Quick Guide to Networking and Job Searching on Facebook

Quick Guide to Networking and Job Searching on Facebook Quick Guide to Networking and Job Searching on Facebook 2When it comes to finding a job, Facebook might not be the first site that comes to mind. And why would it? It’s not exactly like job postings regularly bubble through the news feed between that cute cat video and that TMI post about an acquaintance’s recent battle with the flu. But if you’re not using Facebook in your job search, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity- thousands of  Americans have used Facebook to land the job of their dreams (or at least a job). Here are just a few ways you can use Facebook to your advantage throughout your job search. Heres a quick guide to networking and job search on Facebook: 1. Get your profile and settings ready to go If you’re going to use Facebook for professional purposes, it’s important you update your profile so that it’s as professional and illuminating to potential employers or recruiters as possible. A few things to look out for: Privacy Settings. When you’re really trying to balance the personal and professional aspects of your profile, it’s best to create a separate list for professional contacts and categorize them accordingly. This way, you can choose to limit their ability to see incriminating photos from that wild vacation or, say, that recent political rant, which may be unnecessarily alienating. Or, you knowjust stop posting that kind of stuff on Facebook. Keywords. The great thing about Facebook is that it can connect a thriving population of professionals, regardless of locale. But it can’t connect you with that recruiter from across the country if your profile doesn’t have industry or position-specific keywords. Do your research, and find the most relevant ones for you. If you are looking for a job in a specific locale, make sure you’ve added your city and state, too. About Me = Elevator Pitch. You don’t actually have to be in an elevator to give a great elevator pitch. Take the time to develop one of your own that succinctly describes what you do and how you do it, sprinkling in a few interesting and unique details to really make it pop. This will serve the function of fleshing out your About Me so that all of your contacts have a good sense of what you do, and it will also be convenient to have as you do more of a traditional search in parallel. 2. Learn What Networking Means in an Online Environment The great thing about Facebook is that it can get you one step closer to the kind of in-person relationship building that most often gets people jobs, and it can do this on a greater scale than you could ever get using only face to face routes. To really take advantage of all that Facebook has to offer, it’s best to use a complementary in-person and online networking approach. Update your status. In the pre-Facebook days, lighting up your network meant announcing to everyone you knew friends, colleagues, family, acquaintances that you were on the hunt, whether by phone, letter or a nice chat in the grocery store. While those methods still work just fine, it’s much easier and just as effective to broadcast the specifics of your hunt via status updates on Facebook. Don’t go overboard, of course, but the more you provide information or even humorous updates about your hunt, the more likely you will be to come to the top of a contact’s mind when something at their own work opens up. Join the right groups. From alumni groups to professional interest groups, take advantage of every network that’s remotely relevant to your hunt. In alumni groups, reach out directly to alumni who work at companies that interest you, and nurture the relationship. In professional groups, exchange insider tips, share your advice and monitor the feeds for jobs posted by community members. Remember to think beyond your immediate industry to complementary industries, too. Like influential people, pages, and companies. Not only will this keep you up to date with the latest job openings and news coming out of your industry or dream company, but you’ll also find yourself a helpful community on the site pages, allowing for more relationship building. What’s more, many influencers and influential groups also sponsor, organize, or speak at conferences or events, which you’ll want to attend for both educational and networking purposes. Merge the online and in-person. Job seekers that really use Facebook successfully will have a dual online and in-person strategy for relationship building. Start by commenting on other people’s comment threads on pages or boards, and reaching out to them directly to let them know what you do and how much you admire their work. When you’re both attending the same conference or networking event, you’ll have a much easier time connecting something you should then follow up with online post-event. 3. Know and Promote Your Brand When you get that classic question, “What would you say you do here exactly?” it’s important that you have all your selling points ready to go. Even better: establish your personal brand so well on Facebook ahead of time, no on even has to ask you that question. Choose a professional photo and stick with it throughout your search. Humans are visual creatures, and a recruiter will be more likely to pick your face out if they see the same photo crop up throughout their searches. Write your copy. Beyond just your elevator pitch, which will benefit from key, bulleted points, make sure the quotes in your profile represent you well. You also might consider developing a snappy, memorable headline for the beginning of your About Me page. Create a business page and establish your expertise. Not only is a business page a great way to keep your personal and professional life separate and to rank you high in non-Facebook search results, but it’s also an easy way to establish your professional expertise. Use the page’s notes feature to blog about industry relevant topics, and promote your pages with the help of a social media guide. 4. Use multiple approaches on one platform Just because you’re on Facebook, doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of outside sites and apps. In fact, the more the merrier! Take advantage of Facebook job apps. Whether it’s applying for positions on Jobvite  or networking on Branchout, use Facebook apps to simplify and centralize your search. Connect other social media sites. If you use Twitter and LinkedIn, have your professional updates and posts automatically post to your Facebook page, so you can take advantage of all that multiple platforms have to offer. With over 300 million active users on Facebook, there are few platforms with as much as potential for effective job-centric networking. So get that profile in order, research your keywords, and start job searching on Facebook! Todays guest post comes to us from Kyra Kuik. Kyra is a twenty something writer and blogger who works for a  creative internet marketing company  in Seattle, WA. You can connect with Kyra via  Twitter. Readers, what are you thoughts about job searching on Facebook? Have you tried it?