TOW 15: Guest Blogger, Jessica Cameron

This week I have the opportunity to share another one of my classmates thoughts and information from her blog to mine. Jessica Cameron has allowed me to share an article that I found interesting as I reading her blog, that discusses pro’s and con’s of social media while being a job seeker. I felt like this post really stood out, and can educate many of those like myself actively on the job hunt. A big thanks to Jessica Cameron for sharing this post. BE MY GUEST!
(You can also find more articles like this on Jessica’s personal blog. <A href="http://jcam19.wordpress.com/&quot; href=”http://jcam19.wordpress.com/page/3/”>-(http://jcam19.wordpress.com/page/3/)

Benefits & Pitfalls of Social Media for Job Seekers
February 18, 2010 at 9:06 pm (Assignments, PRCA 3711)

Social media has become a huge tool for people of all ages and interests. The first form of social media I can recall using was MySpace, which now I do not even have an existing account. Social media has been a way to reconnect or stay in touch with old friends and family, share pictures and videos, raise money for fundraising, or meet new people. However exciting and great these benefits may be, there are some great pitfalls, especially to those in search of jobs.

I found an article on Mashable: The Social Media Guide called “7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media.” I have included the list Dan Schawbel comprised below.

Conduct a people search instead of a job search. 80% of the jobs out there are not posted. Within this secret there are three steps to searching people for your job search: 1. Identify the top 5 companies you would like to work for 2. Use search engines to track employees that currently work there. 3. Connect with the person directly.
Use attraction-based marketing to get job offers. Brand yourself! The best way to do this is to blog, so write creatively and consistently.
Be proactive on Twitter. Follow recruiters on your account but make sure you have a completed profile first.
Capitalize on LinkedIn. Recruiters are starting to use LinkedIn as their main place for sourcing candidates because it is free and top professionals are on there.
Advertise your brand using AdWords and Facebook Social Ads. These ads are about targeting a specific group that would care about your resume or hiring you.
Construct a video resume and upload it to YouTube. Very few people have created video resumes so you will stand out when a recruiter searches for them.
Subscribe to blogs that have job listings. This will save you hours of searching.
Although social media can be a great tool in your job search as well as in your personal life, it can also be a pitfall in your search for a job. If you are not careful with the content you post on your social media sites, it can come back to bite you. One of the most popular sites, Facebook.com, has great features such as posting many many pictures, which can be harmful to your job search if they are not professionally appropriate.

Careerbuilder.com has a list of Social Media Pitfalls comprised. They also have a list of social media don’ts. Below is what I found helpful on their site.

Terrible Tweets: Even though everyone will have their moments where they hate their job, boss, or salary…it is probably best not to Tweet about those feelings. Employers are increasing their online presence and sharing these feelings with the social media world will most likely not be a career booster.

Facebook Fired: Comments made about your job or boss have been known to get employers dismissed from their job.

Social Networking Don’ts

Don’t announce interviews, raises or new jobs.
Don’t badmouth your current or previous employer.
Don’t mention your job search if you are still employed.
Take advantage of all the social media opportunities out there, but make sure you take caution when using social media. It can either get you the job or cost you the job…you pick.