With 79 percent of candidates using social media as part of their job-hunting strategy, it’s more difficult than ever to craft an online presence that really stands out from the competition. But what if you could attract recruiters and hiring managers to you instead of constantly chasing them? It’s possible, provided you use attraction marketing techniques to turn yourself into an opportunity magnet. 

Intrigued? Here’s a look at what attraction marketing is, and how to implement some basic strategies to differentiate yourself through a distinctive online presence. 

Share Your Expertise

Simply put, attraction marketing is a way of establishing yourself as an authority by providing helpful and relevant information to your target audience and sparking educational discussions, explained Nader Mowlaee, a career coach for engineers.

“It’s about creating content rather than curating content,” Mowlaee added.

For example, Home Depot is famous for promoting its brand by holding weekly classes and DIY workshops. In much the same way, engineers can pull others in and engage with them by sharing opinions, learning experiences or discussing the root cause of problems.

“Teach people what you know by sharing a product that you’ve built or a piece of code and explaining how you did it,” suggested Scott Engler, director of marketing and branding for B.Y.O.B. Coaching and Consulting.

Train others by writing a series of short blog posts (300 words each) and/or creating videos, podcasts, or webinars. Increase your market reach within the tech community by acting as a host and interviewing technical experts from your target companies on salient topics. 

The content doesn’t have to be complicated to resonate and engage, Mowlaee pointed out. In fact, personal stories and team successes can be quite valuable and interesting. 

For instance, you'd be surprised how many people would be interested in knowing how you decided which AWS certificate to pursue and how you navigated the journey. Or reading about the top three things you learned at your previous employer. Mentioning others in blog posts or spontaneously writing an endorsement for a previous boss or employer encourages engagement, resharing and a stronger online presence.

Take Polls and Surveys

If the idea of creating blog posts and live streams seems time-consuming, start out small to give yourself time to build up your professional digital presence, followers and confidence.

“Right now, taking polls and surveys on LinkedIn is working well,” Mowlaee said. Simply ask for opinions about technology (“What’s the best project management tool for remote collaboration?” for instance), then add a few options and hashtags. Make sure to actually engage with respondents, too. 

Alternatively, base your survey around a recent news item such as the growth of security flaws in cameras hosted in the cloud, and ask others to rank and discuss some ways to prevent hacks. Topics related to changes in technology or intense issues usually attract lots of comments.

Mowlaee encourages his clients to take a strategic approach when creating polls and surveys. For instance, if you are interested in career opportunities in the cloud, list the top companies you’d like to work for, write a short post about why they made your list, and ask others to rank them. You can push the poll to members of your network who work for those companies, including HR and hiring managers, or include hashtags to draw their attention.

Become a Podcast Guest

One of the best ways to showcase your expertise in an emerging field such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotics or embedded systems is by becoming a podcast guest. There are thousands of shows related to technology, not including any subcategories for specific niches, and almost all are looking for guests. 

Being a guest on a podcast, especially if it’s sponsored by a company you’d like to work for, can quickly capture the attention of hiring managers and recruiters, Mowlaee noted. 

Send an email pitch to the podcast host covering your qualifications, background and the topic you’d like to cover. Then, once you land a guest spot, make the most of your opportunity by promoting it online, sharing video or audio footage on social media, and so on.