A lot of us already use social media for personal reasons, but it is also a good source for your professional world as well.  More and more recruiters are using these networks to find potential candidates for open positions.  These social media tools are a great way to save time while searching for a job.  Instead of spending hours on job sites, you can generate searches and find open jobs and reach out to recruiters who are more than willing to help you find a position that fits your skill set.

LinkedIn is the obvious one.  This is a great professional tool and can connect you with people all throughout your industry and recruiters in the industry.  You can read more about utilizing LinkedIn to its full potential on our LinkedIn blog.

Twitter is also a great way to stay in front of recruiters and employees of companies that you are interested in working for.  Follow them and make sure to interact with them!  Many companies and recruiters will post their job openings right on Twitter.  This is a great way to reach out to them directly and let them know you are interested.  It’s smart to follow people in the industry you are interested in and try to make as many connections as you can.  The more people you interact with, the better!  I have heard of stories where people have tweeted that they are looking for a specific job and they were offered an interview.  It is possible to land a job through interaction on this network!  

Facebook is more of a personal social media tool.  Most people utilize this for their personal relationships with their close friends and family.  There are a couple ways that you could use Facebook as a networking tool while looking for a job.  As your status update, you could put what positions you are interested in or information about the interviews that you are going on.  Perhaps this would make your friends and family aware that you are looking and if something that you might be interested in comes their way, they could forward it your way.  It would also be helpful to become a fan of the companies that you are interested in working for and also recruiting companies that are in your industry.  If you want to incorporate professionals with your Facebook account, you can create lists to determine what they can and cannot see.  This is important to help maintain a professional relationship.  

Another great idea is to create a video resume and upload it to YouTube.  Create a short video that describes the value that you will contribute to a given position and explain why you would be a great candidate.  Be creative and make sure you are outgoing and have a lively personality!  You can redo this as many times as you want before you upload the final version to YouTube, so make sure you are happy with it.

All of these social networks are great tools for meeting people, especially the right people.  You can’t just sit back and relax.  You need to take the initiative and show these companies or recruiters why they need to hire you!  Developing and building relationships with these important people is great for your network and is a great advantage for you and your future.  If you are interested in IT and engineering positions, make sure to check out our career section!  

Sources:

http://mashable.com/2009/01/05/job-search-secrets/#