I joined Facebook, now what? Using Social Media to Find a Job
By Angela Guidroz, Military Recruiting Manager and Kerry Noone, Marketing Communications Manager

You've lost your job. Now what?

The recent growth in social networking makes it easier than ever to network with people and get your resume in front of the right person. Networking with people in today's world goes way beyond email, telephone, tradeshows and websites. There are so many social networking tools available and it's easy to get confused or overwhelmed. To help our candidates and employees understand the many different ways to network with our team of recruiters, we introduced a Network with us page on our career site this year. This is your "one stop shop" for connecting with us. Sodexo's entire Talent Acquisition Team is actively "talking" with candidates across the country about their career opportunities on Facebook, Linkedin, our blog and on Twitter and more.

Social networking is mutually beneficial for employers and candidates. It allows both parties time to get to know each other. In addition to improving the candidate experience, it allows the employer an opportunity to share with candidates their culture and it allows the candidate to connect with real people who can answer their questions. It also allows the organization to learn about a candidate's career goals and aspirations and it allows candidates to choose companies that meet their expectations.

If you are still saying to yourself, "now what?" maybe these tips will help.

1. Use online resume builders like Visual CV or Resume Bear to revitalize your resume and set up a Google Profile. Take charge of your online presence and use social networking tools to brand yourself and increase your digital footprint. Google’s search engine loves blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. and you want to be found. Make it easy for a recruiter to find you.
2. Join LinkedIn and set up your profile to look like your resume including recommendations from current and former employers and colleagues.
3. Find people you know on LinkedIn and invite them to connect with you. Join groups on Linkedin, like the Sodexo Careers group and participate in the discussions. Start inviting people you know to connect with you on LinkedIn.
4. Set up Google Reader with RSS feeds from job board aggregators like Indeed, and SimplyHired. You can enter your criteria (company name, location, job title, salary, etc) and available jobs will be delivered to you filtered and ready for action. If you know you'd like to work for Sodexo, enter this information in and wait for results.
5. Set up job alerts. Job alerts will email you when a job you’re interested in is posted. Sodexo has a job agent in our career center, a job search widget and Twitter job alerts. You can also set up a job alert from Careerbuilder and other major boards.
6. Set up your Twitter account. Applications like Tweetdeck or Twirl will allow you to build job or company related searches. If you are interested in working for Sodexo, build a search for Sodexo and you'll see our recruiters are actively tweeting. You can see a list of our recruiters on Twitter on the Sodexo Careers blog. Here is a great Twitter cheat sheet to get you started
7. Set up your Facebook account and just like Linkedin, start to connect with people. Here are a few tips for using Facebook in your job search. Become a fan of a company to learn more about their culture and become of fan of industry-related trade organization pages to make connections in your industry.
8. Search for career related blogs, like the Sodexo Careers Blog. Don't be afraid to comment on blog posts when you agree, disagree or have a something to add. If you have a Google Profile, your name can be easily linked to your information. This is one way to get noticed by recruiters.
9. When you find a job you’d like to apply for look for ways to connect with a recruiter at the company. Sodexo’s Network with Us page on our Career Site makes it easier to connect with recruiters and hiring managers.
10. Be honest, consistent and patient. Just because you've created profiles does not mean people are required to connect with you. It’s important to represent yourself honestly and most important as a valuable contact. Social networking is not all about you - it's about your network. Help others make a connection and they will help you.

Your Social Networking profile is not for your eyes only.

If you have already started to network online or you have plans to, don't forget the information on the internet is for anyone who finds it. Take the opportunity to brand yourself as a committed employee, which will appeal to companies, like Sodexo who are looking for candidates to fill open positions. Remember, anything you post online, regardless of privacy settings, has the potential to be read by many. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind? If you do not want your boss to read it then don't post it online!

Will you take advantage of the access to our employees to get to know us?

If you have not adapted to the times and embraced social networking there is no better time to take the plunge. If you are still not sure where to begin, try reaching out to employees from the company you are interested in on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, and ask if they have a minute to answer your questions. I think you will be surprised that most people are open to sharing their story.