@SeekingSFJob

Professional Networking: LinkedIn & Twitter (Yes), Instagram (Friends), Google+ (Anybody There?), Facebook (No, Friends Only)

Over the last few months, I’ve been trying out social media as a way to find my next gig. By far, I’ve seen the most success from LinkedIn and Twitter, followed by Instagram (limited use, but helpful), and probably the least useful has been Facebook and Google+ (but for different reasons; I’ll get to that later).

If you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re doing it wrong—period.

LinkedIn is the most underrated social network. LinkedIn was built on the idea of professional networking, personal branding, and finding your next job. If you’re not on LinkedIn and you’re looking for your next job… actually not even if you’re looking for your next job… if you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re doing it wrong—period. You could skip Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but you NEED a LinkedIn profile. Employers (new and current) love it and it’s fantastic personal branding. If you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing connecting with past, present, and future coworkers, the amazing LinkedIn today articles, job postings, and groups. I’ve learned so much from LinkedIn and using the service has netted me more job leads than all other social networks combined. If you’re not on LinkedIn, GO THERE RIGHT NOW.

Twitter can be an incredibly engaging, thoughtful, and interesting social network as long as you take the time to follow and engage the right users.

I love Twitter! And I like that I can have multiple accounts—this keeps my account security dead simple. I have a personal account (locked down to close friends only, similar to Facebook), professional account (public and connected to my LinkedIn/Google+ accounts), and a job seeking account (public, of course). I have connected with recruiters on Twitter and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’ve found job leads and discovered some excellent tips and articles. Twitter can be an incredibly engaging, thoughtful, and interesting social network as long as you take the time to follow and engage the right users—what you get out of Twitter is ultimately up to you.

Nobody wants to start over without a few friends.

Instagram, like Twitter, can be an engaging social media platform when given the chance and I’ve now met a few San Franciscan Instagram users in real life and have begun real friendships. This will truly benefit me when I move to SF—nobody wants to start over without a few friends!

Facebook is for friends, not employers.

In my opinion, using Facebook to find your next job is a bad choice, unless you have friends or mutual friends that may be able to refer you or already work somewhere you’re applying. I truly believe that Facebook is for friends, not employers. If you’re going to try and use Facebook as a job hunting tool, utilize Facebook groups (and use them correctly). Put all professional contacts in one group and only post appropriate content to that group. Hide all other wall posts from your professional group and be mindful of photos you have posted. Consider turning on approvals for all external wall posts and tags. Don’t let your professional contacts see your location if you’re traveling for a job interview and don’t post about interviews. I think that Facebook is a great way to find mutual friends in other cities if you’re moving, but there is so much setup involved in configuring your security and maintaining it that looking for a job on Facebook seems wholly unproductive.

I just can’t take Google+ seriously.

When Google+ launched, I was so excited! Finally, there was a competitor to Facebook and it used Circles! I was giddy with the concept of creating several small networks for targeted posts! I even tagged all of my friends on Facebook with an invite link asking them to join, but nobody ended up really using the service. Other than a few +1’s here or there (Google’s version of “Like”), I’ve had hardly any interaction on my Google+ account. What I really always want from Google is the ability to automatically aggregate all of my social networks (hello, hachi!) into one interface and the ability to selectively cross-post updates. In its current form, I just can’t take Google+ seriously, so I’ve started using Twoogle+ to post from my professional Twitter account to my public Google+ feed. This gives me good coverage and allows anyone to follow me on their network of choice.

(Source: geek.com)

Need help? Ask for it.

Still on the hunt for a job and my job search hasn’t been as “social” as I’d like it to be, although I do scour Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networks for leads.

I’m still looking for leads on SF-based Associate Product Manager, Product Manager, Analyst, and similar roles.

More info about me on my About page, follow me on Twitter @SeekingSFJob, and View My Résumé.

I think I’ll just try asking for help on Twitter. Maybe I can score a few RTs?

(Source: instagr.am)

Finding a job with social media: Can it be done?

Hello! I’m an east coast IT consultant looking to move to the SF Bay area.

I thought I’d try a grand experiment—could I find my next job using social media?

I think I can!

I created a new Twitter account, @SeekingSFJob, and I’ll be using it to network, share, and hopefully find my next job!

A few things I’m already noticing:

• Twitter is great for searching for jobs! Searching for the location and the job title returns tons of results!
• Using the Favorites button in Twitter is a great way to bookmark job tweets. Whether it’s a direct link to a job opportunity or a job-related article I want to read later, using favorites is a great way to follow-up on opportunities.
• Recruiters, companies, and individuals are active on Twitter and want to share with you! I’m learning a lot by searching Twitter and discovering new users to follow, like this tweet I found with a tip on improving phone interviews.