Finding Your Next Job With Social Networking

We spend a lot of time on the ReputationDefender Blog talking about how inappropriate social networking can end up costing you your job, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any value to joining these sites. When used correctly, professional social networking sites such as LinkedIn allow you to show off your accomplishments and make hundreds of useful industry connections that can help you find jobs later in your career.

As detailed in this article from the Charlotte Observer, more people than ever are turning to the Internet to get a leg-up on their competition.

From the article:

As the recession continues to squeeze professionals, pushing unemployment to record highs and flooding the job market with qualified candidates, more job-hunters are turning to the Internet. Now, more companies and recruiters are mining the sites for candidates, too – and more than ever, experts say, a profile on an online networking site could actually turn into a job.

“It’s almost like networking on steroids,” said Jenny Smith of career coaching firm Right Management in Charlotte. “You can meet so many people in a short time.”

Using the Internet to search for jobs isn’t a new idea. Sites dedicated to job-hunting such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com have been around for about a decade. But as social and professional sites are growing in popularity, so is the practice of using them to find work, career coaches and recruiters say.

Facebook, one of the best-known social networking sites, says it has more than 175 million members.

LinkedIn, a networking site with 37 million members worldwide, has seen connections jump 26 percent in the last month and double in the last year, spokeswoman Krista Canfield said.

Job searches were up 48 percent last month from a year ago, and over the last six months, the number of applicants per job listing on the site has doubled, she said.

The article goes on to explain how companies are branching out into the social networking sphere to actively recruit talent.

More companies and recruiters are catching on, she said. While “innovative” companies, like Internet startups, might seem more likely to recruit through social and professional sites, large accounting firms and even government agencies are perusing online profiles, too, she said.

A large health insurance company recruited 10 percent of its new hires through LinkedIn, Smith said. At Right Management, of 12 people who landed jobs recently, 40 percent did so through networking sites, Smith’s colleague Karen Schuler said.

Of course, having a strong presence online is only the first step in finding a job. It is also important to actively seek out potential connections and engage the online community in a way that differentiates you from the crowd. It doesn’t hurt to have strong face-to-face networking skills either.

If you’re unsure of how to begin promoting your good name online, you can always turn to the experts here at ReputationDefender. As the global leader in online reputation management, we have the experience and knowledge to help anyone control their image online. To see the kind of results we’ve produced for our clients, check out these ReputationDefender Testimonials.

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