John A. Challenger: Use social networking to land job
More and more employers and recruiters are visiting social and professional networking sites or the job search. As the number of unemployed workers continues to grow, job seekers are using these sites to brand themselves to future employers.
LinkedIn has always been touted as the site to network professionally; however, job seekers are now also turning to Facebook and Twitter for job leads, advice and contact building. Hundreds of recruiters are trolling Twitter, searching for applicants with relevant skills, while job seekers post links to their resumes, websites and examples of their work for previous employers.
As the popularity of social networking sites continues to increase among older people, so will the amount of time spent on these sites at work.
Moreover, job seekers who decide to start their own businesses can use the website to market their products or services.
Through Twitter, new business owners can immediately connect to hundreds of potential customers while fashioning a brand for their services. Through blogging and building a social networking page, job seekers have an edge over those job seekers who lack the technical savvy.
The advantage is not just for job seekers, as social and professional networking sites are now viewed as an invaluable tool for employed professionals as well. These sites can be used to communicate with current and former colleagues, as well as other industry professionals, share best practices, meet customers, resolve issues and answer questions.
In a survey of about 200 human resource professionals conducted by Challenger, about 10 percent of the respondents to the survey said their companies view social networking sites as invaluable marketing, networking and sales tools, and 6 percent actually encourage employees to have a presence on these sites.
Only a few years ago, job seekers' only search tools were newspapers and cold calls. Now, technology serves to instantly connect seekers with employers, recruiters and job leads.
Networking tips
Build your network: Utilize every person in your personal and professional networks. With Twitter, you can grow this network to include hundreds of people.
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John A. Challenger: Use social networking to land job