Social Media Is Newsworthy, Take Notice
Posted March 18th, 2009 by
Jason Douglas
Spyder Trap Online Marketing
In recent months, social networking sites Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, have gained notoriety for their ability to help people connect and interact with each other. Whether you are connecting with a former high school or college classmate, or talking to someone across the world you have never met about a buzzworthy topic, the sites mentioned above are great at bringing people together.
Not too many people think of using the sites above as a way to generate leads on your job search. They should, and people are taking notice.
This past weekend, Kare 11 aired a story about how social networking can help your job search. The story highlighted how it is very important to be part of Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Many businesses and recruiters are part of these networks, along with many viable candidates for these jobs. On occasion, employers may not list an open position on a site like Monster or Career Builder. People that are not part of the social networking scene are missing out on opportunities that may be a great fit for them.
Social media is about being part of the conversation. The conversation that job seekers want to be a part of is occurring on sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, among others. In this economy, having every advantage is crucial in having a successful job search. People that are on these networks are two steps ahead of everyone else.
Before this story aired, some college classmates of mine that were looking for work have come to me for advice. The first thing I asked is if they are on Twitter and LinkedIn. The overwhelming response to both was no. They were not familiar with LinkedIn, which I feel is the future resume. These social networks, especially LinkedIn, are professionally focused, keeping out the riff-raff that exists on Facebook and MySpace. On LinkedIn, you are just a couple degrees separated from most people, which allows for a more personal introduction (which you can request).
Last week, I got a request from a college student who is looking for a job at a food retailer to connect her with a contact I knew at this food retailer. After a message sent by me to my contact, my college student friend and my professional friend were connected and starting a relationship that may lead to future employment. If both people were not part of LinkedIn, that connection would have been near impossible to create. It sounds simple, and in most cases, can be that simple.
I have been on all of the above mentioned sites for at least a year, and have met many people that I now consider friends. Even though my intent has never been to find a job using social media. There are many people within my friend groups that are hesitant to join these networks, whatever their purpose may be. Now that large news networks are recognizing the effectiveness and importance of social media and social networking, people may rethink their feelings about social media and become part of the conversation.
Connect with me on twitter: @jasondouglas
Connect with me on LinkedIn: Jason Douglas
Tags: Career Builder, Facebook, Job Search, LinkedIn, Minneapolis Online Marketing, Monster.com, MySpace, Social Media, Twitter
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