I mentioned in my first article that I we would explore
using social media to find new employment opportunities. One of my current favorites is Linkedin. All you do is sign up and start searching for
groups that apply to you. On a broad
scale, you can sign up for job post groups that are national and those that are
more targeted to your area (region of the country, state, city, etc.). You can also search for groups targeting your
desired career (programmer, graphic designer, lab tech, etc.) or specific
skills (Linux, Oracle, etc.). Once you
join a group, go to the Jobs link. From
there, you should also click on the ‘Discussions’ link. That link could be a gold mine of job
openings for you. Just remember that you
may not always receive a response to your inquiry right away, since most
individuals who place job postings don’t check messages daily. They may check it once every week or two. Also, be aware that there are many, many
international recruiters posting jobs.
As always, keep personal information private. If you do receive a response, check out that
Recruiter’s web presence to see if they have signed up with the Better Business
Bureau. It’s not a guarantee, but the
Better Business Bureau has a database of companies that have received
complaints in the past.
Also, be prepared to receive messages from other Linkedin
members. If you do not wish to receive
product advertisements or messages in general, be sure to ask to be taken off
that advertiser’s mailing list.
As always, be very cautious.
Never share personal information until you have developed a working
business relationship with a Recruiter or company representative, verified the
company is legitimate and able to protect any information you give them. If you still don’t feel comfortable, don’t do
it. I would never advise someone to
share confidential information with anyone they meet over the internet. I also give the same advice for someone you
meet in person. Always check out
credentials and background of the company requesting the information, just as
they would check out your credibility.
