Jessica L. Owens

Original article

I recently participated in a #SMCGLB panel on personal branding and online profiles. It was rather useful, however, I realized that as a recent job seeker, I could have easily stood up there and participated on that panel as an “expert.” There are some simple steps to start an online presence whether you’re unemployed and looking for a job, an entrepreneur, or simply looking to increase online reputation:

Be available

To be found, you must be available. Have profiles across many platforms:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn <<A must!!
• YouTube
• Emurse.com

It is important to have a presence on several platforms, but have one main “hub.” This could be a Google profile with links to all of your various profiles or a blog.

Be an Expert

Subscribe to newsletters or RSS feeds that write about the subject matter in which you intend to find a job in. Join discussions on Twitter with professionals in your field and list them for easy access. By subscribing to discussions, you’ll have the ability to share useful and recent information in an interview or while networking with potentials.

Make Your Resume Digital

You will have variations of your resume, but it should always include your url – probably to your “hub.”

Also, have one variation of your resume be a digital resume. Whether it’s actually an html page, PDF, or a word document, it should contain links to your work in it’s actual environment.

Post an Ad

Use Google Ad Sense or Facebook Ads to target specific companies or recruiters. Link it to your “hub” or digital resume allowing potential employers to accidentally find you by targeted advertising. Talk about differentiating from the competition!

Propel your career or business with social media

Register Today!

Learn to use social media to build a personal brand at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 at Central Michigan University (location no longer in Grawn and will be announced soon).

This free seminar hosted by Social Media Club – Great Lakes Bay and CMU’s American Marketing Association will feature a panel of three well-known speakers who have successfully built brands for themselves and other companies/

Learn how to build your personal brand online

The panel will consist of Hajj Flemings, Nikki Stephan and Becks Davis. They will discuss how to build a brand using social media tools – such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs and more – and will answer your questions about personal brands. Use hashtag #smcglb to tweet about this event. 

Afterward, join us for drinks and networking at our afterglow event (location to be determined).

About the panel

Hajj Flemings (@HajjFlemings) has been featured on ESPN.com and BusinessWeek.com. He is the founder of Brand Camp University and the author of “The Brand YU Life,” which was selected as one of Fast Company Magazine 2008 Readers Choice Business Books of the year. His branded clients include Walt Disney, Ford Motor Company, Skechers Footwear and U.S. Department of Defense (Telecom Division).

Central Michigan University alumna Nikki Stephan (@EstrellaBella10)  is a public relations professional and social media strategist at Identity Marketing & Public Relations. Nikki is a member of PRSA Detroit and Social Media Club Detroit. She also leads a weekly Tweetea discussion group in metro Detroit. She’s a frequent contributor to Identity’s blog, id tags, and maintains a personal blog, Essential Elements, where she shares stories related to creativity, happiness and success. 

As the founder and editor of detroitmoxie.com, a website focused on Detroit, Becks Davis (@BecksDavis) has built and fostered a community organically using social media tools. She also is active in the Detroit digital community, working on projects such as TEDxDetroit and 140 Characters Conference Detroit.

Social Media Club – Great Lakes Bay is sponsored by:

Platinum: AGP & Associates, Inc. and Dow Chemical
Silver: Think Marketing and Design
Venue: Apple Mountain and Midland Center for the Arts
In Kind: CMU Career Services 

Interested in becoming a sponsor? E-mail SMCGreatLakes@gmail.com for information. 

Creating Organizational Change to Support Social Media Integration

The Speaker: Shannon Paul

Shannon is the Social Media Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and she writes about social media for business at the Very Official Blog, a blog listed in the Advertising Age Power 150.

Prior to her current role, she managed social media for PEAK6 Online, parent company of several web-based businesses in the financial services sector, and the NHL Detroit Red Wings.

Shannon has experience creating and implementing social media programs, policies and workflow systems to help businesses participate in the social web, including those in regulated industries.

The Afterglow: Apple Mountain

Stay after the seminar to network with others. There will be a cash bar at Apple Mountain

I had coffee with an old friend from high school this weekend and started talking about my upcoming graduation and career plans. I explained to her what I wanted to do including SEO, digital marketing, Facebook, Twitter… and her face went blank! Of course this was a foreign language to a Sociology major!

This wasn’t the first time this has happened to me so I quickly gave her my mini description but found myself going into the business strategies of the companies that I wanted to work for and the pros and cons of the digital strategy of the companies that I’m considering and this- and that- and… I realized at that moment how important this work is to me. I realized the passion I had for digital marketing was very real. I know I’m making the right career path and I can’t wait to start.

It is an amazing feeling for that to just click like it did. Since my time at CareerEco, I knew I loved the work I was doing so much, that I honestly didn’t think of doing anything else. After that conversation this weekend, I know I will do anything in my power to get “there.”

I’m reading the book, The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman and I’m learning a lot about different tools that individuals can use to start leveraging services that prior to this “flattened” world, only large corporations could afford. Since I’ve started the book, I’ve realized this to be so true- especially in advertising– and even more in digital marketing.

One person can do what a whole corporation used to do.

I met with a new colleague last week, Todd Terwillegar, and he briefly explained his company, how he started, and the people who have been the most influential and helpful people to him while he got to where he is. He’s in his mid-twenties, a 1-man company with a couple of clients, and working towards making his career with his own company. Ten years ago, that would have been impossible.

New online business services such as 1DayLater allow 1 person to do everything.

If you really wanted to, you don’t need a secretary, or a team of employees that manage different aspects of the business processes. There is technology and the internet for that. One can just track it easily and save the hassle.

Full service agencies might, one day, contract all the work out and a small handful of people are permanent.

I’ve been offered many jobs in the past 6 months in advertising for my services of a social media marketer. Every single offer has been as a contractor. This economy has been forcing companies to cut back in ways they never have before. The work still needs to be done, but the money isn’t there to make it happen. Perhaps these jobs will still continue to be contracted out and many in advertising will be their own boss working for a dozen different agencies. There’s good and bad to that, I guess. That is just a part of the world going “flat.”

I’ve recently wrote a post regarding my hardships on finding a legitimate job and on top of that, working for a company that I’m passionate about. Please let me give you an example of what I consider… not legitimate.

From                Jennifer Sparks <mayilvahanan82@gmail.com>

Reply-to            jennifer.sparks102@gmail.com
To                    jowens89 [at] gmail [dot] com
Date                 Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 5:14 AM

Subject             HR Department for Jessica Owens

Dear Jessica Owens

Our HR Department has encountered your contact details for future employment consideration. The position available with our Organization is an administrative position allowing employees to work out of their home or home office. This Online Vacancy pays the employee a salary of $2,000 per month. After a period of no less than 1 year employees will be eligible for advancement to open staff positions.

Can You: Work 3 – 5 hours Each Week? Afford an extra $2,000 Monthly? Submit Daily Updates Via Email? Visit The Post Office Twice Weekly? Purchase Items at Your Local Store? Complete Online Training Courses? Company Background: Our Company specializes in the rehabilitation and nourishment of Global Economies worldwide. We develop and implement solutions that have an overall positive affect on Global Economy.

Job Function: The Online Managers basic duties will be to purchase necessary items for the Company in their local area. The manager will then ship the items to a domestic shipping agent within the United States. The agent will never incur any out of pocket cost or expense. Any and all funds to fulfill duties will be provided to the manager in advance.

Requirements: 21 years and older, Reside within the United States, Credit Score of 600 or higher, Computer with Internet Access, Local transportation, and Cell Phone or Home Phone. If you currently work full time or part time you can still apply for this job. We can adjust to your current work or college school schedule. Compensation & Benefits: Guaranteed $2,000 monthly salary, full health & dental (after 6 month trial period), 1-month paid vacation each year, and Company provided life insurance.

Apply Today: Vacancy is limited. Interested applicants should ACT NOW. Respond with your full name, address, contact number, and the reason why you think you would be a great candidate for this position. A member of management will then contact you with more information. It is very important that you respond with all of the above information or you may not be considered for employment.

Important Notice: We are proud to be among the Companies who operate their business affairs Online. We invite you to share the experience of how employment will be for nearly all jobs in the future.

Please note this is a legitimate offer for employment. Do not reply if you are not seriously ready to begin working immediately. We use an Employment Agency to prevent SPAM and non interesting offers for employment. Company details will be provided after your interest is confirmed.

I completely classify this as NOT A LEGITIMATE JOB. They even say right in the email in the last paragraph that this note is a legitimate offer for employment so what makes me think it isn’t?

Aside from the obvious fact that this is a make-money-at-home offer, I can’t check out the company unless I try to search the email address or the woman’s name who contacted me. And when I did Google her name and/or email address, I literally only received 3 results with little or no information indicating the person or the company contacting me.

Secondly, I wasn’t able to tell where she got my contact information. Perhaps if it was from a recommendation or a mutual colleague, I would have been much more inclined to respond. Buuuuut… She didn’t. So I’m not.

Final decision. Not Legit.

Coincidentally, I had a second job offer when I woke up this morning…

This particular job offer contained the web address of the company I was being asked to work for. He gave examples of my blog posts and explained why he thought I would be a great candidate for his company. His website was very plain but gave some credentials, a photo, and examples of where his work has been posted. He was fairly candid but also didn’t explain where he got my contact information.

It seemed potentially legitimate so I responded to his email, even though I’m not convinced that it is something golden at this point.

There are clear cut signs on what isn’t a legitimate company to work for, but it begins to slowly become a gray area from there. Just like a job seeker is offering recommendations to potential employers, companies that are start-ups looking for volunteer interns, such as this particular offer, needs to do the same. He obviously isn’t going to pay me, or if he is, it will be a very insignificant amount. He’s in need of my services just as I’m in need for a good job. Employers in this situation need to be just as candid as those seeking a good position at a good (legitimate) company.

Final decision. Maybe Legit. Find out more.

One of my professors at Northwood advised the class to do a number of things this year (prior to and in preparation to graduating). Of course he said to spiff up the resume and cover letters, these were expected. He said to plan a budget- not of how much you make or want to make, but how much you need to make in order to cover your spending habits (being practical). He said this will give leverage for negotiating pay.

The tip that caught me by surprise was that he suggested we check our credit report. Of course a corporation that was seriously considering hiring you would do this, so the applicant should be prepared and know what employers will be finding. These are all true, but I had never thought about it.

I went to my bank’s website and found a link to the place they suggested.

AnnualCreditReport.com

I filled out my information and was even able to use 3 different sources for a report. I ran 2 reports at 2 different companies. I was able to check my score for a price, but since my report was free and was as clean as I expected it to be, I decided not to check my score at this time.

It’s a good source and a good practice each year. I’m going to make it some what of a new years resolution to check my credit report every year. You should do the same.

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!