This week’s post on US News & World Report.

We often hear about how job seekers can use social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter to their advantage. But what’s sometimes overlooked is the biggest network of them all: Facebook.

We think of Facebook as a way to connect with friends, not necessarily hiring managers or employers. But with over 500 million active users, Facebook is useful for professional networking, too.

1. Follow your target companies on Facebook. Some companies, such as Ernst & Young and Ford Motor Company, have special Facebook pages specifically for recruiting. You might find out about job opportunities on their Facebook pages quicker than finding their postings on a job board or their own career portal. It’s also a place to learn more about the company culture and ask the recruiting department questions about the hiring process. In smaller companies, the page may even be monitored by the decision makers, putting you in direct contact with the person who offers opportunities or hires.

2. Contact employers directly. Facebook allows users to send messages directly to other users even if you aren’t friends with them, which is especially useful if you can’t find their contact information anywhere else. Be careful with this approach though. Some people only want to communicate with their “real friends” on Facebook. Before contacting someone, make sure you’ve done your homework, and send a personalized message making sure to let them know who you are and why you are contacting them.

Read 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 on US News & World Reports On Careers blog: 7 Ways to Use Facebook for Your Job Search

I got an inquiry from a reader the other day after posting the article about Twitter to find a job article.

His question:

Using LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. does not seem to help find me leads. I have profiles posted, but no one contacts me whatsoever. What’s up with that?”

LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook aren’t the magic solution to your job search. The leads will not come pouring in because you have a profile up. You need to work at developing your network and improving your online visibility – before you need them for a job search. Social sites are a component of your job search toolbox. You must be proactive to make them work for you.

That’s what I talked about in my  post on US News & World Report this week. 6 Ways to Boost Your Job Search on LinkedIn. Check it out!

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The June 2009 from my "From the Recruiter's Desk" column

is up on PRNewser. Here's an excerpt.

The value of networking online will never replace face-to-face networking. Some things are better in-person and networking is definitely one of them. That said, online networking has its purpose and is a powerful tool that should be integrated into your overall strategy when it comes to expanding and nurturing your professional network.

Considering geographical boundaries, time constraints, and personal obligations, online networking tools can help you quickly build a network that may have taken you years to build, if ever, any other way.

When we network in person, non-verbal cues help us interact with the other individual. We rely on all of our senses to engage in conversation and form opinions about moving the conversation to further stages. In the online world, we simply don't have as many sensory cues to rely on and, as a result, the game changes.

Autumn in New York full movie I do my fair share of online networking: LinkedIN, Twitter, Facebook, and blog commenting are my main tools. I also participate in a number of online groups and forums.

Here are a few personal tips I've found work well for me when it comes to networking effectively online....

For the 8 tips, read the full post on PRNewser - 8 Ways to Network Effectively Online.

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Photo credit: Ianqui

Michael Melcher offers some good advice in the NY Times Shifting Careers blog about staying positive in your job search after a layoff. Being affected by a staff reduction isn't fun for anyone involved and for those who haven't engaged in a job search or interview process for an extended amount of time, they may even feel completely lost.

The typical person's job search starts with a resume re-write and then a scouring of online job boards to see what's out there. Resumes are sent into "the black hole" and with some luck, an automated response like this may be returned:

"Your resume has been forwarded to the appropriate department for evaluation. Should your qualifications meet our current requirements, we will contact you within the next several weeks for additional information or to schedule a personal interview. If there are no suitable openings at this time, we will retain your resume in our active files for future consideration."

But you never hear back even though your qualifications match perfectly.

As difficult as it may be to keep your chin up, it's a key to a successful job search. Melcher states, "People find new opportunities in recessions, but not people who spend a lot of time being depressed, whiny or angry."

Melcher's suggestions for dealing with non-responsiveness:

• Act like a human being. The best antidote to feeling disconnected is to connect with people. Manifest as a person, not as an e-mail address.
• Lessen your dependence on the Internet. If you are focusing solely on online applications, your job search hasn′t begun yet.
• Assume that other people are busier than you are. A non-response isn′t a "no." It′s just a non-response.
• Improve your own communications.
• Make connections for other people.
• Try Fedex.

You can read the rest of his post here.

In my opinion, the most important of these five suggestions is lessening your dependence on the internet job posts. Many companies do not post their open positions online, especially small or mid-size companies who may not have the budgets to subscribe to expensive job boards. Many recruiters (myself included) won't waste time posting open positions on job boards and chasing the same candidate pool as the job posters.

If you are relying solely on job boards for your job search, you are missing out on the majority percentage of available jobs out there. I'm not saying ignore them completely, but do realize the importance making real connections. Go to networking events (professional or personal), volunteer, be active in your social networks, reconnect with old colleagues and friends (this is something you should always be doing, even if you are happily employed!), meet your Facebook or Twitter friends for coffee, and find and build a relationship with a recruiting firm in your industry niche to keep an eye out for you.

How did you go about finding your last job?

The Economist recently published an article, Lose Face: A tale of two airlines and their Facebook fiascos, detailing the recent firings of staff members over disparaging remarks left about customers and the airline on Facebook.

Virgin Airlines was the first to discover 13 employees making comments. According to The Economist, "crew members joked that some Virgin planes were infested with cockroaches and described customers as 'chavs', a disparaging British term for people with flashy bad taste."

Shortly after, British Airways followed suit and "began investigating the behaviour of several employees who had described some passengers as 'smelly' and 'annoying' in Facebook postings."

This is one of many examples of how what one says in what could be considered a private or invite only forum by a user could affect current and future opportunities. Anything posted online is a digital footprint that could follow you for a very long time. A good rule of thumb is to post what you would feel comfortable with others seeing - like your boss, future employer, grandmother or children. If you have to really think if it's appropriate, it's probably a good idea to not go there.

On the other hand, companies need to take responsibility for being very clear with their employees about the online policies towards posting information associated with the company. Companies should trust employees to use these tools appropriately, but they need to be diligent about monitoring what's being said out there on the social web and perhaps join the conversation when appropriate.

What's your take?

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Related articles

• Virgin cabin crew sacked over Facebook comments
• British Airways' Staffers Ridicule Customers
• Liberate Media - Virgin Atlantic staff criticism: opportunity or threat?

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LinkedIn announced last week the launch of its own applications platform. Now you can add ten different applications to share your work with your network: recent blog posts, your Amazon reading, upcoming trips, presentations, and other online collaboration tools. Here is a list and summary of the applications or watch the video below:

This is certainly not a new idea to anybody who is a regular user of Facebook or any of these tools. I'm surprised it took LinkedIn this long to launch an application platform (I'm still waiting on the an email toolbar for Mac - please LinkedIN, my productivity would benefit greatly with a similar toolbar for Apple Mail!).

Just because they are late to the game and I can use similar applications on Facebook, it doesn't mean I'm not going to use them on LinkedIn too. It is an invaluable tool in my job and I reach a varied audience in a much different way on LinkedIn than I do on other social networks. And I don't have to deal with invites from my network for silly applications I would never put on my page. Thank you!

Which applications are you using on LinkedIn? Has it changed how you are using the site?

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Article courtesy of Recruiting Blogswap
Author:  Kevin Donlin

We humans have been farming for about 12,000 years, which accounts for only 0.5% of our time on earth as a species, according to an article on the University of Reading web site.

That means, for most of our ancestors -- 99.5% of them -- hunting and gathering was how they got food.

Now. Wouldn't you agree that farming is a more reliable way to feed your family than hunting, especially if the latter involves trying to bag a mastodon?

All of which has something very important to do with your career.

It's this: Almost everyone looking for work thinks of themselves as a job hunter. (You, too?)

Most people hunt for employers and gather job leads, day in and day out.

That's all they know. That's how they've always done it. Maybe for 99.5% of their working history.

But wouldn't it be an evolutionary leap forward to become a job farmer instead? Especially when looking at your career from a long-term perspective?

With that in mind, here are four questions to help you think like a job farmer and cultivate new employment opportunities as reliably as new crops of corn or oats ...

1) Could you start or participate in a blog that gets noticed by employers?

According to an article by LaTina Emerson on RedOrbit.com, one way that today's recruiters are filling positions is by searching industry-specific blogs for intelligent, informed candidates.

Why not be among the lucky few who get found -- and hired?

If you write a high-quality blog, or post thoughtful comments on somebody else's, you greatly increase your chances of getting called by recruiters with job opportunities.

2) Could you join a professional association, like Toastmasters or the Chamber of Commerce, that lets you showcase your expertise among movers and shakers?

Beyond simply joining a local work-related organization, you should stand out and get noticed.

How? Offer to help with a committee, give a lunch-and-learn presentation on your area of expertise, or take on some other leadership role.

Why? Because almost every professional organization in every city is in need of new leaders. And employers almost always prefer to hire leaders over followers.

To find lists of associations near you, Google the phrase: "professional associations YOUR CITY" or "professional organizations YOUR CITY."

3) Could you get found by employers and recruiters on social networking sites?

Whether you're a member of LinkedIn Herbie Rides Again movie , Facebook, MySpace -- or all three -- you can make it easier for hiring managers to find you by including the right words in your online profile.

Here's why: You may think of yourself as an Account Executive and define yourself that way in your LinkedIn profile, for example, but a recruiter searching for a Sales Rep might never find you, even though you're a perfect match for the job.

Solution? Embed all relevant job titles and skills in your profile.

If you can't find a way to do it naturally, simply include a sentence like this: "Similar job titles to what I've done include Sale Rep, Sales Representative, Account Executive, and Marketing Coordinator."

As long as you're accurate in your descriptions and don't go overboard, this tactic can get you found by recruiters searching LinkedIn or other social networking sites.

4) Could you join a community service organization and meet local leaders in a setting that lets your altruistic side shine through? Fire Down Below movie download

This is different from joining professional associations, in that community service organizations are not likely to be connected with business. But that doesn't mean you can't turn your volunteer efforts into networking contacts that lead to a new job.

Many of the most influential people in any community volunteer for soup kitchens, church boards of directors, youth mentoring programs, and the like. Why not join one and work alongside the kind of people you need to
meet for long-term career success?

To find lists of possible groups to join, Google the phrase: "volunteer opportunities YOUR CITY" or "community organizations YOUR CITY."

Now, go out, get found and get hired!

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.