4 Ways to Use Live Video Tools In Your Job Search

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4 Ways to Use Live Video Tools In Your Job Search

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Please consider voting for my SXSW 2016 Panel with Carlos Gil, Resumes Suck! 7 Ways to Land a Job with Social Media. Click here to vote.

Video is changing the world, y’all, and it has a use case in most every life situation and scenario including looking for a job. Like any social media platform or tool, it’s about connections, building rapport, and relationships that are the differentiator in any business including how you look for a job.

Job Seekers are 14 Times More Likely to Land a Job With a Referral

Candidates who are referred to a job are 14 times more likely to land the role. Let me repeat that again, candidates who are a referral from an employee or industry peer are 14 times more likely to land the job than an online application. This information comes from a 2014 CareerXroads Study.

Yes, the online application process is time consuming but a necessary part of hiring. I, however, would not leave a simple resume submission to chance if you are really wanting or interested in landing that job. I believe video specifically Blab and Periscope are a huge job search differentiators for job seekers depending on the industry. With the new frontier of video livestreaming, you can be the first within your industry, organization, or geographic area who finds success and builds relationships using this new technology.

Blab.im is a new video streaming platform that offers both mobile as well as desktop accessibility. Similar to Google Hangouts, you can have multiple people on your blab or show. The real power in the blab is its viral nature. The platform makes it easy to schedule a show as well as search for other shows and people you are interested in connecting. What I love most about Blab is that you can have options. You can live chat on the right hand side bar with others during the show. And on the left hand side, you can either participate in or watch the show’s Twitter stream.

Periscope on the other hand is a mobile live streaming video sharing tool brought to you by the folks at Twitter. While I love the ability to connect with others. You can screen share with multiple users. It’s just you talking into a mobile screen while others watch and ask questions. I’ve seen users Scope their podcasts, webinars, and just daily lives. Meerkat is a competitor product to Periscope. Periscope is my favorite. All these video streaming tools make 2015 the year when live video goes mainstream.

How to Use Blab and Periscope to Get Referrals in Your Job Search

Whether you are active in the job search or a passive seeker who is looking to build relationships, new connections, and network, any video streaming platform offers you a real opportunity.

Share Your Expertise.

  •  Similar to a blog you can provide insights into a topic, article, or viral news story using the power of video. This provides you an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise similarly to how I use my blog to share resources and information for the HR and recruitment industry. For example, I might shoot a Scope on compensation best practices while my friend Jean Layton might share insights into how to order at a restaurant if you have a gluten allergy.

Interview Your Top Employer Prospects.

  •  As a blogger and podcaster, I reach out to companies and their PR teams on a regular basis. With Blab, it makes this process relatively easy. Connect with either individuals you want to interview by sending an email or note or put a call out on HARO to further grow your community. Connect with your expert, put them in the spotlight and build that connection. After the interview you can ask them if they know of any job openings within their peer network or at their company.

Video Introductions.

  •  If you are active in the job search, you can use video to introduce yourself to prospective employers as part of your online application or simply as a way to introduce yourself, talk about your skills and areas of expertise. This introduction is like a video bio of sorts allowing recruiters to see you in action even before there is a formal job opening.

Video Resources. 

  • While I mention that video is a great way to demonstrate your expertise, it’s also a great way to share resources specifically when it comes to tutorials. Build a video resource library using a series of screencasts that help provide solutions to common problems, situations or challenges with software that experts in your industry use. I shot a tutorial video in 2014 for HR professionals on how to enter in their educational and certification credits after becoming frustrating there were no good instructions I could use. I uploaded the video, published a blog, shared it with my networks as well as HRCI. This simple video provided me an opportunity to build stronger relationships with an organization that has over 300,000 certified HR professionals.

When it comes to video, it’s extremely important to think about your personal brand, your future role and an area of expertise. Do your homework but don’t be afraid to get creative and make mistakes. With Blab, you simply pick your topic, schedule a Blab and get sharing. Use your show to network, connect, and interview employees and experts in your field of interest at companies you are interested in working.

I co-host a Blab show called Secrets of the Job Hunt along with Carlos Gil. We live stream every Friday at 12 PM PST. Below is our second episode called The Psychology of the Job Search. Tune in below or follow me on Blab @jmillermerrell.

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