Social Media and a Job Search

The advantages of using social media as a part of a job search include presenting oneself as an expert on a job related topic, networking with past and future employers, presenting a desired skill set, and having recommendations that can be viewed by potential employers.


The sites of greatest value in networking and demonstrating expertise are:
1. LinkedIn
2. Facebook
3. Twitter
4. YouTube

Personal blogs and websites can also be of great value during a job search, showing employers the skills that are relevant to companies.

The only disadvantage of using social media as a part of a job search is time. Once on social media sites, time seems to slip away. There must be a predetermined time limit each day to update and review social media sites.

In previewing the quality of a resume, I encourage job seekers to use www.rezscore.com to see how a resume scans. It is interesting to see what the scan picks up as keywords and what industries it selects for the resume according to the information in the resume. Give it a try.

It is most intriguing how the social media can be used in finding the right people to assist in a job search. I just heard about a student who got an internship because he tweeted the president of a company.

There are ways to find the key people, it just takes time to learn to most efficiently use the social media sites. Linked in is still my favorite, but they do like to constantly change the format, so just staying current with that one site is a challenge, but well worth it!

New Information on social media

I went to a meeting in January on social media marketing. I am continually amazed at the changes that are occurring thanks to the internet and the impact they are having in our personal lives and in the corporate world. The power Linkedin, Facebook, YouTube, blogs and Twitter is astounding.

Information on linkedin groups

This week I met with Charles Fleming who shared information on a webinar in which he participated on linkedin.com. He emphasized what I feel we are all realizing, the importance of digitally making a name for ourselves. He shared the importance of starting a group on linkedin and starting conversations as a part of the group. As I thought about this, I had to agree and thought what would be an interesting group to start. I have thought about a group for ward employment specialists to ask questions on technical assistance they may be asked to give a member of a congregation who is looking for employment. I am also considering a group to share the latest ideas on resumes. Time will tell.

Hello to all

I have started a blog as a part of becoming even more technology savvy. I have also joined Facebook and now am curious as to how to keep up with the information that will be coming in. The great part of Facebook is the renewing of friendships that for too many years have been neglected. I have been a part of linkedin.com for several years because of work and have some wonderful connections there, but they are work related.

I realize the importance of the digital image we leave and I am teaching this concept to people looking for work, so I realized I need to do what I teach.

As you follow this blog, I hope to share ideas I am learning about keeping skills current in today's workplace; hopefully, making us indispensible to an employer.