10 Tips for Social Networking Your Way to a Job

It’s not just a load of Web 2.0 hype—you can find a job using social networks, according to Brad and Debra Schepp.

“ We’ve spoken to many people who use LinkedIn, Twitter and even MySpace to find jobs—regular 9-to-5 jobs or consulting gigs or freelance work,” says Brad, who with his wife authored How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Other Social Networks.

I get pitched a lot of job-hunting books. Most of them should have been made into pamphlets instead. But after my first glance through the Schepps’ book, I quickly made a few adjustments to my LinkedIn profile—and I’m not even looking for a job. Here are ten of their tips for getting the most out of social networks.

Get on LinkedIn

The site has become so widely used, that if you don’t have a profile…

Beefing Up a Thin Resume

When you’re short on experience, play up your strengths.

The Problem: Recession or not, you’re job hunting. Trouble is, aside from some internships and a few part-time gigs, the work experience section of your resume is, well, thin. You know that you could nail a job if given the chance – but with the national unemployment rate hovering around 10%, how to get a foot in the door with so little to go on?

The Solution: A resume redo. The key is highlighting your accomplishments, regardless of how you got them. Definitely include when you graduated and whatever positions you’ve held since – employers want to see that. But, also list volunteer organizations, student clubs, sports teams, or any group in which you’ve held a leadership position or made an impact. Detail projects completed, funds raised or other positive outcomes; you want to point to anything that shows your capabilities, especially if…

The New Normal: Jobs Barely Won

Remember the days when finding a job meant scrolling through an overflowing career board, submitting a dozen resumes, interviewing with a handful of employers, and accepting a job offer just a couple days later? Oh, how things have changed.

The average length of time it takes an unemployed person to find work these days sits at 30.2 weeks—an incredible 17.5 more weeks on average than it took a job hunter looking for work back in 2001. While you may find a job eventually, it probably isn’t going to fall into your lap like it may have in years’ past—just one of many “new norms” for job seekers that have been created by the recession.

After the jump, we have put together a roundup of five new norms for those searching for jobs, which you can either choose to embrace or ignore at your own peril….