Social Media and Networking Web Sites as Vehicles
For Igniting Your Job Hunt!
By Marlis Hubbard, Career Resource Centre
Social media and networking web sites continue to gain in popularity and spark student interest. They can be a driving force for your job hunt when combined with traditional job hunting tools. A primary reason for this is that such sites foster the creation of those indispensable contacts which lead to job offers. Moreover, by enhancing communication with those in the virtual community, job seekers get a better handle on the labour market and on where jobs are to be discovered in the current economy.
Job hunting experts emphasize the power of networking, that is of growing your social contacts, in order to advance your career. This is where e-communities come into the picture. They provide students with opportunities to create a strong base of contacts and possibilities for connecting with potential employers and others to uncover jobs. They also facilitate information sharing and collaboration among individuals with similar interests, backgrounds and goals.
When recruiting online, employers are looking for a reason to eliminate you from the race and are on the lookout for anything less than professional in your profile or resume. Therefore, be sure to guard against posting anything on Facebook or on any other web site that projects a poor image. Misspellings, awkward sentences and party pictures can portray you in a bad light and create some serious drag when it comes to approaching the job hunting finishing line.
Be savvy about how you communicate through social media and who you allow into your social network. >
Whereas you should regularly add new contacts to build your network, aiming your messages at the right groups will help ensure that you do not waste time and that you reach those you wish to reach. Then, pay attention to personal and professional networking boundaries. In addition, avoid making online communications all about your own brazen self promotion; sharing useful information with others and helping them with their inquiries works better toward building professional relationships.
Not all students are ready to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to social media. A first impression may be that there is much too much time and attention involved for creating them and keeping them current. There are also privacy (i.e., confidentiality) concerns. To learn more about how to use social media wisely, avoid information overload, use proper etiquette online, create a stellar profile and employ privacy settings try the following sites.
How to Get Started with Social Media
www.job-hunt.org/social-networking/starting-social-media.shtml
Alison Doyle offers advice to help you learn how to use social media for your job hunt. Read what she says under Social Media No-No’s and Social Recruiting.
About.com.:Web Trends
webtrends.about.com
Click on Top Social Networks for much good information on the basics of social networking, how to get started, listings of popular sites and much more.
Jobsearch.about.com
jobsearch.about.com
Provides good articles on the ins and outs of social networking and a free weekly newsletter. Try Job Search Networking and Best Social Networking Sites.
The Riley Guide
www.rileyguide.com
Presents a list of Top Social Media Sites for Job Search. Also offers social networking tips.
Delicious
delicious.com
A popular social bookmarking service which helps users save bookmarks, keep track of useful web sites, tag them with index terms and share them with others. The home page provides lists of popular pages which illustrate to Internet trends (i.e., what other people are bookmarking).
Once you have an overview of the value of social networking and have gotten a handle on creating a slam dunk profile, you will be ready to probe the e-community, uncover strategic groups and select social media and networking sites. Here are some popular sites of possible interest:
Plaxo
www.plaxo.com
Aims to have one of the strongest privacy policies (i.e., confidentiality) among social web sites. Try its Help Center/What is My Career. Enables you to synchronize and organize your contact information to connect to your business network. Plaxo has a powerful enabler for mobile computing.
LinkedIn
learn.linkedin.com
Provides advice on developing a professional profile and developing a groups strategy to enhance your professional network. Allows you to search for jobs, review potential employers, stay current with your industry and investigate connections you may have with employers.
Facebook
www.facebook.com
Check out groups of professionals in your field and consider joining the job hunting support group.
MySpace Canada
www.myspace.com
To get started, take a look at the FAQ section. Post only what you want a potential employer to view. Learn first about how employers use personal profile web sites to eliminate candidates.
To learn more about social media and creating a winning profile, try borrowing one of the following books available in the *Career Resource Centre. They can also help you get the most out of the online community and decide which sites is the best match for your needs.
- How to Find a Job on Linkedin, Facebook, Myspace an Other Social Networks
- E-Resumes: A Guide to Successful Online Job Hunting
- Create Your Digital Portfolio: The Fast Track to Career Success
You owe it to yourself to put social media and networking in its proper perspective. Avoid thinking of it as the be-all and end-all of your job hunt; in other words, consider it as one strategy with powerful potential. Do not ignore other networking tools, tools such as offline networking. Lastly, before zooming off into cyberspace, keep foremost in mind the keys to using social media effectively:
- Learning how communicate online
- Uncovering which sites are likely to reach your target audience
- And pausing before posting anything on your web site
Good Luck with Your Future Job Hunt!
M
