With employment rates at all-time lows, job seekers are finding new ways to find jobs. The old way of pounding the pavement, and passing out applications, is fast becoming an out-of-date method to find work. The best way to find employment is to network, and with social media becoming increasingly popular, many are now using their social network sites as a method of finding employment. Social networks allow a better job search for all those involved, whether it is an employer looking for perspective hires, or job seekers looking for employment. There are a variety of social network sites that can aid in your job search.
This very popular social network site is mainly used for connecting with friends and family. However, Facebook can also be a great networking tool in searching for a job. Not only are you connecting with people on your friends list to aid in your search for work, but their friends as well.
Status updates and notes are a great way to let everyone know you are looking for a job, and what kind of work you are looking for. Notes allow you the ability to add more of a description of what you are looking for, and tend to stay on the screen longer than status updates.
Twitter is an excellent way to network because it allows you to connect with people you don’t know, but share common interests with. You can connect with people who can share information about job prospects that you wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise.
When connecting on Twitter, always thoroughly read people’s bio. You want to connect with people who either work where you are interested in, or can connect you with someone who works in your field of experience. Twellow is a great Twitter tool that searches people’s bios and URLs. You can do a search of a company you want to work for, and find people on Twitter who work for that company. You can then connect with them for possible job leads.
LinkedIn is a site that allows you to connect with people you know, but also allows you to see the profiles of anyone who is on the site. LinkedIn is another great networking tool to get the word out you are looking for work, and connect with people or companies that can aid you in your job search. The following are some of the great networking tools that LinkedIn provides.
- Company Search: The ability to search for companies you are interest in, and connect with people who work there, as well as professional quality job listings.
- Email: You are able to email people in your LinkedIn network, letting them know you are searching for work, the area of work you are interested in, and help in connecting you with possible job opportunities.
- Blog Link: The ability to link your blog posts to your profile. Whenever you make a new blog post it updates to your profile as well.
- Twitter link: As with Blog Link, your Twitter updates go to your LinkedIn profile. Even if they are not on Twitter, your LinkedIn network can see your tweets.
- Status Updates: As with Facebook, LinkedIn also has this option. You can keep your network updated with any information regarding your job search.
- Headline: Another tool that LinkedIn offers which allows you to post a professional headline advertising your skills and expertise.
The more people you can connect with, the more likely you will get job leads and information that you normally would not have had available to you. Social networking is an incredible way to widen your job search and is a valuable tool that should always be used in your search for employment.
This article is provided courtesy of Sam Burgoon, marketing and social media executive for Credit Season, a personal finance website that strives to help people improve their money management skills and overall finances, while delivering the latest and most relevant news from the financial world. Follow Credit Season on Twitter and connect on Google+ and Facebook.