FORT LAUDERDALE – The big rage right now is social media and social networking for your job search – it’s everywhere, in our corporate lives and in our personal lives. With your job search being a big part of daily routine, it’s natural for us to want to connect to each other and use forums like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to build social capital and stay engaged and motivated when trying to find a job.

Have you ever wondered why so many employers post jobs to Twitter? Twitter is not only a massive job board but it’s a fast and cheap means to conduct a quick “background check” and verify a candidates skill set and qualifications. Once a candidates starts their job search online, they leave small digital footprints wherever they go, thereby making it easy for employers to verify facts on resumes and evaluate personality traits and communications skills.

LinkedIn has become the number one social network for job searching and it is increasingly used by hiring managers and recruiters. When you start your job search, you want to pay close attention to your online reputation. It’s very important for you to PROTECT YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION. Employers and recruiters are using social media now more than ever to get an true indication of a candidates communication skills, industry knowledge and much more. These job boards are data aggregates where technology intersects with human engagement. Social media has become the place to go for recruiters to get a clear idea of who you are and what you have done well before they talk to you.

As discussed in Job Interview Magic 2.0, when you are progressing through your next job interview, it’s important to use creative visualization to construct the mental framework that “you already fit right in to their group”. Based on a recent survey by Jobing.com, “recruiters are using social media to get clues about your personality and how you will fit into their corporate culture”.

When you are networking with social media, join LinkedIn Groups that are active and vibrant and make sure to introduce yourself to the most active members of Groups in your industry and reach out to help Group Members who are actively seeking help to overcome obstacles in the development of their career in your industry. There is no match for this type of social capital when it comes to social networking.

Be proactive on LinkedIn and Twitter and start following companies in your industry so that you can get notified of new hires, product developments and other news. Stay in-the-know about industry trends which brings immediate value to a potential employer. Stay engaged in LinkedIn Groups and build social capital by linking to provocative content and by answering questions on LinkedIn and establish yourself as an authority in your field. It’s easy to navigate through the Web with a one-sided mentality of “what’s in it for me?” but you have to give in order to receive. Answer questions, reach out to other members and make introductions and help out others.

Building social capital on LinkedIn and Twitter requires updating your Profile and Status frequently and providing content to the groups you join. Make connections with the right people and let your content and engagement in the Groups be a direct reflection of your intellect and quality as a potential candidate.

You may join many sites when social networking for a job so it’s important to make a plan. Your efforts will become too diluted if you join too many non-industry specific forums and Groups. It’s best to focus on the job boards and forums that most relevant to your industry and stay organized and disciplined and don’t try to multi-task social networking. You can multi-task everything else in your Life, but when you apply focus that’s where the energy flows so you can work on your Profile one day, join a few more LinkedIn groups on another day and update your Status on another and always remember to reach out to Group Members and offer provocative content to increase the level of engagement in the LinkedIn or Facebook Group.

This is one of the most powerful sure-fire methods of getting a job offer.

Find a job by starting a blog. You can blog your way to a job by commenting on issues in your industry and linking back to your blog when you post on other sites in your industry. As mentioned before, you leave digital footprints when you are social networking so setting up a blog can lead recruiters right to your virtual doorstep. If you are following companies on Twitter, you can blog about industry trends affecting the companies of interest in your job search and link back to your blog when you post on Twitter using HootSuite or Tweetdeck when you are engaged in multiple job search data stream simultaneously so that you maximize your social capital when you apply there.

So stay engaged and get connected and build your social capital from Day One. Join LinkedIn Groups and follow companies on Twitter and refresh your Profile and Status frequently and start blogging and commenting on issues and trends in your industry on other industry-related blogs and you’ll be amazed by the level of authority and social capital you’ll gain! Happy job hunting!

Reference: Steve Jobs by Steve Jobs
Reference: The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham (Author), Jason Zweig (Author), Warren E. Buffett (Collaborator). Best Seller!

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