Career Coach: Use Facebook to Get a Job

Having my teenage children home this Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful, especially the rare moments when I was able to pry them away from their laptops and iPhones. They were using their phones to text their friends, but also to check in on various social media sites, especially Facebook. In my work with young women in college or recent grads, I talk to them a lot about using social media for their job search or for building their personal brand. Why not have them use a site that they have mastered to help them with their career? In fact, Facebook launched a Social Jobs App earlier this month that aggregates many listings providers.

When we think about the job search, typically LinkedIn is the first social media site that comes to mind. But here are some ways to effectively use Facebook for job search:

• Let your Facebook “friends” know that you are in the job market—your friends on Facebook are typically different than your connections on LinkedIn.

• Post status updates and links to personal blogs, articles and websites to build your online presence.

• Join groups and fan pages related to your desired career field for possible job postings and networking opportunities.

• Register for events or seminars in your chosen field or profession to make more contacts in the industry.

• Visit www.branchout.com to maximize Facebook’s job-hunting potential. 

The most important thing to remember with Facebook is controlling your privacy settings. Unlike other social media sites, your Facebook likely contains a lot of personal photos, interactions and information, so if you are going to use it for business or career purposes be aware of what others can see. You don’t want potential employers looking at photos that could be viewed as unprofessional, so make sure those are private for friends only. 

–Pamela Weinberg