related to the kind of job you are looking for.


#5. Engage.


When you genuinely engage on the Google Plus network, you will come across with many people regarding the hiring process. Companies might also want to interview you online. Therefore, it’s important that you know how to make the most of online interviewing.


#6. Use Google Plus as your online portal.


Google Plus also offers you the facility of linking to your profiles that you may have on other social platforms. Whether it’s a blog or your profile details, you can put the links in your Google Plus profile.


#7. Build quality relationships.


While you interact with people on this social network, focus on building relationships with professionals. By connecting with employers, recruiting companies and hiring managers, you will bring yourself multiple career benefits.


#8. Build your professional brand.


Like other social networking platforms, Google Plus also provides you an opportunity to build your personal brand. Whatever you do on this social network, enhance your professional image.

See more at 10 Personal Branding Ideas for Google Plus.


#9. Share your best content.

Share interesting content with the people in your Circles. Whether you want to increase your knowledge on a certain topic or you are interested in a particular subject, you can use the Sparks (the content recommendation engine) feature for searching relevant content.


#10. Keep it going.

Sounds simple perhaps but to get real success, you have to follow all the above mentioned tips on a regular basis.

Eve more about G+ at Is Google Plus the Personal Branding Tool of the Future?

How Interested Are Employers in Career Portfolios?

Anonymous writes:

I believe the career portfolio is an important job search tool; however, many of my co-workers are not convinced. I want to know some statistics that will reveal that many employers are actually interested in interview candidates who come to the interview with a career portfolio. I am a business technology teacher at the secondary level, and I teach my students job readiness skills. We will be creating career portfolios in all of the classes I teach this fall. I would like the other teachers to do this as well. I am the business department chair, and I want to provide some information that explains how powerful a tool the career portfolio really is.

I have visited lots of sites but I do not see info that tells me which businesses in particular are using or want their applicants to come with a career portfolio. Can you help me, help my students and other educators at the secondary level?

The Career Doctor responds:

Unfortunately, I cannot give you the statistics on the number of employers who require or are interested in career portfolios. I can, however, state that I am a big proponent of career portfolios because they are just another selling tool in the job-seeker’s career toolbox. A resume states what someone has accomplished, but a portfolio can actually show it! There is nothing more powerful, in my mind, than pulling out a hefty portfolio of your work and placing it on the interviewer’s desk with a resounding “thump.”

And while career portfolios have traditionally been used by job-seekers in the arts, more and more job-seekers across all disciplines are using them as a way to develop a career focus, document experiences and accomplishments, and as an aid for prepping for job interviews.

In fact, one of my colleagues actually supports the development of two portfolios, an external portfolio used for job-hunting purposes and an internal one, used for career development.

All businesses ideally want job-seekers with experience, and a portfolio is the tool to document that experience. Things that can be included in a career portfolio include:

Resume(s)
Career Goals/Objectives/Summary
List of accomplishments
Samples of work and reports
Awards and honors
Professional development activities
Reference list
Just one final note: Do not send portfolios to employers unsolicited; job-seekers should bring portfolios with you to the interview.