How to Find a Job Using Facebook Job Search
Employers Checking Online Presence
A survey by Ponemon Institute, a privacy think tank, estimates that 35% of hiring managers use Google to do online background checks on job candidates, and 23% check people on social networking websites. One-third of such web searches, however, lead to rejections.
Prospective employers checking the candidate’s Facebook presence can both help and harm the search for a new job.
Positive Facebook activities that are likely to impress potential employers include
- Including professional information in the profile
- Joining the right groups and installing the right applications
- Maintaining a healthy professional network of friends
- Sharing links related to the industry
- Healthy discussions
- Supporting positive causes
Conversely, activities that prospective employers usually desist include:
- Inappropriate comments about previous employers
- Discussing confidential company information
- Causally commenting on previous interviews in a poor light
- Conversations that reveal some dark personality traits such as late night parties on drinks, lying, using foul language
- Posting furiously all day while neglecting other duties
The key to using Facebook job search is to think before posting and making full use of Facebook privacy settings. Privacy settings ensure that only friends can access information that prospective employers are better off not reading. Privacy settings also allow you to keep some information away from certain friends.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Job Search Applications
The way to Facebook job search is through applications targeted toward careers and career growth. Searching the Facebook Application Directory using “job search” “career” or “jobs” as keywords lists out the many job search related applications available for integration with your Facebook account.
Some such popular job search related Facebook career applications include
- OfficeBook, that offers information regarding companies from people already working
- Indeed-Job Search, that identifies vacancies in companies where friends in your network are employed
- Testimonials, that help gather personal, professional, and academic references from your teachers, friends, and co-workers.
- Jobs, that lists thousands of open jobs directly from employers
- Seek Job Search, that allows personalize relevant job search results in a Facebook profile.
- Inside Job, that allows searching other professionals based on place of work or types of interviews
Most major job portals such as Jobster, Career Builder, Monster, JobVite, as well as on-line resume services such as Easy-cv.com and others also have their own Facebook applications that provide a steady stream of job listings.
Networking Applications
One big way to leverage Facebook job search is by connecting with the maximum number of people you can. Facebook provides the opportunity to remain in the radar of a wide range of professionals. Such professionals post vacancies in their firms, or can be used to cold-call.
Two Facebook networking applications that aid professional networking include:
- Professional Profile application helps to create a professional profile on Facebook, import LinkedIn profile, and recommendations, and uploads resumes.
- Business card application attaches a virtual personalized card to Facebook messages.
Like all media, Facebook job search has its advantages and disadvantages. The successful candidates leverage the advantages and work around the disadvantages in search of a new job.
