Tips on How to Find a Job Using Social Networking Sites

When thinking of social networking sites (SNS) one thinks of a place to keep in touch with classmates, friends and coworkers. But now, companies have come to realize the potential of these sites as places to look for potential employers. This makes it easy for the employer as they list the job, and sit back and inspect the candidates reach to them. This is convenient for the job seekers also as we can socialize and job search all in one place. For most of us, life is about convenience, and SNS have become this all in one dwelling that you can find whatever you are looking for. Think cyber mall.

Some of my favorite places to look for employment are facebook.com, mayspace.com mainly for the incredible amount of people on these SNS. Honestly, how many people under the age of 35 do you know without a profile on either of these sites? Next, LinkedIn because it is more about networking with the people you know, or those you want to know. This is the facebook for employers. Lastly, a frosty one that I possess more people should be on is idealist.org. This is more for those who want to work with non-profits. You can make profiles here and search a wide array of jobs. This isn’t just about canvassing jobs, but any and all jobs within a non-profit that are needed. Why wouldn’t a non-profit need an accountant, someone has to keep track of the money they raise, accurate?

1. Who do you know, and most importantly who do they know?

You have 500 friends on facebook.com and 300 on myspace.com, utilize them! Go through your friends lists and make your own list of the people that you believe could help you. Perceive what they are doing job wise and if it is conclude to what you want to do, or a company you would like to apply for, get in contact with them! Send them a quick email asking if their company is hiring (some companies let their employees know they are hiring before the public) and who in the company you could derive in contact with about jobs. Most people are happy to help others out, they have been through the job search process and understand how hard it is to find a job these days. So push aside your pride and send those emails. After all, what good is it to have a ridiculous amount of friends if they can’t help you out sometimes?

2. Check the careers/job search section

When I first started using SNS for job search, I was amazed at the amount of jobs posted and how organized they were. Most use the same format separating everything by major cities, followed by alphabetically listing the job categories. There is everything from art/media/design to business to non-profit work. The sites make it snappy and simple to find the types of jobs you want to look for.

3. FRAUD! Key words that tell you the job is not legit

· The pay seems to good to be true because it is

· Usually if they say they need someone today or tomorrow, then it is fake. This only applies to some jobs. If it is for lawn mowing, then it is probably real, but if it is for say a graphic designer, then conclude away!

· After reading the summary of the job, and you detached don’t understand what the job is, leave it alone

· Work from Home, more than likely a fraud trying to get you to buy some book or program on how to pick up rich quick

4. Never send your resume/Cover letter without an email first

Sometimes a job ad may not be what you expect. It may seem completely legit, but spammers are getting smarter everyday. If you send an email asking some questions about the company or the job that were not answered in the job posting, the email back will let you know if the job is for actual. If they respond your questions, then you are okay to send on your resume and cover letter. If not, and it is an email that comes aid two seconds after you’ve sent yours, then forget about it. Also, if you truly ant to be careful, ask for a Fax or mailing address where you can send your resume/cover letter. The company should be fine with this.

5. Add the employer as a ‘friend’ on the SNS

Especially for sites like LinkedIn, you want to add the employer. This way, they know that you are serious about the job. Also, it is another contrivance for them to peruse and remember your name. If you do add them as a friend, be sure that your profile is something that you want them to see. If you add them on a site like facebook.com or myspace.com, make distinct there are no pictures of you bonging a beer (original college graduates) or anything else that you don’t want a boss to see. Side note: in general, if you have a profile on a public networking site, get sure there is nothing embarrassing on it as the employer WILL google you and if they see an inappropriate profile, they may not even consider you as a candidate for the job. If you don’t mediate that employers do this, I have had an interviewer comment on the things that came up when he googled me. Lucky for me, it was only my resume (which he was impressed by), my online portfolio and writing samples that have been published online. Basically, if you don’t want an employer to recognize your online profiles, put them on private and don’t add the employers.

6. Constantly check the site for updates on jobs

Depending on the site that you are visiting, jobs are updated constantly. For example, on craigslist.com jobs are added every second (maybe not all legit, but we went over that in point #3). If nothing else, check in the mornings for jobs added late the night before, and the employers who added jobs that day. Most employers will add jobs in the morning and you want to be the first to see that ad and salvage your resume to them.

7. Keep a separate email address for the jobs

If you are receiving emails from jobs, spammers, and your mom in the email account, this can end up being a mistake. Trust me, a separate email for job search helps keep you organized and makes definite that that email from a possible future employer does not accumulate mixed up with an email from someone trying to give you a million dollars. It takes about two seconds to make a unique email account, and most are free, so invest in one.

8. Keep a picture of the jobs you have applied to

When you commence applying to jobs online, you may send your resume to 5, 10 or 15 different places. After a while, you may become flustered on who you sent what information to. If the job calls you and you have no idea who they are because you sent along your resume to 10 other companies, this may trip you up. You always want to accomplish sure that the company feels like they are the only place you applied to and they are your number one instead of number 10. If you have neatly organized all the information it won’t be difficult to find it quickly and refresh yourself on exactly what you sent to the company and who they are.

9. Make distinct you put a phone number for the job to approach you

Though you are applying online, companies would still like to have some kind of human reaction right away. Even if your phone number is already on your resume, put it on your veil letter, and in the email that you send to them. Exhibit the employer that you are eager to lift in a conversation with them, and hopefully meet face to face.

10. Copy the job listing and save it

This one goes along with keeping records of the places you have applied to. If you have the exact job posting saved, you can revert back to it and see what the job was. Most of the time, the employer won’t say what the job was that you applied to, so it is your job to be on top of that. If you are like me and apply to jobs in different fields, this will come in handy. Then you can have exactly what they are looking for in a candidate right in front of you.

11. Send not only a resume, but a cover letter also

When reading this one you may have rolled your eyes and thought “Duh!” But when applying to jobs online, some people forget to send a cover letter. Even if the job impartial says send your resume, it is a good chance they are assuming that you will also include a cover letter. This is also a reminder to not become lazy when applying for jobs online. Make everything as crisp and perfect as you would if you were handing the resume and cover letter to the HR department by hand.

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