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Session 1: Why Discoverability MattersLiz Hassan 24 September 2014

CREATE Career Launch Pad it is the dawning of a new era in careers

…so what was once true may now be a myth

these tools are young! !

1998

2002

2004

2006

2008

Myth #1: they’re probably too lazy to google me

truth: • nope. just nope. • almost every employer

googles prior to an interview

“What if your google results were your resumé?”

- sidneyeve matrix

A true, cautionary tale

A year ago, if you Googled

“Liz Hassan” or

“Elizabeth Hassan”!this the frequency of

what you’d get:?

Graphic Designer

Track Star

Me

the biggest 419 scam in british history

Photo credit: empowernetworkscocity.com

this is why discoverability matters

Ideally, you want your online reputation to be:

• Accurate - Is it identifiably you?

• Professional - Do you look good?

• Found by the right people - If I wanted to offer you a job, could I find you?

Myth #2: if i use social media i’ll make a mistake and it will live forever and ever

truth: • not using social media at all

can make you seem sketchy • it’s a great way to connect

and build a reputation

Myth #3: I’m an engineer, i don’t even have to LOOK for a job !

truth: • sure, if you don’t care what you

do or where • good, interesting work is

sometimes hard to find • they won’t come find you • This is especially true in biomed

Myth #4: it’s ok, i’ll just apply online for a job

truth: • sure, if you want to be one of

thousands • …and you’ll be at the mercy of

algorithms • personal connections are

always best

Myth #5: twitter is vapid and dumb. so is social media in general

truth: • it’s only as dumb as the

people you engage with • it’s a great research tool

Discoverability: A quick guide to the common platforms

• Google yourself a few times a year, and include the common variations on your name

• Google+ isn’t widely used at the moment but it shows up at the top of search results, so it’s worth having nice photos etc.

linked in

• Julia Blackstock will cover this more extensively in Session 4

• You need to have some kind of a profile, also pops up high in Google

• I use LinkedIn for pre-meeting or pre-interview research all the time

• Make connections before you start looking for a job

twitter• You don’t have to tweet yourself to get value

• Nice way to keep track of:

• conference deadlines

• leaders in your field

• hot journal articles

• new opportunities

A tool that makes it easy:

Tools like Flipboard or similar aggregate social media feeds, so you can just flip through them when you have a bit of downtime

Academic platforms

• Google Scholar - alert function is useful

• Research gate

• academia.edu - this is a Google property so it shows high up in search results

• These often have sidebars where academic or research jobs are posted

landing page sites

• about.me

• Aggregates all your platforms so you can be found (Twitter, YouTube)

• Free, easy

• Lots of traffic, but I’m still unsure if it’s high value traffic

The next level: Your own site

• Title it right and it will show up in Google

• It’s easier than you think:

• Google has free blogs and sites, so does WordPress.com

• WordPress templates can be customized and you can buy custom ones if you don’t want to do it yourself

The next level: Your own site

• I use SquareSpace which is paid, and in my opinion worth it because it includes domain name, templates and server space

• Buy your domain name so nobody else can

• It’s easy to map your domain name to a Google or WordPress site, it just costs a little extra

liz’s hierarchy of grad student media

Must Have!You’re human with the internet

Nice to Have

Savvy

Media !Wizard

+ Frequent blog posts Guest author on other sites

+ Own site and domain Engage with discussions

+ Twitter, Landing Page, Academic Sites

LinkedIn Clean Google results

group activityLet’s all benchmark our Google results and profiles:!

• Grab a screen shot of your Google results

• Screen grab any of your professional social media sites

• Put them in a folder, and let’s see what changes by the end of term

Are these results what you want to present?!

What would you like to change? !

What are your goals for the workshops?