Neil Hernandez's Blog

Utilizing Social Media to Find a Job

With the explosion of social media on the scene in recent years, the methods of communication with others in the world we live in have completely changed. One of these methods is using social media as a tool for career success and advancement. Social media greatly enhances our ability to network with others, which is very important in any job search. Here are some ways to utilize social media to find a job:

• LinkedIn – This is the most popular site for posting your career profile. You can also view other individuals' profiles and connect and network with them. On LinkedIn, you can search for a company you may be interested in working for and connect with employees of that company. You can also email people on LinkedIn for recommendations in your job search. LinkedIn also now gives you the option of linking your blog or Twitter account with your LinkedIn profile.
• Twitter – While Twitter is best known for the rants and streams of celebritys' thoughts, it can also be a good social media tool to find a job. This is primarily due to it giving you the ability to network with people of similar interests. Connect with others for career advice, read bios of individuals of similar interests, and post your own bio for prospective employers to see. Twitter also has a new feature called Twellow, which is good for searching individuals' bios and URL links.
• Facebook – While Facebook is best used for connecting and interacting with friends, it can also be an effective networking tool for finding a job. Facebook has a feature in which you can list your interests with links to the respective interest area, which is good for connecting with people in a similar career field. Also, you can post "status updates" and let friends and family know about your job search. Many times they will leave comments and make suggestions or give you some needed moral support.

Perhaps you are interested in obtaining a college education or furthering your training to make yourself more marketable for a job. Check out some online classes for information on educational opportunities to help you achieve your career goals.

Sources

“The Guardian” (2012)

About.com (2012)

How to Find Resumes on Google

http://www.booleanblackbelt.com/2009/02/how-to-find-resumes-on-the-internet-with-google/

How to Approach a Passive Candidate on LinkedIn

One skill that a good recruiter must develop is recruiting passive candidates. One way to do this is to use LinkedIn. There are many ways to contact candidates on LInkedIn, but once you do the first moments of contact with them are crucial to the sucess of the encounter.

According to recruiting expert Lou Adler:

There are two prerequisites when using any of these techniques. First, you must get the candidate to agree to enter into an exploratory career discussion as a condition for beginning the conversation. Second, with this permission granted, give no more than a 20-second overview of the position, and then immediately ask the prospect to provide some preliminary background information.

The key then is to first ask the candidate permission to have an exploratory career discussion. This means to ask the candidate if they are even open to the idea of talking about their career. Once they say yes to that then give brief (no more than 20 seconds) overview of the position you are presenting to them. As soon after you do than, ask the prospect to provide some initial background information.

Why does Adler stress the importance of these two intial steps? Becuase it establishes you as the seller. ANd as the seller you can say no to a candidate and not the other way around.

Using LinkedIn Companies for Recruiting

I saw a company use LinkedIn for recruiting. One way to do it is by creating a company to LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/add/show

Using LinkedIn for Recruiting

There are many ways to use LinkedIn for recruiting. Here are some of them.

• Contact people via Inmail (but it costs an extra $200 or so to upgrade)
• Post ads
• Join groups
• Post ad ad via ebay classified and other sites and post it to Linkedin

It is important to develop a good reputation and word that you are a recruiter for a certain position.

Social Media Recruiting Tips

1) Post a job posting for free on ebay classified.

 

2) Share your ad on after it gets posted:

• 
• 
• 

The best guide to social media

Want to know the most upto date guide to social media today?

I found this blog post from Mashable called : Mashable's Guide to Social Media Guide for Small Businesses