Chapter 5

Crafting Keywords, Value Statements, and More

In This Chapter

Understanding how a little keyword research can make you easier to find online

Creating a consistent value statement that tells others all about you

Translating your value statement into a professional social media presence

Social networking is just like normal networking except it’s done online. At a networking event, you may be asked, “Tell me about yourself.” If your 30-second elevator pitch about what makes you so great sparks the listener’s interest, chances are you have yourself a nice conversation. As a job seeker, the goal of a consistent and compelling social media presence is to secure the interest of a hiring manager.

In this chapter, I help you figure out how to spark a hiring manager’s interest so that you stand out from everyone else. I show you how to get noticed by search engines via killer keywords, put together a value statement that’s social media friendly, and translate that message into a brand image that can be easily repeated throughout the Internet.

Conducting Keyword Research to Capture Attention

When you write online, you’re not just writing for people; you’re also writing for robots. Let me explain. Imagine the Internet is a large village of both people and robots. Whenever a person says something in this village, the words float through the air. Pretty soon, a robot grabs those floating words and takes them to a processing plant with millions of other words. These robots are the search engines of the Internet, and they’re constantly scanning and categorizing online content — yes, even your LinkedIn profile.

The content producers who know how to write copy that attracts more search engines (robots) ultimately get more people reading their content. Good web copy is keyword rich. Think of a keyword as a noun that has more points with the search engines and a keyphrase as a series of keywords. In the following sections, I reveal how you can create content for a nonhuman audience by thoroughly understanding how search engines like Google spit out results, pinpointing the right keywords for your personal brand, and then keeping track of (and actually using) those keywords in your online profile.

The nouns, or keywords, you choose upfront become part of your personal brand. You use them not only in your value statement but also in your résumé, business cards, and so forth. The words you find in this section are going to help define and differentiate you.

Understanding how Google ranks its results

I remember career advisors handing me lists of power verbs to cherry-pick and add to my otherwise uninspired résumé. Using these power verbs was, of course, great advice for paper résumés. After all, the only consumer of a paper résumé is a human. But now we live in an online world where humans still love to read power verbs but robots prefer to read nouns, or keywords.

When was the last time you entered only verbs into a Google search? Your interactions with searching on the Internet are typically through finding people, places, or things. Imagine that when your future boss is ready to look for a new employee, he goes to Google or LinkedIn and types in the position he’s looking to fill for the city where his company’s located. He scans through the search results and clicks on the first few names that speak to his company’s needs. If you want your name to come up in the search, you have to understand how Google ranks its results, because ultimately Google decides which people show up on that first page.

Google’s legendary search algorithm has gone through several iterations over the years. With each cycle, Google’s robot seems to get more human in its understanding of how people use language to convey meaning. In other words, the higher a page ranks on Google’s first three pages, the more likely that site is relevant to the searcher. Let’s face it, how many times have you searched in Google and found the results useless? Most of the time, Google gives you exactly what you’re looking for. Furthermore, you’re not very likely to look beyond the first three pages of results.

Google is able to tell whether a website is spam and irrelevant or has great content. This determination is called relevance, and Google ranks websites based on relevance. Today, experts can boil down Google’s search algorithm to the following on-site elements. Note: If you’re knowledgeable about search engine optimization (or SEO, which I cover in Chapter 7), then this explanation may appear oversimplified, but these points are the most critical for anyone writing profiles for social media networking sites.

Exact match of the search keyword/keyphrase: Based on its appearance on the web page, Google ranks (or displays) an exact match first.

Semantic match of the search keyword/keyphrase: Using a semantic match means that Google may rank a website based on the meaning of the nouns, even if it doesn’t have an exact match. Think of a semantic match like synonyms for the keyword/keyphrase you used.

Appearance of the search keyword/keyphrase in key places: These key places on the web page refer to headlines, titles, and bold font.

The readability of the text on the screen: People who pack keywords on their page get penalized. Generally, Google prefers text that’s easy to read.

The authority of the website that content is housed on: This website authority is called PageRank, or PR. LinkedIn has a very high PR, which is why job seekers often see their LinkedIn profiles rank higher than some of the other websites they use.

The better keywords you choose and the more often those keywords appear in your profile, the better off you are.

Identifying your most powerful keywords

Because companies like to have high search-engine rankings, too, you may have a hard time competing with Fortune 500 enterprises for certain keywords. In order to improve your chances of getting found, start collecting and using keyphrases (a string of two or more keywords together). The following sections outline four specific strategies for uncovering the most powerful, high-leverage keywords/keyphrases to use on your online profiles. I encourage you to check out each of these strategies and then compile a list of at least ten powerful keyphrases. Keep this list by your side when you write your web copy.

Search engines don’t process verbs very well; they much prefer nouns. Verbs are for people readers. During your keyword research, focus on coming up with a list of nouns that are the most relevant to the kind of job you want.

Using your brain

One strategy for coming up with killer keywords is to use your brain (and no, I’m not being cheeky by saying that). People often overlook their own common sense because the online tools are just, well, so convenient. But no online tool has the intuition you already possess about your desired role.

In order to come up with your keyword list, just imagine that you’re an HR recruiter looking for someone to fill an open position. What words would you type into Google to find someone to fill that opening? For example, if you’re an HR recruiter looking for a museum curator, you may search for the following words: preservation professional, collection management, exhibition development, or even history enthusiast.

Now, sit down with a blank piece of paper and brainstorm as many descriptive phrases as you can think of for your desired position.

Asking the government

Believe it or not, the U.S. government can be a good source for keyword inspiration. Every two years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases a publication called The Occupational Outlook Handbook, or the OOH. This huge volume can be downloaded or read online in small chunks at www.bls.gov/ooh.

The OOH was never intended to be digitized. So the government set up a sister program called O*Net (www.onetonline.org). O*Net provides much more functionality than simply looking up job titles. For instance, you can explore careers based on skills or interests you may have. Also, its entries provide great detail about what is required of you from certain job titles. I suggest you use both OOH and O*Net to perform your keyword research.

The OOH contains information about job descriptions, responsibilities, and even career paths and compensation for most jobs. Each occupation description is divided into main sections, including the following:

Significant Points: This section summarizes the key characteristics of the position.

Nature of the Work: To find out what a person in that occupation actually does, look at the Nature of the Work section. You can find the best general keywords there.

How to become . . . : Use this section to look for words to describe your education and training.

Employment: This section tells you just how competitive the job is in the marketplace.

Job Outlook: Gain a sense of a career path for the position you’re looking for in the Job Outlook section. You may glean some words or phrases that managers of that position may use in their search.

Contacts for More Information: In this section, find out what professional associations are available for any given profession, what accreditation programs you can take, and so forth. Use the many links in this section as a launching off point for additional research.

Wondering how to put these categories to good use? Say, for example, that you’re a museum curator. On the OOH website, type in “museum” in the Search OOH box on the right side of the page. Click the link for the top search result, which takes you to the occupation description as described in the preceding list. From that page description, you may find the following keyphrases significant:

Museum Technicians

Curators

Conservators

Exploring job boards

I’m sure you already know a lot about job boards (SimplyHired, The Ladders, and Dice, to name a few), but did you know that job boards can have a hidden function? They’re a great tool for finding out what language employers use to describe your desired position. For purposes of keyphrase research, find five or ten job postings that best match what you want to do. It doesn’t matter where they’re located or for what company. After you start reading these job postings, you may notice some repeating words and patterns. Write them down.

If you're a visual person like me, try using a word-cloud tool. A word cloud is a visual representation of the words used in a body of text, with the larger words representing higher frequency (see Figure 5-1 for an illustration of a word cloud for a sales position). Using a word cloud is an excellent way to find commonly used keywords for the job you want. Find a word-cloud generator you like (the most popular ones are www.wordle.net/create and www.tagcrowd.com or www.tagxedo.com) and copy and paste the job posting you found to see what you get. Paste one entire job listing for each word cloud. Then save the image that's generated.

Figure 5-1: A word cloud helps you visualize keywords.

Getting familiar with Google’s keyword tool

You may wonder why you can't just ask the search engines directly what words rank higher. Well, you're in luck. Google's Keyword tool (shown in Figure 5-2) provides a way to do something similar to that. You can access this tool by doing a fresh Google search for "keyword tool" or by typing in the following address into your web browser: https://adwords.google.com/o/KeywordTool. By using this keyword tool, you can see which words are more popular than others and which words are similar to others. For example, if you enter "accountant," you may find that the word bursar is not just related but much more popular. So if you use bursar in your online profile, you have a good chance of being found in an employee search.

Figure 5-2: Google’s External Keyword tool.

To use the keyword tool, begin by entering one or more of the keywords and phrases you’ve collected from your research into the search box. Use the most basic words first and then progressively get more creative as you search for additional keywords. Also, make sure you check the “Phrase” box in the Match Types section in the left column (see Figure 5-3).

Figure 5-3: Choose the “Phrase” Match Type setting for the best results.

If you were to enter “public relations” into the keyword tool to see what Google suggests, you could then see what Ad group ideas are suggested (see Figure 5-4). Toggle open any of the Ad group ideas to see what keywords fit. In this case, you discover that “public relations specialists” gets searched thousands of times per month.

Figure 5-4: Results analysis for a search on public relations.

The SkillPop keyword suggestion tool

SkillPop (www.skillpop.com) is a free site that analyzes thousands of job postings and résumés each day so that it can suggest for you the best keywords to use. The premise is that job postings reflect how employers search their résumé database. If you analyze enough of them and then match that to trends in résumé language, you can make some assumptions about what words are trending important.

To use the tool, select your industry and then paste in your résumé, as shown in Figure 5-5. I exported my LinkedIn profile to a PDF and pasted that into the tool. The results were quite helpful. In my case, as a social media marketing specialist, I picked up a few new choice phrases like demand generation and campaign management that should be in my profile. Try it for yourself and see if you can find a few new words to add to your top ten list.

Figure 5-5: SkillPop’s entry screen.

Keeping track of and using your keywords for your job search

Good Internet copy writers keep a list of their top keywords next to them during the writing process. I suggest you do the same. Rank your keywords after you’ve done the research suggested earlier in this chapter and print a copy to keep by you. Then write your keywords into your copy when you prepare your value statement (I walk you through this process in the next section).

Note that merely listing one keyword after another won’t help you. The copy should read nicely while weaving in your words. As you progress in your job search, you may come across other valuable keywords. Take note of them and try to use them in your next profile revision.

I find it helpful to make a note of where I use keywords and keyphrases online so that I use them all evenly. For example:

Keyphrase	Location 1	Location 2
Strategic communications	LinkedIn Professional Headline	LinkedIn Profile Summary
RFP writing	LinkedIn Experience section	DoYouBuzz Summary
Analyze sales statistics	Word doc version of résumé	LinkedIn Interests section

Putting Together the Value Statement

Your value statement is what you tell people about yourself. Some people also call this the elevator pitch because you should be able to deliver it in about 30 seconds, or the amount of time it usually takes to ride an elevator. In this section, I recommend you use the same value statement when you write about yourself online as you do when you meet someone in person. Providing the same information to contacts you meet through social networking and traditional networking allows you to maintain a consistent message, and that’s really the heart of a strong personal brand.

You have several options for crafting your value statement. I walk you through them in the next sections (as well as how to write your statement), but the important thing to remember is that your value statement should help you establish instant credibility, curiosity, and likeability. Keep in mind that your value statement will change over time as well. For example, it’ll change the more you use it at live networking events, and it’ll change after you receive some feedback on your LinkedIn profile.

Choosing a value statement method that works best for you

Many methods are out there for writing value statements. In this section, I present three methods to choose from if you’re getting stuck or looking for inspiration. These three methods are the fastest way I know of to help you find words around your personal brand. Pick any of the following methods for writing your value statement.

The Joel Elad method

Joel Elad, author of LinkedIn For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), offers a three-part model for crafting a profile summary on LinkedIn that’s really applicable to creating a solid value statement and not limited to any one social media site. Elad’s method maintains a who, what, and goals format. The first sentence answers the question of your current situation (who you are). The middle few sentences answer the question of what you’ve accomplished in your professional life. And finally, the last sentence describes your goals, or what you’re going for right now.

Here’s an example of a value statement using Joel Elad’s method:

I’m a project manager with experience in a wide variety of applications. I’ve run on-time and on-budget projects for both software deployments at XYZ Company and hardware installations for ABC Company. I’m excited about working for another insurance company that’s looking for a dedicated and self-motivated PM.

The Jim Nudelman method

Jim Nudelman is an experienced sales trainer and a nationally known professional speaker based out of Portland, Oregon. He knows a thing or two about capitalizing on that brief window of opportunity when you make a first impression. Here’s his four-step process for crafting a value statement:

1. Begin with an action-plan statement that describes what you do and not just your job title.

2. Add a one-sentence statement about what it is you do.

3. Give a statement of specific impact of your service, some kind of accomplishment.

4. End with a call to action.

When I applied these steps, I came up with the following value statement:

I am an Internet marketing wizard. I show job seekers how to trick the economy into giving them jobs by showing them how to use social media in the right way. People who use my five-step process or who attend my workshops tell me that they cut their job search in half and even get unsolicited offers. Please let any job seekers in your life know about me and have them sign up for my blog and newsletter.

The corporate layoff method

When the economy tanked in 2008 and I was laid off, my employer offered me wonderful outplacement services through a large international HR firm. I’ve used its method several times for crafting positioning statements, or value statements, not only for my own career but also for my clients. Here’s the method as I remember it:

1. Specify your desired job title.

Begin by simply mentioning what you want to do at your next job, but do it in the present tense, such as “I am a project manager . . .”

2. Select an area of focus.

Every job title has its particular compelling focus areas. For example, an IT manager may have a focus on developing technology solutions for business problems, or a marketing manager may focus on developing high ROI campaigns in the CPG space. What is your area of expertise in the field?

3. Give your statement some context.

No man is an island. In what professional environments were you the most successful? Did you really excel at a Fortune 500 company or was it the smaller startup that felt the most impact from your skills? Perhaps you found great joy in managing others rather than doing the task directly?

4. Identify what makes you unique.

Approximately 118 people compete for the same job, so you have lots of competition. What makes you different from the other job seekers out there? This difference may be technical knowledge or simply an approach to problem solving that has served you well.

Here’s an example of the corporate layoff method in action:

I am a level 3 account manager with a focus on selling complicated business software solutions to large enterprises. I have been particularly successful in mapping large businesses’ needs with Enterprise Resource Planning software solutions that I was responsible for selling. Not only were my customers extremely satisfied with their solution, but also my vice president couldn’t have been happier when I came in 150 percent over goal for three years in a row. My customers have told me that they felt I really listened to them and that’s why they trusted me with their projects.

Surveying some tips for writing a strong value statement

As you start the process of writing your value statement, you may find yourself either stuck or unhappy with the results. Following are some tips to help you think about the writing process in new ways:

  Use as many keywords/keyphrases as makes sense. Write as many keywords in your value statement as you can without losing the flow of your sentences.

Incorporate analogies. Analogies do wonders for making you memorable, so don’t be afraid to use one.

Do you remember the “Your Brain on Drugs” ads that aired on TV back in the late ’80s? The purpose of these public-service announcements was to turn kids away from drugs. The stickiest of these ads was the one where the actor cracked open an egg then fried it in a hot frying pan. As the egg got more and more distorted on the pan, the announcer said, “This is your brain on drugs.”

Here are a couple of professional examples of a “Your Brain on Drugs” analogy:

I am a financial plumber. I find your financial leaks and repair them. (Personally, I hate this one, and I think you can do better!)

I am an organizational chiropractor. I put your company back in alignment so it can deal with any of the challenges in the marketplace.

Take advantage of the rule of three. People remember things in threes: “Snap, Crackle, and Pop!” or “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” Incorporating this rule of three into your value statement can make it more memorable.

  Leave people curious and wanting more. Finally, I maintain that the best value statements leave people feeling curious and wanting to hear more. After you craft your statement, do the curiosity test: Deliver it to someone. When you finish, stop talking and wait. If the other person says, “Tell me more,” then you have a nice statement indeed!

After you’ve written a few versions of your value statement, present them to someone in your profession who you respect and ask for feedback. Remember that the value of your value statement is how it’s perceived. If your audience likes it, it’s a winner.

Transferring Your Value Statement to Social Networks

Your value statement translates to your social media presence in three ways:

Headlines

Profile summaries

Profile pictures

If you’ve done your keyword research and written your value statement (I explain how to do both earlier in this chapter), all you have to do is copy and paste that statement into your online profiles. The sections that follow show you exactly how to transfer your value statement to the essential components of your social media presence. (I describe how to turn your value statement into a profile summary in the earlier section “Choosing a value statement method that works best for you.”)

Condensing your statement into a headline

The headline you use in LinkedIn, any online résumé, or the bio area in Twitter is connected with your name on almost every communication you send. When your profile appears on search results, the headline is the first thing the searcher reads. She will either click on you or not based on what your headline says. Therefore you need to be sure to get it right.

Think of your headline as a very boiled-down and condensed version of your value statement. It shouldn’t be longer than 120 characters in LinkedIn or 160 characters in Twitter, including spaces. Make sure to use at least one of your keywords, two at best. And if you currently work for a company, mention the company and role by name. Otherwise, it looks like you’re unemployed.

One way to separate ideas in your headline is to use vertical bars. Here are a couple of examples I found that I really like:

Web developer | Web designer | President of a local design interest group

Author | Trainer | E-learning visionary | Expert in improving corporate training programs

Branding is not only about what you like but also about what your audience likes. That audience may include potential employers, recruiters, peers — basically anyone who listens to you. Knowing whether your brand is successful depends on how your audience responds. So test out a headline for a week and see what kind of response you get. Then the next week, test out another one. Keep changing it until you get the results you want.

Whatever you do with your headline, don’t beg for a job. Although the marketplace is filled with desperate job seekers, you don’t want to be one of them (even though you may feel desperate). Differentiate yourself by showing your confidence. Make employers want you. Instead of saying, “I’m looking for . . . ,” lead with how you can add value to their organization.

Also, be sure to include as much personality as possible. Would you rather be an experienced marketing professional or a marketing visionary who thrives on growing powerful brands through innovative teamwork?

Here’s an example headline I used to use: “I specialize in helping MBAs who are frustrated with the traditional job-search process to use social media for career management.”

Dealing with your profile picture

The image you use on your social media profiles acts like an application icon on your computer. Just as you know that big blue W is for Microsoft Word, when people see the colors and shape of your image, they know it’s you.

Your social media photo serves as a visual reminder to your audience and shouldn’t change very often. So take a good profile picture now and then forget about it for the next few years.

A good headshot has interesting negative space around the head. Professional photographers ask you to tilt your head slightly or stand sideways and then look at the camera over a shoulder. Try several head tilting positions yourself to alter the negative space about your head. Oh, and remember to smile!

Creating a Professional E-mail Address and Username

When choosing e-mail addresses or usernames in social media profiles, retaining a consistent personal brand is important. Always opt to use your full name. Avoid kitschy e-mail addresses like [email protected]. Instead, find a way to use your full name as your e-mail address. If you need to start a new e-mail account for the purposes of your job search, know that it's worth it. The best option is to purchase your own domain name, which I talk about in Chapter 6.

In the context of social networks you join, the username you choose often becomes the web address for your public-facing profile. For example, if you choose FirstnameLastname as your profile's username, the public-facing web address becomes FirstnameLastname.sitename.com. Keep this same username consistent across all your networks; for example, use it in your LinkedIn profile, your about.me page, or web addresses. (I describe these powerful social media tools in Chapters 9 and 11, respectively.) The more consistent you are, the more easily Google can deliver your online profiles in response to a search of your name. Also, consistency is key when a hiring manager is considering your application for a job.