Social Media - How candidates can use this to enhance their job search.

As a recruiter, I thought I'd offer my two cents in the job searching arena. If submitting your resume to the various job boards is not producing the number of responses you'd like, there are ways you can directly market yourself to the recruiters and/or employers of choice. With the advances in technological gadgets and the ease in accessibility to the Internet, social media is taking a strong hold in today's society as a popular means for social interaction, networking and communication. As such, several social media websites have seemingly become household names over night; Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook - to list a few. By utilizing each of the website's strengths, you can create/promote your own branding, increase your visibility, search for jobs, source for professional contacts and directly market yourself into your next dream job.

Many recruiters use social media as an avenue to market themselves, or their respective companies, as well as source for candidates. They also use it to share ideas and network with their peers and colleagues. By making a social branding of yourself, you'll be able to network with, or possibly gain direct access to those who are managing the various job openings at your companies of interest.

1) Linkedin.com is a business-oriented social networking website. Through Linkedin you can search and find inside connections to different companies of interest. If you haven't already done so, register for an account and begin to professionally brand yourself by creating your profile. Account registration is free. You can create a profile which lists your job history, accomplishments and/or highlight your unique skill sets. Provide key words that can be searchable to recruiters or hiring managers. Also, having colleagues recommend you will provide recruiters and hiring managers a quick reference on you. (Note: Unless you upgrade, you may not be able to directly contact a person unless he/she is within your connection.) You can also further your networking connections by joining professional groups and participating in discussions within Linkedin relating to similar interest, occupation, or industry. Conduct an advance search on title, company and/or location to help you identify a name or contact. Then message, or ask connections for an introduction, to help get your foot in the door. Being courteous and following up with a thank you email will help improve your number of correspondence, or referral, from the recruiter/hiring manager.

2) Facebook.com is a social networking website that allows users to connect to others as friends, send messages, and update their personal profiles which then notifies their friends (network) of the information. Users can create or join networks relating to their school, college, or work place. Several companies/businesses create a Facebook Fan Page. Users can can "like" a page and become part of that page's updates and advertisements. By writing on an organization's wall, you can increase your visibility to that organization. You can also view organization's friends list for networking opportunities.

3) Twitter.com is a social networking and microblogging site that allows users to send and read each others messages called tweets. The tweets are text based messages with up to 140 characters in length. Users are able to subscribe, or follow, other user's tweets. By searching Twitter for names, key words, or lists, and then selecting to follow users or tweets with similar interest, or those who are related to companies/industry of interests, you begin to create a valuable network. By tweeting on related issues, retweeting information, or replying to a tweet, you become more visible; other users will begin following you. This will help you in creating your own professional branding.

(Here's a helpful tip. Search "#socialrecruiting" and/or "#jobhuntchat" within Twitter. You can identify, network, and follow recruiters who may be able to aid you in your job search.)

Being highly visible on the Internet could be risky, but, by taking control in creating a good professional digital profile, which both reflects your personality and skill set, social media can be used to enhance your reach and visibility to your employer of choice. You'll find immense value in being able to connect to important contacts who would have been unapproachable before hand.

Good hunting and good day!