How to find a job on Facebook
We know we waste far too much time on Facebook, soaking up memes of angry cats and commenting on our friend’s lunch, but did you ever think about getting a job through the world’s biggest social network?
Yes LinkedIn is the professional social network, but it’s not quite the same, it doesn’t have the same penetration, so Facebook can really be the social network to get you a job.
Make sure your profile is clean and business-like before you go down this route, is the one caveat. Just because your friends ‘liked’ your hilarious drunken escapades, a potential employer might not. Done right, though, this is a solid way to find work.
But how? It’s simple when you think about it.
1. Post that you are looking for work
Employee referrals tend to be the best hires, so employers are increasingly open to them.
For one it means that at least one person believes in you, so simply post that you’re looking for work and see if anybody knows of a job. The employer can also look at your profile. Obviously it will be doctored slightly, but it will still give them a richer impression of your life than a CV ever could.
Gap, UPS and Intel recently moved a good deal of their hiring budget to social media in the US and it’s becoming an increasing trend among UK companies, too.
2. Join groups
There are endless general groups for jobseekers, as well as for specific skills and relevant interests, so join groups that are relevant and network.
Talk to the people there, ask if anybody is hiring and make sure recruiting managers that fit the profile have your CV on their email within minutes. They can now put a face to the CV and it will help you immensely. It’s the digital equivalent of going to play golf or tennis and talking business in the clubhouse afterwards. It’s just a lot cheaper.
3. Connect with company pages
Most companies have a page now, so make sure you ‘like’ it, send them a message and connect. It gives you a chance to talk with smaller company bosses directly and you’ll get the heads-up on any major job opportunities that come up.
Even if they don’t post jobs, strike up a conversation and make sure you have the ‘secret’ email address of the HR manager, rather than the black hole address everybody else applies to. You just jumped to the front of the hiring queue.
4. Advertise yourself
This is hardcore Facebook at its best. If you have unique skills, or even a compelling story, then you can boost your post and effectively advertise yourself.
Citibank worker Leona Chu took this approach and landed herself a spectacular job, the new employer just liked her thinking.
This simple tactic could cost less than the train fare to a job interview, so it’s well worth doing if you think you can make a case for yourself. Almost everybody can, so this is really an elegant way to make Facebook work for you.
