Social Networking And Your Job Hunt: Ready for 2009?

The job hunt has changed remarkably in the last decade. In fact, it seems to have reinvented itself every few years. The latest tools for finding a new job are all technology: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are three that you'll find people using more and more.

LinkedIn is the granddaddy of them all, and the largest and best known. It's also the most tightly controlled and safest, so if you're new to social networking this is the place to start. You can put up a simple profile (sort of an online resume) with bare facts pretty quickly, build a network, and start reaching out to others all in a couple of hours. Since recruiters routinely check LinkedIn to verify candidate data, I recommend you sign up for a free account and build your profile before 2009 gets much older.

Facebook isn't just for college students anymore. While it's a lot less structured than LinkedIn, security has improved considerably since early 2008. More and more businesses are moving onto Facebook to reach consumers, and job seekers are starting to use Facebook to reconnect with friends colleagues. If you're using Facebook for social networking, you may not want to use it for business. Check your privacy settings to be sure that recruiters don't see your videos from the New Year's Eve kegger.

Twitter is the latest technology, and it can be addicting. It's a microblog: anyone can sign up for free and post short (140 character) messages to the world. And I do mean the world. Postings are called "tweets." Use Twitter to research jobs, companies, recruiters and hiring managers. Post and share interesting links. Ask questions.

Since I'm a believer in using technology to learn, grow, build skills, stay in touch, and expand professionally, I'll be blogging over the next few weeks on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I also recognize these aren't for everyone. I do encourage you to check them out but use what suits you best. In the end, these have to fit into your overall job hunt strategy, or they're just a waste of time.