Social Job Searching

Social networking sites are most promising to job hunters

A major trend over the past couple of years is the increasing use of social networking sites as an alternative to the major job sites. Experts say in-person networking is still the most effective way to find a job, but virtual networking is not far behind. One site, LinkedIn.com, combines social networking and job searching; you can build a professional network as well as search job listings on its site.

To get started, you create a LinkedIn account and post a personal profile, detailing your skills and experience. You can also upload your resume. Each profile includes an option to add contacts and recommendations from past and current colleagues and friends. You can search for jobs by keyword and location, or choose an advanced search option. LinkedIn searches its own listings as well as listings from SimplyHired.com to show you jobs that meet your criteria. It also shows you who in your extended network works for the company advertising a job you're interested in, so you have an inside connection. (Your network includes first-degree connections as well as second- and third-degree connections -- people who are connected to people you're directly connected to.)

LinkedIn.com has both iPhone and Blackberry apps, and integrates with Twitter so you can cross-post between the two platforms. The linkage also means that people on Twitter can access your LinkedIn profile. Mashable.com, a site that reports on social media, says in a 2009 review of social networking sites that LinkedIn "is by far the #1 spot for job seekers," with over 35 million users. According to About.com's job-search guide Alison Doyle, "If you're not on LinkedIn, you need to be."

Jobster.com is another site that combines advertising and recruiting services with social-networking and job search features. User profiles and employee reviews of corporations appear on the site along with resume posts and searchable job listings. You can add a video profile or resume as well as a link to your own website. One unique feature of Jobster is that the site tells you who posted a job, so you can connect with that person to find out more about it. Mashable.com calls Jobster "a powerful platform for networking with employers." Jobster was acquired by career management firm ZaPoint in April; the site will begin to implement new features in June.

Familiar applications like Facebook and Twitter can also be used to conduct a job search. You can use the Marketplace app on Facebook, where jobs are sometimes listed, and message the person who posted the job ad. Active networking on Facebook can also help you find a job. With Twitter, you can search for jobs -- there are Twitter job search engines like TwitterJobSearch.com -- and use the networking function as well. With TweetMyJobs.com, founded in 2009, you can get targeted jobs tweeted to you and tweet your resume, all at no charge. Experts say you should link your Twitter account to your LinkedIn profile, personal web page or blog, since Twitter profiles are rather skimpy.

While it didn't specifically start out as a job-hunt site, the online classifieds website Craigslist continues to grow as a jobs resource. Indeed, Craigslist boasts that its job boards have millions more daily page views than either Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com. Employers are able to post ads to Craigslist for free or at a nominal cost, in contrast to the hundreds of dollars the major job boards charge per ad. This makes Craigslist attractive to smaller employers and to those posting more esoteric jobs. The listings represent a good cross section of locally available opportunities categorized by industry, with the most recent postings listed first. There is also a keyword search engine with a few filtering options. Part-time and temporary jobs are listed separately under "gigs." Other career sites are blocked from gathering ads from Craigslist, so its postings generally won't show up on aggregator sites like SimplyHired.com or Indeed.com.

Job seekers may post resumes on Craigslist, but it's important to take privacy precautions since anyone can view what you post. Likewise, take precautions with responses, since anyone may pose as a representative from a company. Take the time to do your own follow-up work to make sure the offer is legitimate. All personal information other than an email address should be removed from your resume.