Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Can Lead to Jobs
Oct. 21, 2009
Joseph Lindberg and Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
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A murky economy has local job seekers using any and all tools at their disposal to find employment and get an edge over the competition.
Online social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn have meant salvation for a growing number of unemployed people. Old ways of finding work, such as mass-mailing physical resumes and combing newspaper ads, have been replaced with Internet-based, increasingly interactive methods.
Social networks are, well, social. And being on them can be crucial for finding those who can hire you or point you in the right direction, and for standing out from the crowd.
As part of the Watchdog: Your Next Job project, the Pioneer Press is examining unemployment and retraining issues. Today's story looks at how young and not-so-young job-seekers are using social media and how employers are responding.
Brent Vaughn, 40, was desperate for employment after getting laid off from his distribution-supervisor job earlier this year and having to move in with his parents when his marriage fell apart.
The suburban Nashville, Tenn., resident had little experience with social networks, but his sister happened to be on Facebook one day and suggested he join the service to broaden his network of potential job contacts.
Days after signing on to the service, a Facebook friend referred him to a company that was looking for a business manager. Within two weeks, he had an interview, and not long afterward he was hired.
"Every time I tell someone I found a job through Facebook, they are amazed," said Vaughn, who can hardly believe it himself. "I was basically a rookie at it."
LinkedIn, a social network with a more-professional bent than the casual Facebook, was a godsend for Cate Phillips, 30, now the vice president of sales and marketing for a Milwaukee, Wis., technology company.
"The only reason I have my current job is because of LinkedIn," she said. "I used no other tool, and I did not reach out to anyone in any other way."
On LinkedIn, she did little more than change her employment status and reach out to fellow users for recommendations. She was soon getting help from friends, former co-workers and even one person she didn't know. She was out on a half dozen interviews almost immediately and had her current job within two months.
Meghan Paul, a senior at the University of Minnesota who hopes to work in public relations, used Twitter to follow up on a recent informational interview.
Afterward, she followed up with a short message to the employer's Twitter page. Soon after, she was invited back for a formal interview.
Ryan May, 33, has been active in social media for more than six years. He landed his job as vice president at Risdall McKinney Public Relations in New Brighton through LinkedIn. He also operates a Twitter account and the Minnesota Public Relations blog that posts jobs every week.
He said LinkedIn played a significant role in keeping him connected with the people who would eventually offer him a job.
"Social media allow you to promote yourself as a good employee and a possible asset to a company," he said. "Whatever tools you have at your disposal you should use to the best of your ability."
But he warned that social networking needs to be done carefully and strategically: "Facebook and MySpace are easy to botch up, because you can get caught on (those) doing something you shouldn't be doing."
Social networks can be useful for finding contract or freelance work, as well.
Dave Yankowiak, a self-employed Web developer based in Grand Rapids, Minn., relies on networks such as LinkedIn and Twitter to track down his freelance gigs. His favorite trick: Continually searching Twitter for the phrase "Web developer."
Earlier this year, when a company griped on Twitter about a less-than-reliable developer, Yankowiak swooped in and offered his services.
"They were impressed that a complete stranger would be more responsive than their own vendor and, by the end of the day, made the decision to switch to me as their primary developer," said Yankowiak, 32. "They have become one of my best clients this year, all because I responded to a simple statement on Twitter."
Employers, too, are taking notice of the increased job-related social media activity. Ninety-four percent of companies will continue to expand their online presence in social media, according to a recent survey of more than 400 companies conducted by Beeline Labs and the Society for New Communications Research.
One place job-seekers may want to look: the government. Despite the grim overall economic picture, local and federal government job growth is exploding. As baby boomers retire, federal agencies are scrambling to fill positions. More than 550,000 federal employees are retiring over the next five years, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Additionally, the Obama administration is hiring 270,000 workers by 2012 for jobs critical to his agenda, according to a report by the Partnership for Public Service.
Local government is not far behind, expecting a 7.7 percent increase in jobs nationwide over the next six years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In response, the federal government has expanded its presence on Facebook as a way to potentially attract younger workers. For example, the National Security Agency's Facebook page has more than 2,200 followers.
"It is important for us, as an employer searching for top talent, to be accessible in the venues where our future employees communicate and discuss opportunities," said a statement from the NSA recruiting department. "Facebook gives us that opportunity."
Source: Copyright (c) 2009, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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