How to Use Facebook for Your Job Search

Last week, I reported on an experiment that Willy Franzen, from One Day, One Job conducted with new college grads who posted ads on Facebook advertising their interest in working in specific industries.

The technique is bold, a bit different and did result in some networking opportunities for the 20-somethings who participated. However, the fact is, advertising a job search on Facebook isn’t a strategy for every job seeker, as you run the risk of looking a bit desperate, which isn’t exactly the persona most hiring managers seek.

So, is Facebook useless for your job hunt? Absolutely not! Networking is the #1 way people find jobs, and, contrary to popular belief, not all of those networking connections are the result of “close connections” – such as your brother-in-law hiring your next-door neighbor. In reality, making connections in a variety of settings will help propel your search.

In fact, the New York Times recently published an article, The Brave New World of Digital Intimacy, which emphasizes the importance of expanding your network beyond your immediate circle:

This rapid growth of weak ties can be a very good thing. Sociologists have long found that “weak ties” greatly expand your ability to solve problems. For example, if you’re looking for a job and ask your friends, they won’t be much help; they’re too similar to you, and thus probably won’t have any leads that you don’t already have yourself. Remote acquaintances will be much more useful, because they’re farther afield, yet still socially intimate enough to want to help you out.

This idea is also proven in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, an excellent read for those interested in being connected!

Facebook offers many opportunities for connecting and expanding your network. Phil Rosenberg recently suggested the following ideas to use Facebook groups to expand your network:

Post the right message:
Commenting and posting links to industry articles in the spirit of sharing shows you as a giver and an expert at the same time. Make sure that the article or message is relevant to the group.

Start the conversation:
Brag. If you’re creative, write about successful projects you’ve been involved in (you may not be able to include the company name if you can’t disclose). Again, this is sharing with the audience, and is both appreciated, and demonstrates your expertise.

Continue the conversation:
Comment on posts that others have started. Include more ideas than just “I agree”.

Include links:
Sign your post or comment with your signature block with live links to your Facebook, LinkedIN, personal Blog, personal webpage, etc. Why? Links get you Google and Yahoo rankings.

So, while you may not be a 20-something willing to advertise your job hunt, don’t discount Facebook as a place to propel your job search!

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Facebook May Propel Your Job Search Networking

Willy Franzen, from One Day, One Job, “an insider’s guide to unique and exciting entry-level job and career opportunities for recent college graduates,” recently ran an experiment with new college grads to see if posting ads about their desire to work in certain companies (Disney, Sprint) or certain fields (publishing, entry-level) could propel their job searches to the next level.

Although none of the 5 new grads who participated in the experiment landed a job as a result of their ads, they did have some interesting results. Willy notes some key takeaways:

1. The most successful students were those who targeted a single company with a very specific ad that mentioned the company’s name in the text.

2. Targeting by location draws too many extraneous clicks and seems to have a low return on investment.

3. Spending more on ads leads to more responses.

4. This method is best suited for targeting larger employers with significant populations of Facebook users.

So, should everyone advertise their job search on Facebook? I don’t think so, but I think there is a lot of potential for expanding your network as a new or recent college grad. For a more senior person seeking an opportunity, I think it may border on seeming desperate!

Some other important points…
Consider this type of marketing as part of your networking plan. I believe the best way to approach this is to hope to make connections who may be willing to help you with your job hunt.

Spend some time sprucing up the site where potential connections will wind up when they click through your ad. If that site is your linkedin profile, optimize it before you set up a campaign. If that site is your blog, make sure the blog is up-to-date and current and would appeal to your target audience.

Willy also notes (and I agree) that sealing the deal is key in this strategy. Just because you have an ad and people click through to learn more about you doesn’t mean that you will get a job. Your follow-up and ability to demonstrate why you are a great networking link (and a great hire) depends on how you manage the follow-through.

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you!

Need help with your hunt? Did you know we offer a resume consulting service? We advise, you write! Or, hire us to write your resume for you. Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

Nostalgia Leads to Networking

If you’re a regular reader, you’ve noticed a pattern to this week’s posts. I’m feeling kind of nostalgic…remembering my college days, which makes me think back to high school.

My family moved away from my home town in the suburbs of Chicago when I went to college. Moving so far away, it was hard to keep in touch with any but my very closest friends from that time. (I know this probably seems a foreign concept to students today, but this was before social networking and Web 2.0. Think actually PAYING for long distance calls – made while tethered to a phone with a cord – and needing to mail letters!)

This nostalgia led to a little flurry of activity in my FaceBook account, which leads to me today’s post. Randomly (it seems), I’ve all of the sudden been compelled to spend time “friending” neighbors from my home town, classmates and even more distant aquaintances from high school. (Being more of a linkedin kind of gal, I admit to not spending a lot of time pursuing FaceBook connections in the past.)

We exchange a note, maybe post something on our “walls,” view photos…There’s no long-term investment of time or energy to touch base, and it is comforting to know that maybe I won’t lose track of these old friends again.

I like that this group of people who share a bond with me, albeit distant, is out there. I know that I’d be happy to help or support any of them if I could, and I think they would do the same for me.

L

No, these weren’t my classmates, but it is my high school!

Luckily, I am not in this flurry of networking activity because I “need” something from any of these contacts. (It’s really more of a nostalgia thing.)…Which leads me to connect this post to a relevant career topic!

With prices going up and salaries going down (and some jobs becoming fewer and further between)….

NOW is the time to enhance, re-build or create your network.

Networking is about relationships…Most of us have relationships that we’ve let fall by the wayside. Maybe a little revival isn’t a bad idea.

Using social networks – which may or may not lead to offline meetings – there’s no specific time committment, no small talk (really), no “what do I wear to go to that event.” Reaching out is as easy as a click of the mouse, some exchanged emails and touching base once in a while. FaceBook gives you everyone in your networks’ birthdate – consider sending a note to remember their special day.

Baby steps to online networking are okay – find some “friends,” see if there may be some potential revived relationships and nurture them.

Stay tuned for more on FaceBook for job hunting…

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