You’ve heard it all over the news and we have certainly talked about it here – social networking is a must for all job seekers. Hopefully by now you have a profile created on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and have been adding contacts or friends to your network. But as the old saying goes “there is strength in numbers.” What does this mean in terms of your social network and your search for a job? Read on to find out!
All social networking sites have groups, which I’m sure you have seen by now and have even joined a few such as your school’s alumni group or to show your support for a specific cause or organization. In addition to those kinds of groups there are also ones created for specific professions and fields of study. For example, LinkedIn has a group dedicated to Health Promotion Professionals and is a great place to network, discuss current trends and find out the latest happenings in the world of health promotion. Facebook has a Health Promotion group and you might also want to check out the Health Promotion Group on buzzable.com and Ning’s Health Promotion Network.
If it is an open group – headhunters can go in and look at individual profiles and it acts as a “one stop shop” for them. Social networking groups provide active job seekers with opportunities to expand their range of contacts. You can be introduced to your group members contacts and their contacts, and so on and so forth. As a general rule of thumb while it is okay to ask your social networking contacts for assistance; don’t ask them directly for a job. Even better? Offer them assistance first and be one step ahead in the world of social networking.
