A man named Terry sat next to me on a recent flight. He was one of those extremely chatty individuals and, being a generally polite person, I responded in kind.
Upon hearing that I have an interest in social media, he shared with me his story. Several years ago, Terry quit his job and went on a four-month sailing trip around Central America. When he got back from his hiatus, he found seven serious job leads on his LinkedIn account; he found one to his liking and started his new position two weeks later. Terry wasn’t actively searching for a job during this time, nor was he even advertising that he needed a new job. I found this story fascinating. Not only is it a testimonial to the power of social media networking, but it is also highly unlikely to happen in today’s market.
There are some great stories out there about people finding their new careers through social media, but the real question is, how can you be one of them? When Terry took his sailing trip, the job market was vastly different than it is today. With the current high unemployment rate, you need to take a much more proactive approach to landing that dream job. However, that doesn’t mean that social media can’t get you to that point; it’s just a matter of using these tools correctly.
The three best social media sites to use in your job search are Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Facebook and LinkedIn have similar functions in the job search. Both of these sites allow you to see who you may know (and who your friends may know) in various industries and positions. LinkedIn also provides insight into your professional background and your resume. Facebook provides insight into your personal life, your activities and your overall personality. Both your professional background and your personality or attitude are extremely important to potential employers when determining whether you’re a good fit for their company.
I’ve been using this three social medias and I usually received email about job openings through LinkedIn. You just need to update your profile and put your credentials and you’ll definitely received email from people who needs someone that does have your credentials. I do not really put a lot of information on Facebook as I don’t like everyone to know about my personal life. 😀 I love twitter as i learn a lot from the links that was posted by the people I followed. 😀
I agree that the different social networking sites have very different uses, but you never know what you might find on any given day!
Social media utilization is believed to be a driving factor in the idea that the current period in time will be defined as the Attention Age, and social networking now accounts for 11 percent of all time spent online in the US.
And that amount of time is rising! Why not utilize this time and energy when searching for a job?
You just need to update your profile and put your credentials and you’ll definitely received email from people who needs someone that does have your credentials.
Great point! And the more detailed your profile is and the more interesting your posts are, the more likely someone might contact you!
After read this post I can say social media is very useful way to find new job in today’s high cost living. Really good article.
Glad you liked the article, thanks for the comment. Have you used social media to help you find a job in today’s market?
Great blog. I like the way you have it laid out. Thanks for sharing nice information about social media.
Thanks for the comment Career Advice, do you have any other tips to share about using social media to find a job?
Well, social media might be the buzz word right now but it certainly can’t replace traditional job board. There are just too much noises and spams on Twitter.
Thanks Cuong Hoang, that is very true! Social media is a great way to help you find a job, but you are right – you still need to utilize the conventional methods of finding a job!
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