This past Wednesday I ventured out to Santa Clara University to be on a social media panel discussing the use of social media for professional networking and job searching. The panel featured myself, two representatives each from LinkedIn and Facebook, and two recruiters. We ended up speaking to an audience of almost exclusively alumni that proved to be very engaged and interested in learning how to take advantage of the social media tools available to them. Below are the questions that were posed to the panel and a quick summary of the responses given.
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What do you think are the best and worst things about using social media for a job search?
Some of the ‘best’ things mentioned by the panel included the vast array of options available, the ability for users to tailor their profiles to “brand” themselves as they’d like, and the ability to expand your network quickly. One point unique to inCircle is that members are able to connect directly with recruiting teams at the companies in the company directory (by expressing interest in a company), and can learn about potential career advancement opportunities as they appear.
Some of the “worst” things mentioned by the panel included the need to budget time well in the face of so many options, the fact that many people use poor ‘netiquette’ when career-networking online, and the fact that some people are still uncomfortable revealing profile information online and may instead still prefer face-to-face networking.
Please provide one tip on how to best use your application.
The common theme among responses was to keep your profile up-to-date, and to also be proactive about networking. On inCircle, keeping your profile up-to-date ensures that you will receive only the most relevant announcements from potential employers and other community members. Be sure to especially keep your work history updated, and to upload a current resume as well that accurately reflects your background and accomplishments.
Please tell us what to avoid. What are the pitfalls of using social media for professional networking or a job search?
The common theme among responses was to be careful about what you are posting online. As one panelist said, “if you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see it, chances are you wouldn’t want a recruiter to see it either.” Particularly relevant to inCircle was a point made that when reaching out to a new contact for advice or help, it is important to have done your homework and have a direction that you want to go. Instead of saying, “Hello, can you help me find a job?” it is much better to say “Hello, I’m interested in biotech, have extensive experience in _____, saw that you worked at _____ and was hoping to ask you a couple quick questions about _____,” for example.
As a wrap-up, what one piece of advice would you give our audience?
Nearly every panelist had the same piece of advice: don’t wait until you are unemployed to start networking! It’s critical to continue building out your network of professional contacts even when you are happily employed. After all, especially in today’s environment, you never know when those connections may come in handy.
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After a brief Q&A session, I had a chance to mingle and chat with some Santa Clara alums who had used inCircle as well as some who had not yet but were very excited about registering for the community. I spoke with one alum in particular who graduated 25 years ago and said that she loved inCircle and was actively using it to network and search out new career opportunities in e-commerce.
All in all the event was a great success, and it was a lot of fun to speak with some of our members face-to-face. A big thank-you goes out to the folks at Santa Clara’s career services center for organizing everything. Hopefully we’ll have more opportunities like this in the future!
