How To Get Hired with Social Networking

Everybody wants a job right now, the unemployment rate being what it is, and finding that job can be harder than your ex-boss’s skull. Luckily, we live in an age where networking doesn’t involve calling all your friends, it involves being out there in the public. It’s easy to catch attention, and you can do it by:

#1) Getting your resume online

The best way to do this is with a clean, simple webpage that makes reading your resume easy. Make it easy to find; tie it to your blog or your own web domain. Make it a specific, easy to remember link. And then make sure that link is in every profile on every social networking site you maintain. If somebody wants to know more about you, your resume should be the first thing they see.

#2) Cleaning up and updating your sites

Forget about the stuff in the tabloids, though.

Untag any embarrassing photos, delete any hostile tweets, and generally get your house in order. Go on LinkedIn, which is kind of like Facebook for people who live entirely at their jobs, and make sure that’s up to date. Change any profiles you need to, and insert that resume link.

#3) Looking up and monitoring the companies you want to work for

Refresh...refresh...refresh...

Pretty much any company worth half a damn these days has a Twitter and a Facebook fan page. Keep an eye on it, as well as the careers section of their site. You never know when a job you want will turn up.

#4) Follow recruiters on Twitter

Yes, you can really search like this.

There are plenty of recruiters on Twitter; they have to get out there and find candidates: that’s their job. Twitter is ideal because they can tweet a link, a short description, and then watch as it cascades all around the Twitterverse among the people they’re looking for. You’ll find this especially among the tech-savvy companies, so search carefully. Also be sure to check any lists the recruiter is on.

#5) Start blogging about the industry you want to work in

Adorable monkeys help too.

You need to draw eyeballs to your resume, so start writing about what you do, and get it out there via Twitter and Facebook. This is important for two reasons: one, it shows your skills are still sharp and that you’re using them. And two, it will get attention, especially if you make your content industry specific.

#6) Keep applying to jobs

All of the above is fairly passive; you’re looking to draw people in. That needs to be mixed with an aggressive stance, where you’re putting yourself in front of people. Employers will run employee names through Google now just to see what comes up. If they see this professional presentation, everywhere they go, your resume rises to the top of the list.

All this should substantially improve your job search. Also, did you know that reading Uproxx automatically makes you more interesting and charming to employers? Really! Clicking the banners also makes you more attractive to the gender of your choice. So you should do that daily.