As I was preparing for a presentation I am giving next week, I was trying to find convincing reasons why you should use Facebook and how you should use Facebook for your job search. I also observed a presentation given by job seeking users on how to use Facebook.
What I took away from both of these experiences was, if you aren’t on Facebook already, it is just one more complex tool to learn and I would stick with learning the ins and outs of LinkedIn instead. However, if you are already using Facebook, and by the way, here is the breakdown by age of users in the US, you might as well leverage your connections there. There are an estimated 94,748,820 of you in the US.
So here are the Top 5 Ways to Use Facebook (if you are already on there)
- Let your friends know you are looking for work by sharing information in your status update
- Ask if any of your friends know someone within your target companies
- Find and “Like” pages of employers you are interested in working for so you can see what they are up to
- Investigate apps such as BranchOut which may make it easier for you to find connections to employers
- Build your personal brand
I am not convinced that Facebook is the best tool for job search. I wouldn’t rule it out, but I wouldn’t obsess over it either!
Have you had a success story using Facebook? Please, I would be interested to know!
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.