A review of facebook as a job search tool

At first glance Facebook seems like another social networking site similar to MySpace, but if you take another look it is far closer to sites such as LinkedIn when it comes to being a job search tool. Here's why:

Members

Facebook was first launched as a social networking site for college students to interact with each other. Because of this it developed a fun personality and useful and fun applications which allow users to interact. Business networkers soon started finding Facebook a useful job searching and networking tool. Almost immediately the college crowd realized what a good idea this was and the site took off as a networking center similar to LinkedIn. Soon after networkers found the site employers who were checking into Facebook profiles learned how to research and prospect for potential employees.

Applications

Facebook has many applications which can be used in your job search. Here is a short list with descriptions:

• Photos - you can place professional head shots of yourself here
• Videos - this is a good spot to post your video CV
• Marketing - if you are looking for work you can place a job wanted ad, or look through the help wanted section
• Profile - this is your advertising page where everybody sees information about you
• Groups - this is where you find people in your field of work to network with; join every group you think is relevant and actively contribute
• Advertising - this is an application specific to Facebook; it allows you to customize your message, target audience and length of advertising while letting you track your efforts
• Notes - this application allows you to pass short notes of information to other Facebook users

Uses

Social networking sites often have a variety of uses for their members depending on what the purpose of the membership is. Facebook is no exception although it seems to act as a bridge between social networking and job search networking. Here's a few examples of how Facebook can be used:

• Business networking
• Job search
• Job marketing or posting
• Online social community
• Employers searching for prospective employees
• Promotional activities

Advertising

This is one aspect of Facebook which was almost unknown until recently. It is possible to create an online ad of yourself or your product to broadcast within Facebook to all users of the network. You can use advertising on this social network for a variety of reasons including:

• Ads which direct employers looking for specific abilities to your profile
• Ads which direct employers or other contacts to your online resume or webpage
• Ads which promote a service you offer

Chat

The chat feature of Facebook is social networking at its best. This is similar to being at a networking event without needing business cards. There is no installation to your computer at all. The Chat screen sits on the right side of the Facebook screen. You set up when you are available and then simply respond or comment to whomever comes online in the chat window.

But how do you get people you want to network with and help your job search? This is where the importance of the Groups application of Facebook comes in handy. If you did some research, you found a group or two which fit your field of interest and joined in. These contacts will be the beginning of your networking efforts.

Being a job seeker you will want to build an audience of peers, employers, authors, other job seekers and headhunters within your chosen field. Once you have started your network, find out who they have in their social networks and ask for an invitation.

Easy to Use

Facebook is a great social network. For the person searching for a job, it is also a good place to build a network of contacts and referrals. The features and applications are easy to find and simple to use. It takes awhile to go through the entire site to see everything, but it is worth looking through. Once you are aware of what Facebook has, you can customize your job message and personal brand to suit your needs. Then it's simply a matter of communicating with people.