Most of what you hear about Facebook while looking for a job involves keeping your information as private as possible from potential employers. While this is good advice, Facebook can also be a valuable tool in your job search, as many smaller companies post their job ads on their Facebook pages.
If you are looking for work at a smaller local company, “liking” their Facebook page can often be a great place to start. Open jobs are sometimes posted there before they make it onto the company’s regular web site. Additionally, Facebook sites will often include pictures from previous events the company has held. Viewing these gives you a sense of the corporate culture at the organization. Are the people wearing suits or are they dressed in business casual? Are the upper level managers all in their 60s, or is there room for someone younger to move up through the ranks?
Provided (again) your Facebook profile is work appropriate, you can also use a business’s Facebook page to get your name in front of them. Just as you might use LinkedIn to send a relevant article to a specific contact, you can post a link on the Facebook page of a company if you think fans of that company might be interested. If the company posts its community events on Facebook, it may offer you the opportunity to show up at one and meet someone face to face. You may also find some of your other Facebook friends are fans of a company, and who knows, maybe they personally know someone who works there.
Many people feel uncomfortable using Facebook in a professional context, and it’s OK if you’re one of them. However, with many businesses creating their own pages on the site, it’s worth at least investigating whether the company has any information you can use when sending them your resume.
[This article was originally posted on an earlier date]
Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, CEO of Great Resumes Fast is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter.
Read more » articles by this approved career expert | Click here » if you’re a career expert
Photo credit: Shutterstock
About Jessica Holbrook Hernandez
We’ve just launched the first job board fully within Facebook, called Jobs4me:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jobs4me/163045970422527
Thousands of jobs from Fortune 500 companies and more are available, and users can also share jobs with their friends, without ever leaving Facebook.
Let us know what you think.
Using Facebook as a place for career / job search is one bad idea! Linkedin is absolutely is one of the most proper platforms for this. Facebook is asking too much personal info and brings so much garbage in return. May be it is a place for teenagers planning to have fun.
Using Facebook as a place for career / job search is one bad idea! Linkedin is absolutely is one of the most proper platforms for this. Facebook is asking too much personal info and brings so much garbage in return. May be it is a place for teenagers planning to have fun.
I belong to Facebook but would place zero trust in it. It continually is on the news about privacy viloations so I wouldn't trust putting anything on it. I belong just to keep up with my kids.
Don't put on any personal data – not even your resume on Facebook is my advice and my personal opinion.