“It is not what you know, it is who you know.”
That old familiar saying is especially true when it comes to finding employment. Like most people you probably dread the task of searching for and landing a new job. As much as you don’t like it I can almost guarantee that employers dread the idea of having to fill a position even more. It is an expensive and time consuming endeavor for a company to bring on a new employee. Which is why companies often hire someone that they already know, like, and trust. Social media can help you be that someone.
The first step to a proactive job search is to decide which companies you would like to work for. Don’t look for companies that are hiring, look for the companies that you like and want to be employed by. This could be because you know they treat their people well, they pay well, have great benefits, or are located in an area you want to live in. Whatever the reason, take the proactive step of choosing your next employer based on where you want to work, not just on who has an open position. Keep the list of ideal employers short, in the 5 to 10 range. Maybe less, maybe you know the exact company you want to work for and you only need one name on your list.
Now that you have your list it is time to do some research and to create some contacts via social media. In your research, go after the names of the people who effect the hiring as it relates to your job position. This will vary greatly based on the culture and size of the targeted company. In larger companies you will want department managers and human resource executives, in smaller companies it might simply be the owner that still does all the hiring. Explore the companies website to see if it offers any help, if not simply call them and ask for the name of the person who is in charge of hiring. You don’t need to speak to the person, you are just after their name.
Now that you have your list of companies and a list of names to go along with each company, time to hit the social web. Twitter is a great place to start. Even if you do not have a Twitter account or a desire to be on Twitter it is still a really effective search engine. Through Twitter you can connect with the real people that may one day hire you. Go to Twitter’s home page and use the search function to conduct searches on the companies and names from you list. Also expand your search to include you industry and field, you never know what you might find. The goal here is to identify companies you like that are using Twitter and to build a relationship with the people of those companies through Twitter. Just by exchanging a few tweets with someone you will be more real to them than the faceless stack of resumes in their in-box.
Facebook is the next place you want to take this same approach with. These days more and more companies are creating fan pages to connect themselves with clients and customers. Due to the informal nature of Facebook and social media in general you can learn a lot about a company and the people behind it that you would not learn from their website. Find a companies fan page and see who the admin or admins are. Try and make a connection with them. Let them get to know you, like you, and trust you. This could lead to them hiring you.
Company blogs and forums are also a place to connect with an employer. If one of your dream employers has a blog or forum get involved with the community that is on there. Become a regular and a positive contributor to the discussion. Again, this will have you on their radar much higher than a resume will.
I should also mention that what you do not want to do is constantly bring up how you need a job and want to work for a company through all these outlets. Simply be your professional self, make friends, and build relationships with the people who work at your future employer’s company. You can let them know that you are in the market but some tact is required. Once you have some rapport you could say something like, “I just received my degree and I am look for a career in this industry, have you heard of any companies hiring?” A question like that is more effective than asking, “Are you hiring?” because it opens more doors for you. Most companies have a finger on the pulse of their industry and might know of opening in your field in general.
Whether you use social media or not it is very effective to be proactive in your job search. Don’t just wait for want ads to be posted to find your next job. Companies hire people everyday without ever posting a want ad by using their network and the networks of their employees. But these days social media can help you get into those networks.