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How To Find A Job Using Social Media

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Categories: Social Media

So you are looking for a new job and you contact a recruitment agency and you apply, the trouble is you are one out of 100, 200 or even 300 people applying. How To Find A Job With Social Media

It is a bit daunting really and doing it that way can be more than frustrating, so how can you jump to the head of the queue?

Well social media sites and having your own personally branded blog are providing a way to stand out  from the crowd and get that job without having to negotiate that recruiting company gatekeeper.

A personally branded blog can be used to create your personal online brand that can be linked and integrated to social media sites such as LinkedIn that can give you that edge for that “perfect” job or career. A personally branded blog can be your resume on line that can highlight your skills and also your creativity that makes you stand out from the crowd. (for more information and the steps on how to do this read my post “Blogging For Dummies – An Opportunity For Personal Branding“)

Recent additions to LinkedIn with its “LinkedIn Recruiter“  feature (provided by software giant SAP) that allows companies to crawl the Web for the the best potential recruits highlights the trend in the recruiting companies being bypassed. The software examines criteria such as a candidate’s age, gender, skills and even the quality of their business and social interaction

The advantage for companies is that they can save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year by circumventing headhunting companies and not having to pay the typical recruitment fee.

Bob Spoer talks about how he has saved his company “Trimble Navigation” around $800,000 in recruiting fees through using LinkedIn.


So with the large and growing database of information on Facebook and LinkedIn it is inevitable that companies will continue to increase their use of social media networks to source and hire their new employees. Will it lead to the demise of the recruitment industry as we know it, only time will tell.

So the web continues to disrupt and disturb traditional business models that have been in place for decades.

So have you found a new career or hired someone using social media networks?


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  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Dude, this is great! I actually used Facebook advertisements to land myself a job and (insert shameless self promotion here) I’m creating a program teaching people how to do the same. Though, not just with Facebook ads. Blogs are AMAZING because they highlight your expertise. Twitter is great for meeting people who might not be in your industry but make great contacts. LinkedIn is a more professional way to connect but allows you to show off your experience and collect a nice pile of recommendations. Facebook ads work like a charm but aren’t for the faint of heart ;-)

  • http://www.businessesGROW.com/blog Mark W Schaefer

    Well done Jeff. Here are some additions to the conversation. I recently wrote a post about how newly-minted grads are unprepared to use the social web for looking for a job, let alone performing one. Telling comment section too!

    http://businessesgrow.com/2010/05/06/are-new-business-grads-getting-an-f-in-social-media-marketing/

    I also wrote an article about finding a social medis job (slightly different slant) that your readers might enjoy if they found your post:

    http://businessesgrow.com/2010/02/14/how-do-i-get-a-job-in-social-media-marketing/

    Thanks for the discussion Jeff!

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  • http://www.toddweisscfa.com ToddWeissCFA

    This is a great post Jeff. I created my blog to help others, share knowledge of my profession and brand but never thought it could be used as a tool to help find a job should I be in the market. This is another great example of the Internet changing the economy for the better. Thanks for sharing.

  • http://www.ilovemygirlsxoxo.blogspot.com Patti Werner

    i always enjoy your info!
    keep it coming; please……
    very helpful!

    p.w.

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  • http://twitter.com/Vanai ivana

    Really great post.
    I’m working on my blog, so whish me luck. :)

  • http://twitter.com/Vanai ivana

    lol, i meant wish not whish :O

  • http://twitter.com/TonyKochAUS Tony Koch

    Make sure you watch the video. This really highlights why it is important to complete your LinkedIn profile.

  • http://www.facebook.com/nickrovisa Nick Rovisa

    Great info, thanks Jeff. I am currently seeking a position in social media & also authored a post with my own tips including a personal success story. Please give it a read if you feel so inclined :)

    http://nickrovisa.posterous.com/how-im-using-social-media-to-land-a-career

    Cheers,
    Nick Rovisa

  • http://twitter.com/AndreVarga Andre Varga

    Yes. Once we succeeded to hire someone using LinkedIn. Very good experience using the tool.

  • http://twitter.com/tracysestili Tracy Sestili

    This is all good stuff, but remember that social media can also work against you. Recruiters are also using social media to check out candidates as well. If you express your opinion too much in a blog it could work against you. It can be a double-edged sword.

  • http://davidescialpi.posterous.com Dscialpi

    great post! :)

  • http://twitter.com/JohnR_Digital John Richardson

    As well as a LinkedIn Profile, personal blog etc you can also be creative with your cv / resume like this guy: http://mashable.com/2011/04/26/qr-code-resume/. He used QR codes and an iPhone to make one of the CVs I’ve seen!

  • http://twitter.com/CreativesMarket Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt

    HA! Great cartoon!

  • Kyle Dungan

    Jeff,

    Thank you for writing a blog stating the importance of social media in job searches. As I am close to finishing college, I need a leg up on some of the competition. Setting up a LinkedIn profile is easy and should be utlilzed by everyone! Thank you again for posting!

    Best,
    Kyle Dungan

  • http://www.socialcolleague.com Social Media Assistant

    I honestly don’t think the recruitment industry will suffer, they will just adapt and change with times. These agencies will get the edge they had years ago by adopting social media every day.

  • http://twitter.com/MatthewAGilbert Matthew A. Gilbert

    A very relevant and resourceful post, Jeff. No question that directly or indirectly our social media footprints can lead us to employment or contract work — it has certainly helped me get several teaching position (or at least opened the doors). I think having a blog is key: I often refer to it as the hub to which all of our other social media tools should attach.

    Notably, I recently wrote a blog post titled “Is Social Media the New Resume?” at http://doctorio.us/2011/11/01/is-social-media-the-new-resume/ in which I feature an interview with Chris Hutchins (formerly of Milk, and recently hired by Google) about this same topic. 

    I also share one personal story about how, through a series of successive steps, Twitter helped me get hired to teach at UCLA Extension.

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