In the Netherlands, the term job seeker has become completely accepted. However, I find this an inadequate term. “Seek and you will find.” Yes, yes. Search until you drop. No! In this social media era, you will have to be found as a candidate. You become a job finder. That sounds different, doesn’t it?
There are now (February 2013, CBS figures) over 600,000 job seekers. A regular email with a CV as an attachment list to data is no longer sufficient. You are then one of many applicants and you do not stand out. In order to be considered for a job now, you will have to stand out, make yourself broad and visible. There is no way back. You need an online identity. A second personality that is visible and findable on the net. Not only for employers, recruiters and headhunters but for your entire network. And for the search engine.
You need a different mindset for that. The good news: you can learn it. I would like to give you a first step by means of the 5 A’s . I developed this theory as a social media marketing tool. If you see yourself as a product, you can also market yourself. And you do that with the 5 A’s, among other things.
The 5A's for job seekers
Action
The first A is the A for Action. You will have to get moving. You determine the completeness of your LinkedIn profile, the level of interaction on Twitter, the frequency of your blogs. Action also includes sharing. Let people hear what you know, help others, ask for help with what you don't know. Share!
Suppose a future employer could see the twinkle in your eyes and hear your enthusiasm, would you be invited more quickly? Yes! You can use a tool for that: video. Let yourself be interviewed or enthusiastically record a video yourself. Share this via YouTube and thus with the rest of the world! Scary? Well, then it is scary. It gives you a head start. That is reason enough to do it.