Posted in Career Advice Job Hunting Social Media on May 6, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I often recommend social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook for professional networking. But do these sites really help people get jobs?
Yes.
The proof is currently sitting on the couch a few feet away from me, watching the Indiana returns on CNN. My husband Evan got his job on LinkedIn. It’s such a good story that LinkedIn featured him on the LinkedIn blog, and Alison Doyle, the About.com guide to job searching, wrote an article featuring Evan and other professionals who landed jobs through LinkedIn. Check out these stories for tips on how to use LinkedIn and other social networks to find real opportunities.
I like Doyle’s other articles on this topic, too. Check out “How to Use LinkedIn to Job Search” and “Should You Use Facebook for Professional Networking?” for more tips. Here are a few highlights:
- Be sure to include keywords in your profile that are related to the jobs you want to find. Not sure what words will pop? Grab words and phrases directly from job listings that appeal to you.
- Post content that is professional and relevant to your career, such as links to articles you’ve written and testimonials about your professional skills and experience.
- Increase your visibility to potential employers by building your network. Remember, it’s not just who you know, it’s who knows you (and can see your profile).
- Be active. People are more likely to contact you if you are actively updating your profile, updating your status and adding connections.
Have you found job opportunities, new clients or other professional benefits from social networking? Please share!
Tags: Facebook, Job Hunting, LinkedIn, Social Media
Great Article. I just started reading all the blogs. This one will really help me out. I will bookmark this.
Thakns.
Geraldine Foster
[...] Lindsey Pollak’s blog, Lindsey Pollak cites the case of her own husband Evan, who accepted a dream job as [...]
[...] and tips about making the most of LinkedIn, check out the resources listed in my blog post “Yes, people really get jobs through social networking,” the book I co-authored with Diane K. Danielson, The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking [...]
@ Greg – Thanks for the comment. I agree — employers on LinkedIn and other social networks may be more serious than others. Thanks for the congrats!
- Lindsey
We preach this at every job fair and conference we attend. Employers are looking, so you need to be prepared. Chances are that if an employer is browsing through profiles to find potential employees, you can be pretty sure that the job is worthwhile and pretty exciting. Congrats to your husband!
[...] Pollak is an author and speaker. She posted an article on her blog [here] nothing similar experiences to me. Her husband got his job thanks to [...]
@ Tom – thanks for the post. It’s great to hear that recruiters in your industry are using social networking too. More proof that active and passive job seekers need to be on LinkedIn and Facebook!
- Lindsey
Lindsey,
I couldn’t agree more. I have a medical & pharmaceutical sales recruiting company, Tom Ruff Company, and my recruiters are now searching on LinkedIn & Facebook on a regular basis for good candidates. We are having greater success on LinkedIn but I personally think both are good tools for job seekers to utilize.
Thanks for the insight,
Tom