Can you Tweet your way to a new job?

Lots of Gen-Y bloggers out there think so, however I think that the rules of marketing yourself are pretty much the same whether you are using social networking or going to cocktail parties to do it. There is something to be said for developing real relationships with real people and having the skills to discuss problems and opportunities face-to-face (or at least over the phone), whether those relationships start online or in-person. Employers are need skills, but ultimately they hire people, real people with real skills including real people skills. Go ahead and use the net but remember its just one more tool in your job search kit. And remember, the older the person, the slower they may be to adopt new technology; many managers are not net-savvy GenY-ers and won't be looking for you online, except on a passive job board or your emailed application to them. Eventually they will want to see a resume and meet you "for real". Will you be ready for that conversation?

Check out these pages:

How Blogging and Social Networking Can Impact Your Job Search

Will Social Networking Get You a Job? on Yahoo Hot Jobs

Twitter Your Way to a New Job on Employment Digest Net

KISS (Keeping it Simple for Seekers)
- Reflect your personality on your profile but keep it professional
- Post quality content that shows an employer the qualities and skills you can contribute
- Don’t blog, tweet or go on Facebook during company time unless its part of your job to do so
- Google yourself every once in a while; see what potential employers might see when they search for your name; you may be careful, but are your friends?
- Don't spam your followers or friends
- The quality of your effort determines the return you get from your investment of time
- Remember that social networking is just one tool

...Pam

Simple Blog Feeds Via Facebook Notes

I'm on Facebook and now I have this blog, too. Both could be called innovative ways for this Gen-X manager of a college career centre to connect with her Gen-Y students, but the simple fact is that I am playing catch up on the net. Our students are already on Facebook and I am joining them. In the vein of keeping things simple, however, I'm going to attempt to import this blog as Notes on Facebook. If all goes well, anyone who prefers Facebook to RSS feeds can keep track of what I write here via Facebook.

Unfortunately, the pictures I upload for each blog post will not transfer over to Facebook, so if the picture is important or if I want the post to really stand out, I should post it as a Note, rather than an Imported Note on Facebook. That may mean posting the same info in two places.

I must be careful with punctuation in the title of my blogs. Quotation marks, commas and appostrophes in a blog title may come across as coded gobbly-gook in Facebook.

That said, importing notes from a blog into Facebook means that, most of the time, I really only have to post in one place. Facebook does the rest. Its that simple!

Job seekers who are blogging and using Facebook are reminded that employers are checking out candidates online, whether or not they "should", ethically. (That's a whole other blog post.) Don't post anything to the net that you don't want everyone -- employers, included -- to see. Check your privacy settings on your Facebook account on a regular basis (they change without warning) and Google yourself once in a while. Use Facebook to network. Let all your friends know that you are looking for work, what it is that you seek and what you do well. You never know where a lead will come from.

KISS (Keeping It Simple for Seekers)

How I uploaded my blog to my Facebook Profile:

1. From my Facebook profile, I selected "Notes"
2. Under "Notes Settings", I selected "Import a blog" and added the URL for my blog
3. My 10 most recent blog posts appear as "Imported Notes" on my Facebook profile

Speaking of Facebook, check out my group:
The Works - Job & Career Services, Lethbridge College


...Pam