Part II: Food for thought-Online Social Networking

My New Year's Resolution for 2008 is increasing my networking circle both online and in person. It's obvious if you've spent any amount of time online that social networking online is increasingly becoming more and more important. I already mentioned how hiring manager's are viewing candidate's myspace pages as part of the background check process. Keeping in touch with your networking connections using online services like linkedin, myspace, and facebook are more important than ever.

I encourage everyone to part take in online social networking and to use it as a supplement to face to face networking. This week alone, I attended 4 different networking events, met a handful of individuals of interest, contacted them either via email or a handwritten note, and have invited them to be a part of my linked in network. The fact is the best jobs are not advertised using typical media methods like newspaper, job boards, or with staffing agencies. Most jobs are not advertised at all which is where social networking comes into play. With the click of a mouse or tap of a keyboard, I can send out an email to my online social network and make them aware of a key position I am looking to fill.

Some suggestions to enhance your online social networking:

1. Create a blog.
2. Develop a networking newsletter.
3. Use linked in or other similar site.
4. Participate in industry networking sites. (For example, I am a member of erenetwork.com, a free site for recruiters.)
5. Blog on a professional site or create your own.
6. Focus on one or two networking sites. Don't overdo it.

Holiday Tip: Send a Holiday E-card to your network.

Next time. . . The COLD hard facts-What companies want