facebookThe way employers find qualified candidates has been drastically revolutionized by the internet and social media over the past 5-7 years. Ads placed in a newspaper are no longer a pertinent way to search for a job. The internet certainly increased the range of ads but the numbers stayed relevantly the same until social media changed the whole playing field and became an amazing way for recruiters to tap into social groups comprised of their target demographic.

We’ve talked about using LinkedIn to search for a job but let’s not rule out Facebook. The world’s most popular social media site can provide your best access to companies looking for your specific talents. Especially Facebook groups that are specific to your career and following company pages for the industry leaders in your area. Joining a professional group on Facebook will provide insight about industry trends and hiring periods that might not be obvious to other people.

Because social media has become a popular source, businesses now simultaneously release job openings onto all of their social pages when they become available – including Facebook.

Note: Make sure that if you are going to use Facebook to help you search for jobs and get leads, that your personal page reflects you as a professional, not as the party bro from UT! Job recruiters need to see you as a potential job candidate! A great way to do this is to create a public and a private Facebook account. Your friends and family have access to the private account so that you can interact with them on a personal basis and any job recruiters searching for you will only see the professional profile.

Don’t overlook other online sources for job searching, like industry leading blogs. These blogs keep you informed on changing trends, major company events (such as job fairs or “get to know us” networking events) and openings in their company that might present the perfect job opportunity. They are also a great way to anticipate what will happen with your future employer. You should also join their mailing list to stay one-step-ahead, just make sure their emails don’t wind up in your spam account!

Because social media has become one of the most effective recruiting tools for employers, if you learn how to navigate the finer points of these platforms, you will definitely have a serious advantage over the competition searching for the same job!