--- tags: Module 10 --- # Kickstart your brand :::success 🤔 Profiles are finished... what now?! ::: There are a few things that we have to understand about the job market before we jump into the job hunt... Have a look at these stats: :::info - Experts estimate around 70% of jobs aren't even listed - Some estimate upwards of 85% of jobs are secured through networking ::: If many of the jobs out there aren't published, how can we get to them? **Networking.** Networking is the best short and long-term job hunting strategy. The good news is, we already covered a lot of this in our social selling module! The only difference: in that context, your objective was to sell to your prospective buyers. In this context, you're selling to future employers. Here are some tips specific to networking when looking for a job. &nbsp; ## Some general tips on networking - Be a joiner - We want to join Linkedin groups or communities online that interest us or are relevant to our job, functions, or industry. It will help us not only to network but also to stay informed about what's going on. - Follow industry influencers - We want to identify and follow influencers online who regularly publish articles on industry-related topics. Twitter & LinkedIn are great for this. It will not only keep us up-to-date on current trends and issues but also give us the opportunity to share our thoughts. - Create content and interact - Try to post regularly and interact with other people on LinkedIn. - Give to receive - What can we give to the community that enhances our personal brand? In the following two units, we're going to present you with a series of online challenges that will help you open some doors. Let's go! &nbsp; ## Challenge 1 - Find and connect with professionals LinkedIn is a massive database of professionals looking for opportunities to collaborate. We have the opportunity to discover new professionals either locally or internationally that may be able to help out with our professional endeavors. Think of referrals, mentoring, tips, tricks & industry insights, connections, etc. . From now on, you will work to increase your network. Your target? Have at least 50 new relevant contacts two weeks from now 🙂 Some ideas: - SDR's, BDR's or AE's from companies you like - Head of Sales, Sales Managers etc. from companies you like - HR professionals from companies you like - Sales influencers - All of Hyrise staff - All Hyrise students &nbsp; ## Challenge 2 - Posting and sharing Once you start to increase your network, you will see how your feed on Linkedin starts to show you more and more quality content. From now on, weekly, your challenge is to: - Like at least 10 posts from your feed. - Comment on at least 3 posts. - Share at least 1 post. Don't just like anything, make sure it's relevant and fits your brand. Please, read the post before commenting or sharing. And if you find anything interesting, please share on Slack! &nbsp; ## Challenge 3 - Find and follow companies Linkedin allows users not only to connect but also to follow companies. This feature gives us the chance to stay up to date on any news the company posts. Sometimes it's the open position we've been waiting for! Think about companies that could have a sales team or could be specialized in new technologies: B2B startups, big corporations, consulting agencies… - Search and follow at least 10 companies you like on Linkedin. A little tip: Once you have a few companies on your radar, LinkedIn will recommend similar pages. ## Challenge 4 - Participate in relevant groups A great way to meet new professionals to connect with is to join groups based on your interests or current profession and start participating. Other group members may like what they see and want to connect with you. Think about your new career interest and use the search bar to find related groups and ask to join. Your goal is to join > 10 LinkedIn groups (tech field related). &nbsp; ## 🤔 What next? :star: Just like that, a new LinkedIn Influencer has been born! Jokes aside, we recommend you keep up this activity not only during your job search, but also once you become employed. Staying active on social networks is one of the best sales tools out there! Now that your profiles are polished and your brand is out there, we're ready to tackle the job hunt. Let's go! <style> body > .ui-infobar, body > .ui-toc, body > .ui-affix-toc, body > .ui-community, body > .document-footer { display: none !important; } </style>