Image by Maria Elena on Flickr | Creative Commons
As of 2015, America seems to be on the hunt for a new job.
The economy is on the mend, optimism is soaring, and gas prices are plunging. If this were summer, people would be hitting the vacation road like crazy. Because this is Winter, people who have felt handcuffed to unfulfilling jobs by pessimism and fear are hitting the road, alright, but they are looking for work. And they’re finding it. Companies once hesitant to hire are hanging out Help Wanted signs again.
This edition of The Help Files compiles slightly older but still valid posts to help you land that gig using Facebook. Why Facebook instead of LinkedIn? Because more people browse Facebook and post status updates every day.
The odds are pretty good that a Facebook friend of yours knows about an opening where they work suitable for you and will message you about it. The odds are not as good that a hiring manager for the ACME Widget Company would find your LinkedIn profile (among the thousands of profiles) exactly when they need to fill a position and exactly when you’re looking for a new job.
Your Facebook friends know you somewhat. They probably know where you work, what you do, and if you’re interested in a new job. An anonymous hiring manager probably doesn’t know you at all.
So let’s get this Facebook-Powered Job Hunting Party started!
3 Ways To Make Facebook Your Friend During Your Job Search
Most everyone is on Facebook now. If not, what’s stopping you? We use Facebook to stay in touch with friends from school, friends from the neighborhood where we live, and friends we work with. With all the friending going, don’t forget to make friends with Facebook, too, especially if you’re in the market for a new job. Let Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter show you how in a post for Glassdoor.
6 Ways Facebook is Hurting Your Job Search
Facebook is what you make of it. If you post content that could be considered controversial, and a potential employer reads it, that person might put you in the reject pile and move on to someone they think will be easier to deal with. The Red Ink has a few tips for you.
Job Seekers: Why You Should Take Advantage of Facebook
LinkedIn for business, Facebook for your personal life and fun thing, right? Well, not really. Seems as though more people are finding jobs using Facebook instead of LinkedIn. In a post for Business Insider, Mona Abdel-Halim has the low-down on what you should do to get your Facebook profile ready for potential employers to see.
Forget LinkedIn: Facebook the Best Social Network for Job Seekers
People hang out on Facebook, not on LinkedIn. To contact the most people who might know about job openings, Facebook seems to offer more opportunities than LinkedIn. Makes sense. YouTern lists 10 steps you should take to get started.
Job Hunting? Hide These 3 Things on Facebook
Sadly, over-sharing is the new normal. Because people use Facebook to share intimate details of their personal lives, Jen Hubley Luckwaldt offers up three things you might want to think about hiding before you begin using Facebook in your job hunt.
Forget LinkedIn, Why You’ll Find Your Next Job Using Facebook
LinkedIn has been quoted as the online standard in job hunting for years now. But in a post for Fast Company, Lydia Dishman explains why you should concentrate on Facebook and just sort of forget about LinkedIn.
How to Use Facebook to get Hired
LinkedIn is synonymous with work and business. Facebook is synonymous with with people ranting and raving and posting videos from their kitchens and living rooms. But you can repurpose Facebook to land a job. In a post for the Undercover Recruiter, Jorgen Sundberg offers five ways that you can use LinkedIn to help you find work.
Should You Friend Your Boss on Facebook?
In an “always on” world of instant messaging, boundaries are disintegrating. In my dad’s 1970s corporate world, you wrote snail-mail letters. Sometimes you made a phone call. You weren’t friends with your boss, but you knew him socially. I say “him“ because the bosses were men. That’s just how it was. My dad wasn’t friends with his boss. That simply wasn’t done. But if my dad hosted a party, he made sure to invite his boss. His boss, however, didn’t have to invite my dad. Odd, eh? Things in 2015 sure have changed from the way they were in 1975. In a post for Business 2 Community, Lida Citroen shares tips to help you decide if you should friend your boss.
How to Erase Everything You Search for on Facebook
People search for old friends and sometimes old flames on Facebook. If you use a shared computer, this could prove embarrassing. If you have friended your boss on Facebook and you’re looking for a new gig, this could prove disastrous. In a post for the Business Insider, Ryan Bushey shows how to make your Facebook search history vanish.
Have some tips or tools to share with your fellow technical communicators, information developers, and content creators? Let’s network! Drop me a note: HelpFiles@TechWhirl.com. Follow me on Twitter: @craigcardimon. Connect with me on LinkedIn. Put me in your Google+ circles. I enjoy connecting with others in the industry.
