Jessica L. Owens

Whether you’re searching for a job (like me) or just trying to make a good name for your self in your industry, it is important to be able to brand yourself. For the past year, I’ve worked to have an active presence on the web to be found by employers and recruiters and to have the ‘real me’ show up when I’m searched in Google.

There is more to the strategy, though, than just searching “Jessica Owens.” I wanted to be found with the most results on a search that would be most likely to be searched by employers. Although, it is unlikely that I can land even half of the top ten listings when searching “Jessica Owens.” I manually tested different terms and took a mental note on what sites showed up and what key words worked the best. It’s best to try to own all of the complicated searches before I can start really owning all of the results for “Jessica Owens.” Some of my searches include

• “Jessica Owens” Northwood University
• “Jessica Owens” Dow Chemical
• “Jessica Owens” Social Media
• “Jessica L Owens”
• “Jessica Owens” Marketing

As I registered my name on sites for a profile, I learned that “Jessica L. Owens” was a little bit more specific and it would be less likely for “the real me” to get confused with another Jessica Owens. I registered my blog to be http://JessicaLOwens.com and made sure the title was related to my career or linked with my name specifically (I’ve changed it a couple of times to see what works best). I also changed my resume to title “Jessica L. Owens” in hopes that someone searching might use that as a search term verses “Jessica Owens” or could at least distinguish which results might not be mine if something shows up as “Jessica A. Owens.”

I’ve found that by just adding my middle initial, it is more likely for my work to be found. And of course, all of my profiles are linked to each other or linked to my work, so people looking for me, will see things that I want them to see, not what other people have posted, or about things that are not related to me.

Look at the difference between these two searches…

“Jessica L Owens”

Almost all of the top findings are actually something that I produced or links to something that I’ve produced.

“Jessica Owens”

Not a single result is the “real” me. There is a Google Profile listing at the very bottom that doesn’t show up on this screen shot that is actually my profile with my photo in the search result. Unfortunately, if you are a potential employer, and have never met me, you might not know that it is actually my profile.

My other, more specific searches that I’ve already mentioned do show some content that is about half true and half random. It’s a work in progress and for me, it’s a continuous learning process.

This is valuable practice for those who need to be found or want to differentiate themselves from others. Make your name or title unique to others and set yourself apart. Try using a middle initial, or a specific title while having an online presence on websites and profile networks. It will advance your online results for your name (or product/topic) much more quickly.

As you may have noticed lately- I expect to graduate this year- a year earlier than the typical bachelor degree plan. As exciting as that may seem, it’s rather intimidating. My past experiences with the next-step-in-my-life process were simple. I applied to colleges and I got accepted. I had good grades so not only did I get accepted, but they paid me to go to their school. I was blessed to receive such generous scholarships from Northwood.

But the job search process isn’t as easy as all of the other processes I’ve been though before. I apply and I’m the one begging them to bring me on, not the other way around as it always has been for me….

So I’ve had to get a little bit more creative in my job search. For example, I’ve been following some great blog writers, and I’ve subscribed to their blogs. To find some experts in the marketing industry, I’ve followed them on Twitter… Read their newsletters… and browsed them on LinkedIn. I got their names, and contact information and I learned not to hesitate to send them a message. What do I have to loose?

I pick  out some things that I enjoy, and keep track of them. After some time, I write them an email, complimenting them and sharing some of my work. I explain that I’m about to graduate this year and ask if they have any advice etc. People like to be complimented on their hard work. It softens them up and they want to help you, because you’re devoted. By showing that you have read examples of their past entries and not just their last two or three, you are showing them that you really are interested. An even bigger plus, is if you actually use their advice in a school project or in your internship. Use that as an example and model it in your portfolio, it’s a win win for both of you!

If they’re within my region, I have learned to ask if I can job shadow at their firm or company. It’s like a free interview, with no pressure. You have nothing to loose because they probably don’t have an opening (if they did, it would be an interview not a job shadow) and you get to spend much more time with them and meet the whole team. You have the chance to win them over and ask questions. In the end, you can stay in touch. Email them every now and then. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Continue interacting with them and don’t hesitate to check back every now and then. If you come across something that reminded you of your time down there, just shoot them an email, let them know you’re thinking about them and that you appreciated their valuable time you spent with them.

These are my basic tactics to getting in contact with the right people. I’ve learned to put up some armor though, because since they’re not out there to be found for job openings, there are going to be a lot of declines in that area- but you never know what it could do for some day in the future when they do need somebody- and that’s what is important!

I don’t care who told you that you don’t need a cover letter anymore- it’s wrong. A cover letter is probably the most important part of nailing the interview and ultimately nailing the job.

I just read an awesome blog from Harry Joiner at MarketingHeadhunter.com and I couldn’t help but relay the message to additional eyes. Yes, that’s how important it is and I just love Harry’s advice with the unique example cover letter he showed. 

His example showed a reader of his blog who explained his need for a position. The writer did not  say exactly what position he was looking for. This allowed him to not be forced to bind himself one position, he simply said, “based on my background.” He asked Harry for suggestions or to be referred to Harry’s colleagues. This is a great technique because it doesn’t limit Harry to just his options, he could suddenly be reminded of his friend recruiters and being so impressed by the cover letter, Harry would go along and send it to them all. 

He also asked for help. I’ve been told in the past to not look too desperate; “appear confident- they need you too.” The best part about this writer is that he had humility. He asked for help and he definitely got it.

I noticed another thing that he didn’t do. He didn’t elaborate on why Harry should help him. He mentioned a double bonus commission for incentive for Harry, but he didn’t say, ‘you should help me because…’ The writer kept it simple and to the point. Check out the article for more details on the cover letter and Harry’s remarks based on them.