Using Facebook and LinkedIn In Your Job Search

When the economy gets tough job loss increases. This is because the fastest way for a struggling company to increase profits is to decrease costs, and paying employees is a cost. Layoffs go on the rise, and that means lots and lots of people left looking for a new job. The competition can be tough, and finding the right job for your skill set can be difficult as well. However, you can use social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to make your job search easier.

The internet in general is a good tool for anyone searching for a job. The internet provides several valuable resources for finding jobs, including job boards, resume builders, and articles full of useful tips for those looking for jobs, interviewing, and applying. However, one area many people neglect to consider in their job search is social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. At one point social networking sites were really only for teenagers, and the younger side of the online community. However, today, businesses owners, and an older crowd are recognizing their usefulness. Now, not only can you find individuals on social networking sites, but corporations, businesses, and business professionals.

It is the trend toward professional, as well as personal use that makes social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn such valuable resources in your job search. Both sites have strengths and weaknesses or pros and cons when it comes to being able to help you with a job search, but with the right understanding, you too can use these sites to help you land a job.

First, consider using more than one social networking site in your search for a job. Use both Facebook and LinkedIn. The reason you want to do this is that you will get yourself out to a wider audience that way. LinkedIn is seen as a more mature site, it draws an older crowd than Facebook. However, Facebook has a wider user base, and boasts millions of members. This can be extremely useful when looking for a job because it means more people who can see you are interested.

Second, consider the purpose of the network. Both of these are social networking sites, however LinkedIn was designed for professionals in order for them to exchange ideas, information, and opportunities. So, it is a site set up for things like finding jobs, and networking with professionals in your job field. However, Facebook, on the other hand can help you network socially, and use social connections to find jobs. They have a more general purpose which is to connect you with people around the world, but because of this they also have a wider user base. This too is going to be extremely useful in finding a job.

Third, consider how you can use the features and applications the sites offer to help your job search. The following is a look at some of the features these sites offer, and how they can help you in your job search:

LinkedIn:

Profile: this is a feature where you get to summarize your professional accomplishments. This can be used as a sort of ad for yourself that shows your qualifications. When looking for a job, this profile is like a mini-resume. If you have a large network you are essentially going to be able to show your resume to tons of people.

Email service: LinkedIn allows you to create a massive network, where you can essentially connect with everyone in your field that has a LinkedIn account, in addition to this, they offer you the ability to contact any other user of the site through the email service they offer. While they have some controls to help reduce spam, it does allow you the ability to contact people to see if they are interested in hiring or working with you.

Widgets: One of the cool thinks about LinkedIn is a widget on the site that allows you to impose your network over Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com so you can connect directly with people who are hiring for positions you are qualified for. This is an invaluable tool when it comes to searching for a job.

Degrees of separation: One of the functions this site offers is the ability to show your relationships with people through three degrees of separation. This is going to help you deepen your network, figure out what relationships you need to improve on, and establish connections with people online that you are already professionally connected to.

Discussion boards: this is an awesome application for anyone looking for job. On the site you can participate in discussions about things related to your field. This is a great opportunity to showcase your knowledge of a specific area, and to connect with other people interested in that area. It is also a great place to let others in your field know you are looking for a job.

Job board: LinkedIn has a job board where people looking to hire can post opportunities, and people looking for jobs can post resumes. This, again, gets you out to thousands, if not millions, of professionals in your field.

Facebook:

The Wall: Facebook is extremely useful when looking for a new job because through chat, messages, and the wall, you can communicate with people far easier than you can on many other social networks.

Email: One other awesome thing about Facebook is that because it is set up through email accounts, you can email any user on Facebook directly, whether they have added you as a contact or not. When searching for a job this is key because it gives you access to people you may not have had access to before.

Status: This is a thing where you can state what you are up to, and people can comment. This can be useful for finding a job because you can put, "Is looking for a new job, anyone heard of anything good?" and all of your network can see your status, and contribute to your search.

Customization: You can also customize your Facebook and develop custom applications that allow you to adapt your Facebook experience to your specific needs and expectations. You can add different applications, such as "We're Related", etc. There are applications that allow you to create business cards, to post messages, etc. You can customize your site to make it your own personal website where you can refer potential employers so they can learn more about you.

Blocking: One of the cool features about Facebook that can really help you in a job search is the ability to block certain people from seeing certain parts of your profile. For example, you can block current co-workers, or employers from seeing that you posted your resume on the job board, or that you are looking for a new position. In addition you can block your personal things like goofy photos of yourself from potential employers so that they only see your best side.

Blog integration: Facebook offers excellent blog integration and allows you to keep updated on both. In addition to that, they allow you to post links to your own websites, etc. This feature is better for sharing, and for getting your name, face, and skills out there, very useful when you are competing for a job. Facebook also integrates very well with Flickr and YouTube, which again just gives you more flexibility in how to find jobs, and how to post your pertinent information online.

Facebook also offers a huge user base. You are sure to find several hundred friends, and be able to network yourself out very well. The more people you know, and the more people you can make aware that you are in search of a job, the better the chance of getting one. Their huge user base is definitely an advantage as they have over 68 million users.

Fourth, know their drawbacks: It is going to do you little good to search for a job on Facebook and LinkedIn if you go about it the wrong way. For example, trying to use LinkedIn to send out a viral message is not nearly as effective as using Facebook. So, knowing their strengths and weaknesses is going to make finding a job far easier. Another example is that LinkedIn doesn't have the ability to connect or coordinate with blogs or similar sites and cannot be customized as much as other sites. This means if you have a really unique skill set, or have examples of your work on a blog somewhere, it is going to be better to try and get the word out using Facebook then it is to try and use LinkedIn. However, Facebook does place more limits on email then LinkedIn does, so if you were to send out a mass email, it would be more successful on LinkedIn. Facebook is also going to have a lot of social aspects that LinkedIn does not, meaning that if your only purpose in using the site is to find a job, then Facebook could be frustrating.

All in all, networking of any kind is going to be more of a benefit than a drawback when looking for a job because it gets the word out to more people, and helps you draw from a larger opportunity pool.