Strengthen Your Job Search through Social Media Sites and Tools

With high unemployment rates and companies working diligently to be profitable, it is imperative for job seekers to differentiate themselves. The great news is social media sites and tools are making it easier than ever to do so. Social media sites and tools provide a means to network, target companies, track information, and really brand yourself as an expert in your field.

Here are a few examples of social media sites and tools that can help to strengthen your job search:

LinkedIn (linkedin.com): A business-oriented social networking site used primarily for professional networking with over 40 million members. Used by thousands of recruiters to find new talent and explore potential applicants’ backgrounds. To do: create and complete the entire profile section, join professional groups and set-up your own unique LinkedIn URL by editing and adding your name into the address setting of your public profile. To check out user testimonials, click here.

Twitter (twitter.com): A social networking and micro-blogging site that is used to send and read messages known as Tweets. Short Tweet messages (posts) appear on an author’s profile page and are delivered to those who have subscribed to be followers. Tweets can be sent and received via the Twitter Web site, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. To do: check out whoshouldifollow.com to locate people in your industry or with companies you’re interested in following, plus post Tweets to these people. You can share opinions on a common subject matter or simply comment on their posts. Click here to explore Twitter.

Blitz Time (blitztime.com): A speed networking service that arranges for people to participate in a series of short, one-on-one phone calls. Once members create a profile, they can register for phone networking events that may range from professional round table series to social media discussions. To do: register, explore and identify event options, and participate in events that appear most beneficial. Want to check out Blitz Time, click here.

Delicious (delicious.com): A social bookmarking Web service for storing, sharing, and discovering Web bookmarks (favorites). To do: check it out and locate Web bookmarks with information from companies or professional people that are of interest to you. To go to Delicious now, click here.

Google Reader (reader.google.com): A feed reader (typical feeds are RSS and Atom). A feed is a list of updated items published from various Web sites (blogs, news services, etc.). You can manage feeds and even share them with others. To do: set yourself up with feeds from companies, professional associations and news services that will help you stay abreast of information to assist your job search. Click here now to check out Google Reader.