5 Ways To Connect Through Facebook to Find Your Next Job

Finding a job is, in large part, all about connections. With more than 400 million active users, Facebook is a big player in the numbers game. Depending on your preferences and style, there are a few ways in which you can use Facebook to find your next job.

#1. Shout Out to Your Network

Successfully using Facebook to find a new job is, in large part, a function of reaching out to your Facebook network to let them know you’re searching. Post status updates to let your network know you’re job hunting, and reach out to the people in your network who might have the contacts to put you in touch with the right companies to find your new job. If you have 150 people in your network, and those people have 150 people in their networks, you can get your job search out to a lot of people in a short period of time.

#2. Build a Professional Presence on Facebook

If you want to use Facebook to interface with potential employers directly, make your profile into a job-friendly Facebook page. Add employer and education information, and highlight your interests relative to the potential job you’re seeking. Add professional-looking photos to your profile, and remove any photos that you wouldn’t want employers to see.

If you currently use Facebook exclusively for social interaction, you may want to revise your profile to make it more professional. This may include removing references that employers might find offensive, or references that will detract from employer’s assessment of your professional life. Delete inappropriate pictures, and references to parties or other activities that might give employers a second thought. You can and should still leave innocuous information in your profile, but remove the offensive, questionable, or highly-charged content. This includes pruning your Wall and deleting comments you wouldn’t want employers to see.

#3. Connect with Businesses

You can use Facebook to connect directly with many businesses. Do a Search to determine if companies you want to work with are on Facebook. If they are, use their Facebook pages to check them out and gather information. You can use the Facebook search function to find recruiters, support groups for the unemployed, resources for job hunting, and the companies with whom you want to work.

#4. Join Groups and Interact

Facebook gives you the option to join groups and interact with their members. You can use this to expand your Facebook network, talk to other people about job hunting and form important connections that can help you land your job. Groups also show up on your Facebook profile, and can tell potential employers about your interests.

#5. Don’t Lose a Job Because of Facebook

Even if you’re only using Facebook to reach out to your existing social network, you might still want to consider revising your Facebook profile to be more employer-friendly. If you’re not using Facebook to interface with employers, you might not be thinking about your user pictures or talking about that party you had last weekend. Many employers, however, now use social networking to check out potential employees. Even if you’re not presenting your Facebook page to employers, they can still find you there, so consider making your profile Private or revise what employers can see so your Facebook page doesn’t hurt your job hunt.