A Successful Job Search Means Using Social Media

In days past, job seekers benefited from posting a resume on employment websites including Monster, Dice, and CareerBuilder. The application would be visible to recruiters and companies looking to hire, and candidates were often called out of the blue for an interview. Today, the rules of the game have changed and continue to evolve.

In the June 7, 2009 The News Tribune article, “The Rules for Job Hunting Have Changed,” Dan Voelpel quotes Paul Anderson, a former hiring manager for Microsoft and Expedia, as advising candidates to physically remove their resume from all employment websites and instead place a higher priority on social networking as a search tool.

While these employment websites are not yet obsolete by any means, social networking websites have begun to shed their image of preteen hangouts and have taken on a more socially acceptable reputation – an effective strategy for the job hunt. Sites including Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter have become highly important and effective tools for anyone seeking work in today’s ultra-competitive labor market.

Finding Employment Through Social Networking: Linkedin

Linkedin is a business social networking website where businesses, employers, and applicants can connect. The candidate posts a profile with skills, work history, employment goals, and contact information so that companies who want to hire can contact the candidate directly. As the person’s network expands, so do the chances for viable leads.

Linkedin has become so important to today’s search that, according to a growing number of labor experts, is the first website many companies consult when assessing new candidates. What employers look for on Linkedin is not only the online resume, but also who is in the person’s network and recommendations from past and present colleagues.

Finding Employment Using Facebook

Facebook was once the online social networking domain of college students, but no longer. Those using Facebook can add handy apps that allow users to post and share a resume, view new openings, and expand the candidate’s professional network. If the person has an existing resume in HTML format, simply add an HTML app, insert code, and display it on a professional-looking public Facebook profile.

Twitter and the Job Search

While it may seem unlikely that a person can find work in 140 characters or less, the ever-expanding reach and popularity of Twitter makes the micro blogging site a powerful ally in the search for a new position. Using Twitter, candidates can

write a brief bio indicating employment goals, skills, and accomplishments
enter a link to an online resume (e.g., ResumeBucket)
make sure updates are not protected
include a professional-looking photo
tweet daily, stating desired position, location, target company, and how the search is going
use hash tags (#) to identify keywords that are picked up in searches (e.g., #techjobs)
search people and follow recruiters and companies of interest

Using social media is becoming less of an option and more of a necessity in order to stand out in today’s ultra-competitive labor market. So in addition to posting a resume on websites such as Monster, CareerBuilder, Yahoo! Jobs, and Dice, all job seekers should begin using social media sites including Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter for an effective search strategy.