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Using Social Media to Find Your New SAS BI Job

Submitted by on 2012-01-12 – 8:23 PM

LinkedIn.com is fast becoming a way for professionals to not only network but also look for work in a more clever way. Last week, I discussed ways to enhance your LinkedIn Profile, but there’s more to LinkedIn than just your profile. As Paul hinted in his comments last week, you also need to make sure the rest of your Profile is showing your best side – especially when you are looking for a new job.

What’s so great about you? You have 30 seconds to get my interest …

Immediately beneath your profile is your Summary. This is your glitter, swagger, magic … so it’s gotta be special. Do not expect someone to read your entire Linkedin profile with a memory map trying to figure out why they might want to talk to you. No – you have about 30 seconds to capture their attention and get them to read more about your awesome brand (you). In that 30 seconds – try to capture three key things you want the reader to know about your brand and have some supporting examples.

It’s hard to write a summary about yourself. You want to sound polished, intelligent, and like you got that shake-rattle-and-roll. Many people simply copy their resume text into the Summary and think they are done. This is a mistake. Your LinkedIn summary needs to be a lot more than your career objective.

Tell’em ’bout your mad SAS skillz!

In LinkedIN, if you are seeking a new job – then you need to be found. Enter Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Allow me to translate what this statement means to your job search. How many times can the word “SAS” appear in your Summary, Specialties, and Skills?

You can see in the following screen capture that I worked on highlighting my skills, not only in my Summary but also in Specialties and Skills.  Now I’ve got to figure out how to add SAS into that Communications section – maybe I’ll add “When I’m not thinking of SAS programming .. ”  😆  The point is – the more times your desired job keywords appear in your Summary, the better chance you have of being found.  So if you are more of an analyst – you would build your brand around the word “analysis”.

Other Resources

Here’s some good resources to help you learn how to write a summary:

Dammit Jim, I’m a Programmer, Not a Marketer!

If you would prefer to stick a fork in your eye over trying to write a flashy summary – maybe you need some professional help. I mean, a resume writer of course. There are  people out there who write resumes and Linked In profiles for a living!  One service, ResumeEdge, had prices from $100-$500 depending upon what you needed. A standard social media package was $250.  Also, there’s a professional association for resume writers – Professional Association of Resume Writers, that lists independent consultants. And there’s the good ole standby – Craigslist where you could advertise for a college student or similar person. I have not used any of these services – if you have please add a comment below about your experience.

Working with Recruiters

I spoke with Cody Smith, a Senior Technical Recruiter for UnitedHealth Group Recruitment Services. He had a good reminder. When you update your past work experience, explain how you used SAS in your job. It’s a good point. The HR person or recruiter you are working with is most likely not a SAS programmer. So when they are pitching your resume to the hiring manager, help put some words in their mouth. ” developed and designed SAS programs that blah, blah, blah at his last company”. This way you can sell your brand (you) better to your target audience (aka hiring manager).

You all “Packaged” Up

LinkedIn has some extra application that allow you to highlight your skills (Certifications, Classes, Publications) – I’ll let you explore those on your own.   One application that I think is great is that you can print your LinkedIn Profile as a PDF, so you can carry it to interview. You still probably need to maintain a resume in MS Word format – since it’s easier for the recruiters to deal with.

sas-bi-linkedin-resume

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Tricia Aanderud

Director of Data Visualization at Zencos Consulting
Tricia Aanderud is a SAS Business Intelligence and Visual Analytics consultant based in Raleigh, NC who works for Zencos Consulting. She has written several books about SAS, presented papers at many SAS conferences, and has been using SAS since 2001. Contact her for assistance with your next project.
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