How Social Media Will Help Enhance Your Job Search

A new report has found that a growing number of job seekers are not just posting their resumes on job boards anymore, but also using social media to actively look for employment.

According to the 2012 Job Seeker Survey, 52% of all jobs seekers have used Facebook to find employment, regardless of whether they were already working. The survey also found that 38% of respondents have used LinkedIn in the past and 34% have used Twitter.

Online recruiter Dan Finnigan told Forbes that in today's challenging market, its more important than ever for people to be "well-rounded" job hunters.

"As social networking has become a core part of our cultural dynamic, we are continuing to see more and more job hunters taking advantage of a vertical they are comfortable with in order to find work," Finnegan told the news outlet. "We anticipated growth last year and the numbers do show that job hunters are expanding their presence on social sites. Simply put, social networks provide a way for job seekers to tap into a large pool of job opportunities easily."

And although the survey found that 1 in 6 job seekers credit social media with helping them find employment, as a candidate, you still must make sure you are using these sites to your best advantage.

Update constantly

Whether you use Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, you should use these boards to let friends and professional contacts know you are not only actively looking for work, but also to let them know exactly what type of job you are hoping to land. You should constantly use these boards to update your employment status, which may also help you hear about openings before other candidates.

Create robust profiles

Since a majority of recruiters and hiring managers will do a Google or other type of online search if they are interested in your resume, you need to make sure that potential employers can find up-to-date professional information about you when they look.

Gen Y Career Expert Lindsey Pollack, who is also the official spokesperson for LinkedIn, told the news source that job seekers should make sure they tweak their Facebook profiles to be more professional. She said that if a candidate has too much personal information, videos and photos on the popular site, they should make sure they utilize their privacy settings accordingly or simply remove irrelevant information during their job hunt.

Check your "KLOUT"

Pollack said that job seekers can check their on-line presence through the monitoring site KLOUT.

If you find your professional profile is not where you want it to be, Pollack suggested that you build your brand by sharing articles, posts, blogs and professional videos that may be relevant to your career and field of interest.

> 

A blog may also give you the opportunity to communicate with others in the online community who may be in a position to either hire you or recommend you for a job.

Use social media to research

In addition to using social media to increase your online professional profile, you can use a number of sites to conduct your own research about companies, hiring managers and current and past employees.

Digital strategist Alexis Grant suggested that job seekers look up a hiring manager on LinkedIn and Twitter before submitting a resume. She said that these type of sites are "goldmines of information" on individuals. Once you find out a bit more about a person who will be doing the hiring at a company, you can tailor your cover letter to meet their needs and requirements.

 Ali Trimze