When you think of social media sites, what comes to mind first? If you’re like most people, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube jump out. Google+ and
BeKnown may also be on your radar screen.
There’s yet another social media site you should know about as a job seeker. It’s called SlideShare.net. Employers are using it to reach out and distribute information. As a job seeker you can take advantage of this, while also displaying your own expertise to employers.
What Is SlideShare.net?
SlideShare.net is like YouTube, but for PowerPoint presentations. Think of it as PowerPoint central. All sorts of people, professionals and employers post their presentations to this site. You can find slideshows on just about any topic. Videos too, now that they host them.
Job seekers can also post slideshows (or videos) of their own for free. This can help get you established as a subject matter expert and impress potential employers.
Using SlideShare To Research Specific Employers
Let’s say you’ve seen a
great job posting on Monster.ca. You’d do anything to get this job. As part of your approach, you’ll have to research the company carefully before applying.
One way to go beyond the ordinary in terms of your research is to look the employer up on SlideShare. To do this you can use SlideShare.net without even having an account there. They provide a detailed search: by content or by people, by keyword, or file type, even recency and relevance of uploads.
You can easily view all the items found in a search anonymously if you aren’t signed in. Presentations, documents, videos…all of these can give you insights into what the employer considers valuable in terms of information it distributes.
Tracking Employers And Letting Them Know You Support Them
As a job seeker, it can be good to alert employers that you’re viewing their material on SlideShare.net. It’s kind of like saying “Hey employer, I’m really interested you, and I’m keeping track of your postings on SlideShare. Keep me in mind at hiring time.”
To do this you’ll need to sign up for a free account on SlideShare. It’s fast and doesn’t require much personal info. Once you’re signed in, you have access to special features that unregistered users miss out on. As an account holder you’re able to:
- “Follow” an employer so that you’re automatically notified when they post something new
- Socialize an employer’s content using your own Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ account if you have them
- “Favourite” the presentation you’re viewing, which lets the employer know of your interest in them
- Comment on the presentation and follow related comments
Setting Up SlideShare.net So You Can Promote Yourself To Employers
Before we talk more about SlideShare, first a mention about Facebook. You probably already have a Facebook account. But have you turned this to your advantage as a job seeker yet? You can do so quickly and simply by
adding the free BeKnown app to your Facebook account. BeKnown turns your Facebook into a professional contact network.
Once you’ve set up your BeKnown app on Facebook, head back to SlideShare and sign in. Upload a presentation, a document or video you’ve created that demonstrates your expertise in your occupation or industry. (Check out the
Monster.ca SlideShare site for reference). Fill in the appropriate Tags on your uploaded content so that other SlideShare users can find it fast. Set the copyright restriction level so that people can either download it or not.
Now return to your Facebook page. Add the SlideShare app for Facebook and sync it with your Facebook account. The SlideShare button will appear automatically on the BeKnown pages of your Facebook account. Your first and second level contacts in BeKnown will be able to click on this button and see your SlideShare content from within Facebook.
Promoting Yourself To Potential Employers
Got everything linked up and working properly? Alright, on to the self-promotion.
Here are steps you can take to leverage SlideShare using your other social media. Begin by sending news of your recently added SlideShare content via Facebook “what’s on your mind,” Twitter Tweet, BeKnown message and LinkedIn update.
As well, add your new SlideShare username (or URL) to your contact info on your resume and cover letters. When applying for jobs you see on Monster.ca, mention in your cover letter that you’ve viewed the employer’s SlideShare content, and have commented on and favourited some of their material.
Eventually an employer will take notice that you’re going the extra mile. They may spend a few moments viewing your presentations. They’ll see some of that specialized expertise you possess. And when they call you in for that much sought after interview, just think how prepared you’ll be!