Climbing the Ladder
Finding a job using social networking Web sites
Social networking Web sites can be powerful tools for job seekers. You can establish many industry connections and create a profile that showcases your accomplishments. Plus, more and more companies and recruiters search these profiles every day looking for candidates.
Most job hunters start with LinkedIn.com. It has a robust job search engine, and with more than 40 million members worldwide – including executives from all Fortune 500 companies – you can cultivate a large and powerful network. LinkedIn is most effective when you join and participate in groups, use the applications, and exchange endorsements.
Facebook.com is one of the most popular social networking sites, with more than 200 million active users worldwide. Though Facebook is more often used for simply keeping in touch with friends than for job searching, such networking can sometimes provide the best job leads. And Facebook’s many applications make it easy and fun to stay connected. One useful feature for job hunters is Facebook Marketplace, which lists job openings – as well as housing opportunities and vehicles for sale – in your network.
On Plaxo.com, your profile features your “pulse stream,” which pulls in and highlights your activities on other sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Plaxo is owned by Comcast®, so it’s integrated with SimplyHired® – a narrowly focused search engine for job sites and companies.
Twitter.com is rapidly increasing in popularity and can be an outstanding networking tool. You can communicate directly with hiring managers without having to submit an electronic resume. A Twitter profile has to be supplemented by a blog or LinkedIn profile – there’s no way to hire someone based solely on a Twitter profile.
Jobster.com is another growing networking platform and job search engine. You can upload your resume and picture, embed your video resume, showcase links to your site, and tag your skills. Once you find a job you’re interested in, add the person who posted the job to your network and connect with them to find out more about the position.
Other social networking Web sites for job seekers include VisualCV.com, JobFox.com, Craigslist.com, Ecademy.com, and MyWorkster.com.
What is your favorite social networking Web site?