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How Social Media Can Help Land a Job

By: Paul Suess | 05/24/2010

As my internship at Standing Partnership rapidly comes to an end on May 28, I must be on the hunt for permanent employment. Times are tough and you have to get creative. The traditional ways of searching and applying to positions still have some validity but there are other effective channels at your disposal. I am, by no means, an expert on the subject but after reading countless articles, and adopting a lot of methods out there, I can say without hesitation that social media can be a helpful aid.

Searching in the Sunday classified section of the newspaper has gone by the wayside, and while services such as Monster.com or Craigslist can lead to some prospects, they are not the only method of job hunting. Many smaller P.R. and advertising agencies, such as Scorch Agency and 4orce use Twitter accounts very effectively. With limited budgets, many companies (large and small) are relying on the power of social media to find and attract talent. Many larger companies now have human resources Twitter feeds, updating job openings as they arise, and essentially, bring the jobs to you!

I find notable people in fields I'm interested in, follow them, and see who they are following. Start in one area and begin to circle outward, discovering new companies, opportunities and people you normally wouldn't. This discovery phase will also help build a foundation of people and organizations you may want to look into; many times I find positions that were never on my radar. 

I use Twitter primarily as a tool to connect with others. As such, I am always looking for ways to share something of value. Don't just tweet for the sake of tweeting, do it smartly. Start sharing useful knowledge and have solid retweets. Giving quality insights into an array of topics will help build your credibility and provide a good base of followers. I've been told to have an average of three retweets for every tweet you make.

What are some of the unwritten rules you follow when using Twitter? What success stories have you experienced/heard about with people landing jobs through Twitter?

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