Welcome to Social Media

Using Social Media to Help Your Job Search

May 30th, 2009

Bob McDonald

While understanding the Internet’s role in the job search has always been important for professionals, the emergence of new Web technologies, such as social media, blogging and social networking, has permanently changed the playing field.

At the heart of the matter is how your time is spent on the Internet, and it can either be a blessing or a curse. More and more, prospective employers are using search engines such as Google to do a sort of free background check on applicants. What they find could make or break the job seeker’s chance of getting their foot in the door.

It is crucial in an already-tight job market to understand the dangers of creating questionable content that either you or your friends can post online. One of the first things you should do is to fully assess how you are viewed online. Search engines search dynamic sites like MySpace on a regular basis.

However, protecting your online reputation is only the first step. You will also want to familiarize yourself with business networking and online profile resources that are regularly used by companies. These can prove to be a great deal of help.

In reality, many of the business networking tools are used primarily by white-collar professionals. However, as the Internet has grown, many blue-collar industries are embracing technology to find the best employees. No matter who you are, building a professional online presence will help you to stand above competing applicants.

Ready? Let's get started.

Just as you would work on your resume, creating a generic online profile is done by asking for the following information:

• Work Experience—Company, job title and noted accomplishments
• Education—School name, degree and major, extracurricular activities
• Skills—Depending on the online format, skills may be added through the site’s automated system or by simply adding it to a form field like you would experience or education.

Building an online presence can depend on your network. Many of the professional networking sites allow for users to connect with current and former colleagues, customers, business partners and classmates. For that, you will want to familiarize yourself with the system’s connection invitation process.

Remember, the rules of face-to-face networking also apply online. Courtesy is king. Don’t assume that you will be able to connect with your network automatically. To help this process, you will want to create a short personalized invitation to e-mail to potential connections.

Here are examples of some of the most popular business networking sites available:

• LinkedIn—At the moment, LinkedIn is the undisputed king of business networking with more than 30 million users around the world.
• Naymz—This site allows users to build their profiles and connections to improve their Reputation Score.
• VisualCV—One of the newest online profile sites where users can add resume-style elements and upload samples of their work to create a fully interactive display to present to employers.

As with all other dynamic Web sites, business networking sites are checked regularly by the major search engines. Once you have completed building your online profile, be sure to maintain it on a regular basis.

Being active on these sites, especially when looking for a job, is vital. For example, think about participating in LinkedIn Answers by answering questions related to the field you are looking into. Not only will this become an opportunity to expand your network, it will allow you to increase your value as a potential employee.

In that same vein, you should also consider creating an account on one of the social bookmarking sites, Digg, StumbleUpon or Delicious. Bookmarking articles and sites tied closely into your interest in the job market is a good way to draw the attention of like-minded individuals and, potentially, get more job leads.

Blogging and micro-blogging are also great tools. Wordpress.com and Blogger are easy to set up and use, and micro-blogging sites such as Twitter and Indenti.ca are even easier. If you are interested in pursuing this route, it is important that your content is updated regularly and that it paints you and your skills in a positive light.

Finally, once you’ve found a new job, update your profiles with the new information. In a volatile job climate, positions can easily go as fast as they came, and again, any advantage you can give yourself will be beneficial in the long run.

Topics: Personal Best Practices

Tags: Digg, Indenti.ca, job search, LinkedIn, Naymz, networking, StumbleUpon, VisualCV, Wordpress

• « Previous: What Does Your Profile Photo Say About You? —
• Next: Using Social Media to Make Face-to-Face Connections »