Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Social Networking is one of the newest and most successful ways to find employment. Social networking sites are designed to allow individuals to share information, ideas, activities/events, and interests with others in their network. Members can also stay up to date with current job openings, discussions, open forums, and more. Individuals can use these sites to reach out to hundreds of people and discover potential job opportunities. Having an online presence is important for a job search because you can showcase your skills, experience, and grow your job search network.
What is Facebook?
Facebook is a social media resource that helps people communicate with their friends, family, and coworkers. Individuals can create profiles, add photos, list personal interests, and include contact information in their profile. Facebook allows the sharing of information through social connections. People can also join interest groups and “like” pages to stay informed on current job leads and news in their group or industry. Joining Facebook is free, so sign up today!
Tips for job searching on Facebook:
- Be careful of what you post! Do not post anything you would not want a current or future employer to see.
- Tell others you are looking for work. Let them know what you are looking for including the industry, location, and job title.
- Remove photos that portray you in a negative way.
- Manage your privacy settings to make sure only friends can see your posts, photos, religious and political views, etc.
- Remove offensive comments posted by your friends.
To receive a list of Troy’s job openings on Facebook, go to Facebook, sign in, and search for Troy Michigan Works. Once you are on our page, click on the “Like” button at the top, and you will receive our job leads and other updates on your Facebook page.
What is Twitter?
In a nutshell, Twitter is a messaging service and a way for one person or organization to communicate with others in 140-character blasts. Think of texting only over the Internet for anyone to see. You can send out messages, on whatever subject you like, to anyone who chooses to “follow” you. At the same time, you can “follow” others (friends, family members, Troy Michigan Works!) and read what they are “tweeting”. Twitter is free and will not fill your inbox with spam. So why not give it a try?
Tips for job searching on Twitter:
- Put your “elevator speech” in the Bio section of your profile.
- Use a professional picture or avatar.
- Use tools, like VisualCV, to create a link to your online resume.
- Follow experts in your industry. Find twitter users by using Twellow.
- Tweet about industry topics, tips, advice, etc. to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
- Conduct targeted searches for jobs and industry keywords and include them to your Twitter feed.
To receive a list of Troy’s job openings on Twitter, go to Twitter, sign in, search for TroyMIWorks and then click “follow”.
What is LinkedIn?
Individuals use LinkedIn to connect with past colleagues, friends, and classmates for the purpose of making business related connections. Basic subscription is free!
Tips on how to job search on LinkedIn:
- Add your URL to your resume to entice employers to take a look at your profile.
- Spend some time writing a summary of your career.
- Use LinkedIn's "skills" link to help you find key words to include in your profile.
- Get recommendations of your work! Recommendations can be extremely helpful because recruiters do read them.
- Stay active! Update your status often. Share and comment on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree connections. Start or participate in group discussions. Answer questions on "LinkedIn Answers" several times a week.
Join our "Troy Michigan Works" LinkedIn group to receive tips on effective job searching and to participate in discussions with our staff and other job seekers.
Looking for more connections to network with? See Wikipedia’s List of Social Networking Websites.