Using Social Media To Find A Job

Aug 17

Using Social Media To Find A Job

by Emily Harris
Category: Digital Influence, How-To

Finding a new job can be difficult and nerve-racking, especially in today’s economy. With 14.5 million Americans currently out of work and an unemployment rate of 9.4% and rising, how does one find career opportunities fast?

The old approach to a job search – developing a resume, writing a cover letter, submitting your resume to corporate sites and job banks, and crossing your fingers in hopes of receiving a call from a hiring manager – is, for the most part, no longer viable.

Most people know that the best way to find a job is through networking. You can go to networking meetings, tap into your own personal network, or ask friends who they know. Similarly, there are many ways to use social media in order to network, and eventually find a job.

At Ogilvy, we use social media (among other things) to recruit potential new hires – a recent twitter example: “@kaimac looking for a social media strategist in NYC, 3 to 5 years of exp, client facing, must be awesome, DM me for details pls” resulted in the hiring of our newest Digital Strategist in New York, Priya Kapoor.

Listed below are some useful tips in using social media to find your next job…

Blog, Blog, Blog

Blogging allows you to showcase your talents to potential employers – they see how you write, see what’s important to you, see who you are personally and even see examples of your work. All that, before they even meet you. It helps make you a real person versus a piece of paper resume.

Consider posting comments on other blogs – this gets your name out there even more, and if you write something interesting, it may catch the eye of a potential employer. Social media guru Chris Brogan suggests blogging on the types of jobs you want. For example, if I want a job at a specific company doing public relations, I can blog about ideas I have for them.

Be Proactive On Twitter

Twitter is evolving as another resource for both job searching and recruiting. By conducting Twitter searches, following recruiters on your account and using the “@” sign to communicate with them on occasion, you will start to learn a lot about them and their companies.

Before you follow anyone on Twitter, you HAVE TO have a completed profile. Make sure your profile has a short bio, the location where you’re from, a link to a site that recruiters can go to for more information (e.g. your blog or LinkedIn profile).

Mashable has a great recent post on how to find a job using twitter – includes tips on maximizing your page, as well as various search tools and resources to assist with your search.

Take Advantage Of LinkedIn

With more than 44 million members in over 200 countries around the world, recruiters are starting to use LinkedIn as the main place for sourcing candidates because it’s free, and the top professionals are on there.

If you don’t already have one, create a LinkedIn profile, import your address book, and start taking advantage of this tool. You want to complete your entire profile, just like you would a resume, but include the same bio/profile you are using on Twitter (see above) and ensure that the summary section is complete.

The majority of the site is completely free to use, with varying monthly plans for additional features and options. There is also a growing number of applications that users can add to their profile, such as RSS feeds from a personal blog, local events, local job postings, polls, and other useful tools.

Try to get at least one recommendation from a supervisor or friend, which will give you a “1″ next to a “thumbs up” graphic when people search for you.

Build A Social Media Resume

The problem with submitting your standard resume online to job postings is that most job postings aren’t even vacant, might not exist, and 80% of jobs offers are received through networking. Social media resumes are useful for attracting hiring managers directly to you, without you having to submit your resume, blindly, to them.

Social media resumes include various multimedia elements, sharing options, integrated social networking feeds and the same elements you’d find in a traditional resume – for an example, check out personal branding expert, Dan Schawbel’s social media resume.

There are several websites to get you started, both free and paid. Bravenet.com is a free solution with many different tools, such as a polling feature and guest book to help you get started. Bluehost or Godaddy are a few paid options to host and build your website.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 7:22 pm and is filed under Digital Influence, How-To. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

32 COMMENTS
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32 Responses to “Using Social Media To Find A Job”

Tips for saving money? | Best Family Resources Says:
August 17th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
[...] Using Social Media To Find A Job [...]
Sonny Gill Says:
August 17th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Amen to this post. All of these points are so very important in building your ‘digital footprint’ (notably, before you’re in a situation to find a job) and expanding the reach you have over this super-competitive market. I’ve taken heed to these methods prior and now, as I’m currently on the job hunt.

I’m definitely confident my work online will equate to me landing an amazing role that I’ll be happy with - but without it, I might as well flounder with my word doc resume like the majority on the hunt.

Great reminders for everyone.
Joan Schramm Says:
August 18th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Networking, networking, networking — that’s the key to s auccessful job search any time, and most especially now. I tell my clients, if they’re not willing to involve themselves in social networking as part of their job search they might as well stay home with their head under the covers. It’s that important.

Thanks for making such great points!
Four Sources of Bottomless Unemployment Insurance Says:
August 18th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
[...] Interested in a more prescriptive approach? Try the Ogilvy PR team’s post on using social media to find a job. [...]
Dan S. Says:
August 18th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
I found my latest job by connecting with an old friend on Facebook - the value of social networking is really showing it’s face during these hard economic times. I was laid off, then hired 10 minutes later - no time wasted filling out applications, just shot my group of friends a message and was employed. Great article!

-Dan of
Public Relations Los Angeles News
Do you have to be a college graduate to become a court stenographer in NY? | Web Design Los Angeles Says:
August 18th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
[...] Using Social Media To Find A Job [...]
Ian Sohn Says:
August 19th, 2009 at 6:11 am
Good stuff, Emily. One thing to add … I think one of the big things some people might not understand is that by putting out more smart, insightful and useful content on the social web, the better the search rankings are for your name.

Google yourself - like the results? If not, there actually is something you can do about it.

Again, great post. Hope to see you soon in NYC.
Nick Schmidt Says:
August 20th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I have been using this same approach for a while to find jobs and clients.

However, I have become successful in finding jobs to do online video editing, but I would like to get more involved in Marketing & Advertising.

I’m going to be looking for jobs soon and using your tips described above because I already high invovled.

One point I would like to mention is that you become friends with your contacts. Don’t just ask the person to add you as a friend on facebook.

Actually get to know them and interact with them and look at their websites and project.

If only it was a easy as @Dan S’s comment. Wow! Congrats on finding a new job that quickly!
Taking Job Searches into Your Control « Patrick Relations Says:
August 25th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
[...] Ogilvy, JobSpice Categories: PR, PR Jobs Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Leave a comment Trackback [...]
Gaseste-ti un job prin social media | pr365.ro Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 2:00 am
[...] de genul acesta. Într-un articol despre folosirea “social media” pentru a-ţi găsi un job, Emily Harris aminteşte faptul că sunt 14.5 milioane de oameni fără loc de muncă în America iar rata de [...]
Chris Geten Says:
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:07 pm
I can confirm this article. I work in the unemployment office representing a local community college and Networking is huge and how most get back into the workforce.
nezza Says:
December 8th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Thanks for your informations

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Patrick Johnson » Taking Job Searches into Your Control Says:
December 16th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
[...] Ogilvy, JobSpice [...]
Milestone Search Says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:43 am
Social Media and you – Will it help find a better job……..

Of late, there has been significant hype regarding social media and its use within the recruitment industry. So much so, that some of the larger businesses (internally thought of as the McDonald’s of the recruitment world), are actively creating …
tom Says:
March 19th, 2010 at 8:26 am
Thanks for all of the great information! I believe you have to be creative and stimulating in order to put yourself on the market and show others what you can do. I have been using a website called http://www.careersuccessions.com that provides tools to make future candidates for employment stand out of the crowd. The site offers career consultants, job hunting tips, and career advancement. Good luck!
Spotlight Ideas » Top 100+ Blog Articles on Career / Job Advice Says:
May 12th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
[...] Using Social Media To Find A Job - Ogilvy PR - Aug ‘09 [...]
Do Says:
June 4th, 2010 at 6:18 am
I think it is important to be present and have a professional profiles on several social networking platforms: not only LinkedIn, but also for example Viadeo or BraveNewTalent.com for the UK
Nic Says:
June 24th, 2010 at 5:26 am
Good advice. Personally, I’d like to see the media report on some of these methods, same for University careers advice. Instead of saying that it’s one long bath of acid for graduates, they might try acknowledging that traditional methods of finding graduate jobs are not always the most effective and certainly aren’t the only way of going about a job search. Social media is here to stay and it’s a bit daft to ignore it.
Outsourcing Providers Philippines Says:
June 30th, 2010 at 5:31 am
I just got a job offer thanks to Facebook. I graduated back in December and applied for dozens of positions at several different companies. I had heard NOTHING back from any of them, barring one who scheduled an interview and never gave me an offer. I posted that I was on the job hunt and was getting frustrated with the lack of progress. An old friend from college saw that post and told me to call him. He asked for my resume, which he showed his boss the next day. I got an interview AND a job offer THAT DAY! Less than 24 hours and I went from no leads to an active job offer with a great salary.

My advice: If you’re on the hunt for your first job, post it on facebook! You never know what old friend may be working at a great company who happens to be hiring. Nothing beats having a job practically handed to you by a friend!
Steve of St Louis Sales Jobs Says:
July 24th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
I need to use more social media and the like moving forward in finding qualified applicants for our business.

I think it works to the advantage of both the job seeker and the job giver. Getting your name out there will eventually provide that word of mouth and in the end finding a right fit for both parties.
Harrison Barnes Says:
July 25th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
I have seen so many people get jobs lately using Facebook and other social networking sites - because we can connect with friends and others who recommend us. It is much easier to get a job, make friends and so all sorts of things when we are recommended by others. An “endorsement” or recommendation goes a long way to getting doors opened and things accomplished. No matter how poised and professional you are in person, if you cannot get good endorsements from others you typically are going to have a very difficult time when it comes to finding jobs. People who are recommended by others typically have a much easier time getting jobs.
Cori Says:
July 25th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Thanks for the post Emily, there is a lot of great information. I have been in the recruiting industry for over 11 years and do a lot of my recruiting through social and professional media. I have written a few tips about them as well at my blog http://www.jobsearchingstrategies.com

Social media is definitely a great resource for job searching.

Cori
cori@1on1careerhelp.com
Sybil Goldberg Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 4:37 am
Hi Emily,
I just saw your post and I believe the information is more true than ever. One of the other comments related to colleges/career centers not being more tuned into the advantages of social media is right on target also. As usual, our schools are bringing up the rear in current technologies — thus leaving the graduates to learn how to use social media for job search on their own. Good article and resources. As an owner of an Executive Search firm, we usually don’t work with college grads (not enough experience for our clients) but do try to help them by having them set up their own personal career portal at http://www.spectracareer.com.
Jobs in Manchester Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 5:18 am
We’re big users of both Twitter and Linked in to source relevant candidates for our clients who advertise their roles on http://www.Jobs4Manchester.co.uk. We find that even the local recruitment market is being enhanced by social networks and results are better and more targeted by using these techniques.
Jarrod Says:
July 28th, 2010 at 8:30 am
The social media channels are really starting to have an impact on recruitment at all levels. We run an Executive Search firm located in Perth, Executive Headhunters, we source the top talent nationally and internationally, you can see us at http://www.executiveheadhunters.com.au .
Ric Old Says:
July 28th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Hi Emily,
Don’t forget that U can make money with blogging if U can get page rank. It takes time and knowledge but it is something anyone can do.
Resumes Says:
July 29th, 2010 at 5:29 am
Great article,social networks can be a very efficient place to recruit potential new employees. But people should be aware with wath they place on social networks. Some funny pictures or quotes can give the wrong idea to a potential employer. What is placed on the net can’t be easily removed.
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August 2nd, 2010 at 11:56 am
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Nick The Job Search Guy Says:
August 5th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
If you plan on landing a good job these days, you better be ready to get out there and network yourself and using all the resources on the internet to your advantage is a must.
Mary deals with invoice factoring Says:
August 11th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Social networking can really help a lot especially in application process. Get the advantage of using the internet ……………
Phil H Says:
August 14th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
As technology advances so will job searching on social media sites. More and more companies are beginning to find that what is now being called “creative” ways to recruit(social media sites)will shortly be the new “norm”. A word of caution:Be careful what you have on your site if you are looking for work. Not all employers need to know what you did on your last birthday!
SpeedThrough Marketing Says:
August 22nd, 2010 at 2:02 am
interesting take on Social Media and using it for leavege in getting a job. thanks for the great tips!