Thursday 27 October 2011

Joining the Right Social Networks for a Job Search

By Krish Rock


"Which are the best social networks to use for job search?" That's a good question with no clear-cut answer, as it depends on your definition of "best." There are an overwhelmingly large number of social networks, and new ones being created weekly. Examples include business social network sites, more socially-oriented networks sites, photo and music sharing social network sites, dating social network sites, highly vertical professional social network sites, and social network aggregation sites. Each one is slightly different. And none have the same type of social network members. But just because there are many social networks, it doesn't mean that you need to join a large number of them. To avoid information overload, start by focusing on just one or two networks. Facebook and LinkedIn are two great choices. Once you become familiar with these two main networks, the transition to any other network will be an easy one. You will already have your content in place, so it is just a matter of making a few tweaks to accommodate the social network specifics.

To remain anonymous in Twitter, it is advisable to tweet your confidential and secret tweets at SecretTweet. It is also important not to use a real name or e-mail in your profile. You should not list a personal website in the profile too.

Groups within LinkedIn will provide you with the ability to research and join specific groups of interest around product/services, markets/industries, or other focal points. This, too, is a great way to expand your presence/brand and network via people-searching. The Answers feature within LinkedIn offers the ability to pose questions to your network if looking for solutions to a business problem or market research. These questions are posed and emailed only to your personal network, and you have the ability to mail to all or to be selective about who will receive your message. This also enables you to reply to questions you receive from others in your network, and it's a fabulous tool for positioning yourself by adding value and demonstrating your willingness to help and offer solutions to others. NOTE:Do not use this vehicle to 'sell' or 'solicit' business. This is a surefire way to isolate yourself from the very network that can help you. The business that does come your way will arrive more indirectly as a result of your 'contributions' in asking/answering questions and providing value.

By inviting others to join your network, you can increase your network of professional contacts and broaden your connections exponentially. You can identify potential connections via LinkedIn's search functionality. The other place to start with social media is Facebook. whose sheer size makes it the largest online social networking site and one of the Internet's most trafficked destinations. When many people think of Facebook, they envision it as the place where college students post photos from parties and attempt to hook up with romantic partners. However, this social networking site is now a dynamo that has been increasingly embraced by individuals over 25. Today it is a viable place for professionals to network with the ultimate goal of finding their next jobs. So despite their high number of younger users, don't look down on Facebook or MySpace. Recruiters and HR mine these huge pools of social communities every day, looking for candidates for their job assignments.

In any social network, it is important to know your friends and avoid accepting friend requests from people you barely know or those you do not know at all. You should also be conscious of what you post or comment on the social media. While doing that you should determine who sees your updates, for example in Facebook,you can just allow Just Friends to see and comment on your updates.

Since prices have been dropping drastically in recent years you should have no problem finding reasonable deals for DS3 circuits. Do be aware though that pricing is still somewhat dependent on your location. The reason for the location dependency is that pricing is basically distilled down to two simple components; local loop and port. The local loop covers the cost charged by the Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) to transport the signal from the end user's central office (CO) to the point of presence(POP) of the carrier. The port covers the cost to access the telephone network or the Internet through the carrier's network (essentially connecting ISP's server and your building). Typically, the port price is based upon access speed and yearly commitment level while the loop is based on geography. The farther the CO and POP, the more the loop costs. Thus why DS3 price varies slightly by location where the circuit will be installed. However, some providers today may consider waving the loop cost just to get your business.

When you are signing up in any social media, never use your real name. You can use your nickname or a name that would not be so obvious for your recognition. Also sign up for an online email address that does not make your recognition very easy. It is also important not to include your phone number, address, city, or workplace in your profile information. Lastly, if you include your photo on a social network, you will have taken your anonymity away. It is also not a good idea to put a photo of your home, office or places near you as your profile picture.




About the Author:



No comments: