Sarah Schachterle - HERLIFE Magazine

working women
Use Social Media To
Find Your Next Job
By Laura Wynn
Social Media websites have, without
doubt, increased our ability
to learn about local happenings,
become involved with local or national
groups having mutual interests, and has
even become a place to meet friends.
However, while developing and exposing
your online identity beware of who you
are portraying, as this may play a big role
in obtaining (or losing!) your next job!
Can virtual connections help you
land an IRL J.O.B.? Actually…yes. In addition
to recreational usage, job seekers
are learning about available employment
positions that are advertised exclusively
through “word of tweet,” so
to speak. With more than 500
million users on Facebook, 160
million on Twitter and 75 million
on LinkedIn, social media sites
have become a common avenue
for employers to reach out to fill
open positions, and for potential
employees to find jobs.
Combine those statistics
with a competitive job market
and the national unemployment rate
hovering at all-time highs, and we open
up to a new mandate for career-minded
men and women. Get a Facebook, Twitter
and LinkedIn account and learn how
to use it. Shea, a recent job seeker, was
excited to have landed a new position
as a senior web developer with a large
design firm. But if it wasn’t for his use of
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social media, he never would have heard
about the position. Like many jobs these
days, the opening was advertised solely
on social networking sites—specifically
Twitter and Facebook.
Shea had been actively using social
media, primarily Facebook and Twitter
to build his professional brand for nearly
three years. He credits Facebook for
the development of several freelance
opportunities, and Twitter for his new
position.
Shea and the owner of the firm
had actually connected on Twitter more
than a year before the job opening
Nearly 75 percent of
employers now use
social media in their
recruiting efforts.
existed. They began following each other
because of their shared professional
interests.
“When I started following [them] I
didn’t know I’d end up working there,”
says Shea. “I follow people because
they’re interesting, not because of an
opportunity, but because I want to read
what they have to say.” Social networking
tools are no longer considered a ‘maybe’
when it comes to job search. Online
profiles are a must-have for standing out,
building visibility and proving credibility.
“At least 50 percent of our landed
candidates are now using social media
as a critical part of being noticed, getting
introductions and leads for their next
position,” says Diane Crompton, a senior
career management consultant with
Right Management in Atlanta. Crompton
says more than 80 percent of people now
find jobs through networking, including
in-person and online. A recent survey
from Jobvite, a maker of recruiting
software, found that nearly 75
percent of employers now use
social media in their recruiting
efforts.
Shana Husk, Recruiting Specialist
with Workforce Partnership
in Overland Park, says she is
experiencing similar trends in
position fulfillment. “A majority
of the professionals using social
media, especially tools like
Linked In, are informed individuals
who are always looking to share their
thoughts and connections,” says Shana.
She strongly urges each of her job
seekers to become a member of the
LinkedIn community and start searching
for opportunities through that website,
even before using the most ‘typical’ job
boards out there. The ability to connect