Social Media and the job search

Are you using social media in your job search? If not, why not?

Over 100 million users are on LinkedIn, 700 million users are on Facebook and 175 million users on Twitter. Now assuming that each of those networks only has 80% of those users who are active, that is still a BIG number. Of people using social networking sites, the use breaks down this way: 92% use Facebook, 18% use LinkedIn, 13% use Twitter. [Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project, Social networking sites and our lives, June 16, 2011]

LinkedIn is the biggest source of professional networking. You can follow companies, find jobs, and build your level of expertise. Facebook now has an answer to LinkedIn called Branchout. You can ask your Facebook friends to join you in your professional network and receive recommendations. Twitter has post after post of jobs that you can find even if you don't tweet yourself. Just go to search.twitter.com.

LinkedIn has a search component that will show you who is posting about a particular term like "hiring" that you can drill down and get to your local area. Did you know that more men 63% vs. 37% women use LinkedIn.[Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project, Social networking sites and our lives, June 16, 2011] Women tend to be bigger users of the other social networks.

Remember, you can't just create a profile and let it hang there on the web, you must work at it, as you must with any job search process.  If you need to learn more about using social media, you can visit our website. OR you can sign up for one of our hands-on LinkedIn workshops - check our calendar for the next session.

What are you doing with social media and your job search?

Social Networks - How Secure are you?

You thought you had your privacy settings established. You are sure you have Facebook locked down. You are applying for jobs.  You may be getting interviews but you aren't getting any offers.  Are you sure your Facebook posts aren't your downfall?

If you have a LinkedIn profile, you know that you need to keep that professional in appearance and language.  Twitter posts are fleeting, but still can show up in a Google search.  Now what about your Facebook posts? 

When you are in the job market, you need to "clean up your act" and your posts!  I recently read about a website http://youropenbook.org/ .  This website allows anyone to search for any person or topic and not have to have a facebook account or be your friend.  If your posts are not protected properly, you may be showing off some characteristics that you may not want an employer to find out about. Check it out. Type in your name, type in a company name, type in a phrase (looking for a job) or keyword.  Look at the posts and the pictures. What did you find out?

Again, if you are in the job market, change your profile picture to something more professional, be sure that what you "share" is something you would want your grandmother to read, and protect your posts so that your private thoughts (as private as a facebook post can be) do not destroy your chances at getting a job.

Business Basics for Facebook

The last of the series of short social media for business webinars created for the Aurora Regional Chamber was done on Facebook pages.



If you would like to see the basic videos on Twitter and LinkedIn, you may go to our website at www.kcdee.org/trainingvideos.html