The holiday season is officially here! For many of us, that means making wish lists, to-do lists and finishing up a laundry list of tasks before we take a little time off before the upcoming New Year.
In the spirit of the season, we’ve put together a wrap up list of the very best social media tools, sites and applications for your job search. Over the last couple of months, we’ve covered this topic in a series of blogs. Now, we’ve organized a quick reference guide to all of the information you need:
Linkedin: This is the premier professional networking site. You probably already have a profile, but do you know how to drive up the likelihood that people will find you during a search? We’ve got some great tips for best practices to get noticed in the blogs Are you using Linkedin as a tool for your job search? How to get connected and Your Linkedin reputation matters.
Facebook: It’s informal, it’s social and it’s a major site for job seekers. Facebook can potentially expand your network by putting you within reach of friends, family, former schoolmates and other professionals in your field that might know of something that’s right for you. We discuss best practices for using the site professionally in the blog Using Facebook to connect with new employment opportunities.
Social graph searches: We’re going to go ahead and mention Facebook again, just because of the potential for job seekers to expand their network through this new site search function. It should be available to everyone by the beginning of the year. There are also other sites, such as InTheDoor.com and BranchOut.com, that you can use to search your database of friends to find more information to best use your network to connect with job openings.
Twitter: You can use it for a job search, connect with industry leaders and network with professionals in your field. Learn best practices for your job search in this Market Street Talent blog, and how to use the hash tags that matter to get you involved in the conversation here.
Mobile phone apps: If you want to stay connected during your job search, you’ll absolutely want to be receiving notifications of new job openings in real time. This list of apps will help you get started, and you’ll also find tips for using your phone to apply for jobs.
GitHub: Are you participating in the open community on GitHub? The site can act like a portfolio for your work, and is guaranteed to attract attention from the right people. Making a contribution to open projects also can create good will and expand your network. Read more at Tools of the trade: Are you showcasing your tech skills on GitHub?
Alternative job boards: We covered this topic in the post Using alternative job boards to pin down potential opportunities. There are a number of great technology job boards out there that will help you find openings that aren’t listed anywhere else.
Personal advertisements: There’s been a lot of talk recently about the need for people to create a personal brand. This strategy has worked for young professionals across different fields. If you’re considering using this strategy, you might want to think about taking out advertisements on Facebook, through Google AdWords, or by using Linkedin Ads.
Mock-ups: Dice.com is recommending that you develop a mock-up of your work to show to potential employers. The “magic” of a mock-up is that you have a convincing portfolio to show hiring managers and others in your professional network, as you make contacts through social media.
Multimedia presentations: Elance is reporting that 40 percent of young professionals are using social media to get jobs, according to this recent Mashable.com article. You can stand out from the crowd by developing your own Power Point presentation, QR codes, videos and creative websites to upload and promote through your social networks.
And don’t forget to stay connected to Market Street Talent! You can find reach out to us via our website, Twitter (@MarketSt_Talent), Linkedin and Facebook.