How LinkedIn and Twitter Are Helping Job Searches

There’s no shortage of news about social media and social networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. But when it comes to job searching, LinkedIn is really the site that is being used the most these days by recruiters and hiring managers.

You no longer need to sit at home waiting for the phone to ring or be glued to our computer desk or office to job search, network and follow up with job leads, says a recent Reuters article. With the proliferation of mobile devices and mobile Internet applications being built by the day that cater to ease of use on Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s BlackBerry and other smartphone devices, it’s not surprising to see the impact Web-based social sites are having.

From the Reuters article:

““The LinkedIn Profile is really the resume of the future,” Joyce said. “The ‘resume’ on LinkedIn is really the standard LinkedIn Profile, but it’s very popular with recruiters looking for good candidates.”You could build your whole LinkedIn presence from any Web-enabled phone.”There are any number of job-search applications — downloadable programs for your phone — available for the iPhone, for instance, including one piloted by recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash. Others pool information on jobs in travel and in education, among other sectors.GETTING CREATIVEWith jobs still scarce, many hopefuls are getting creative about getting noticed. Many have begun using Twitter — a microblogging service that allows users to send 140-character messages at a time — to get the word out.A career is unlikely to be launched on Twitter alone, but candidates are increasingly “tweeting” or posting messages to outline their skills, experiences and career goals. They are pasting links to their resumes on the micro-blogging service.“

People are also “following” recruiters on Twitter, individuals in companies they want to work for and networking organizations focused on the unemployed who are using Twitter to broadcast their free events. Two organizations mentioned in the article are Layoffs Cafe and Laidoff Camp — both using Twitter to market their events for free.

What are the downfalls of all this technology? Weeding out the good leads and opportunities from the bad and the criminal. Be careful who you give your personal information to.