How do I learn to use social media productively for my job search?

[Jay]

Hello, if you're looking to use social media for a job search, Linked-In is the best place for you to have a presence.

There are three key ways to leverage Linked-In:

1. Find your old coworkers and friends, and connect with them.

2. Join Groups -- search for the key terms in your area's of interest. For example, if you want a job in project management, join some of the project management groups, and watch and engage in the forum topics. Job opportunities are sometimes posted in these forums. But the biggest benefit is that you get to interact with other people who are already in the industry, and you can network with them, and an opportunity may come your way. If nothing else, you may get to add them to your contacts, and expand your circle.

3. Fill in your profile with your job experience and interests. That way, when recruiters and head hunters do key word searches to find applicants for the jobs they have available, they'll be able to find your profile. So when you write your profile, bear in mind what key words you want to be found for, and use them in your profile.