Thursday, August 6, 2009

Social Network To Your Next Job

In this market, social marketing is crucial. Especially for those starting out on their own or in a job search.

It's been said, "it's not what you know but who you know." I've also been told that over 70% of all jobs are found through a personal referral. Networking through friends, family, groups, clubs are great ways to get outside what we know to what everyone else knows. Now, the social accelerate the process and give even more power.

Personally, as I've needed to find new options, I've turned to all of my friends and family for their contacts. My brother-in-law has a database of over 2,000 people in his LinkedIn account. What an amazing resource.

Here are my top social networking rules for using social networking to find contacts:
1. Contact everyone! You don't know who they know.
2. Get recommended on LinkedIn. It'll build trust in employers. It'll build self-confidence for you.
3. Take advantage of every part of your profile. Each piece is an opportunity to communicate your strengths.
4. Update often. It keeps you top of mind.
5. Follow up, follow up, follow up.

Now, here's a piece from NPR on social networking and the job search.

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