There are hundreds of job boards on the internet, many of which are either very specific or very worthless. To help people find the best ones, we created the Job Board Directory on TheCanned.com.

Over the last month we have gotten a hundred or so comments on this section. People write things like:

• “I need a job. can do concrete management work. (Redi Mix) Have beena rebar detailer and estimator for last 6 years +”
• “Interested in strategic marketing/branding position in the New York City/Westchester/So. Connecticut area”
• “Looking for an instructor position in the Cosmetology field”

These comments tell me two things: First, the job board directory is confusing and needs to be redesigned (it has been and a shiny, new directory is coming soon). Second, people need some guidance about how to network and job search online. Since we already covered The Truth About Job Boards, let’s take a look at online networking.

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter… these can all be valuable resources in your job search. Chris Brogan writes some decent articles on building personal and business networks if you’re interested in lots of details. If you’re intersted in the quick scoop, from the perspective of a job seeker, then keep reading.

LinkedIn

This is a community specifically designed to build professional networks. You can spare the list of your favorite movies and the superfluous pictures here. As a job seeker, you want to be “linked in” to as many working folks as possible. Start by connecting with friends and family, then move on to former classmates and colleagues. You can branch out to professional contacts as well, although this is definitely easier while you are still employed.

Once you build your network, you can tap it to get introductions to mutual acquaintances that work for potential employers. Before applying with any company, just search LinkedIn to see if you are connected, directly of through someone else, to a current employee. Sometimes all you really need is a foot in the door, and this is an easy way to get one.

Facebook

Facebook is a tough sell for job search. The easy wins here are to keep your profile clean, descriptive, and up-to-date. Most people, maintaining that elusive work-life balance, do not “friend” professional contacts using Facebook. Regardless, you can see where your friends currently or previously worked in their work history (use the advanced search).

If you’re looking for a contact at a potential employer, what better way to find one than by asking your comrades? Alternatively, you can ask that question directly by updating your status or sending friends direct messages. We all get by with a little help from our friends.

For those of you who are a little more brash:

1. Try setting up a Facebook group dedicated to your job search.
2. Title it something like “Help Jacob Heinz find a job in the condiments industry” and invite everyone you can.
3. Ask your friends to invite anybody that they think can help. In the group, list some brief professional highlights and aspirations.
4. Make sure to update the group wall every time you get an interview or make a move.

As far as I know, nobody has done this yet.

Twitter

Twitter confuses the hell out of people. Everyone is pretty sure it’s a valuable resource for everything from marketing to job-searching to virtual people-watching, but not too many are sure how. At TheCanned, we just started to crack that egg ourselves. To use Twitter to find a job, start by “following” as many people as you can. With your permission, Twitter will search your Facebook and Gmail for acquaintances that are already signed up. But don’t stop there: search for companies, groups, professional acquantances, journalists, headhunters, etc. and follow them too. You can follow anybody you want– you do not need permission.

Next, go to Tweet Beep and search for people talking about companies that your are interested in or keywords that you are interested in (like “hiring,” “tech jobs,” “opening new office,” etc.) Do this regularly to keep growing your network.

Lastly, reach out on the regular. Let people know exactly what you are looking for. The comments above from our Job Board Directory would all fit in on Twitter. But keeping it general only goes so far: make sure to reach out before interviews and before applying as well.

• “Anybody have a contact at Ogilvy?”
• “I’m thinking of moving to San Jose, anybody have an idea what the job market is like out there for a CSS expert?“
• “After ten years at KPMG, I’m ready to get my hands dirty working for a startup. Looking for a comptroller position somewhere fun.”
• “Preparing for an interview at Oliver Wyman tomorrow, tips and pointers appreciated.“

You get the picture. Keep mixing it up and update your status on the regular. Don’t annoy people by constantly asking about jobs, but also don’t hesitate to reach out a few times each week.

In Conclusion

For those of you who posted misdirected comments on our job boards, we’re sorry to have confused you. Take solace in the fact that you’re on the right track. Get out there and build your online social networks. The bigger the better. Using them to find jobs is fairly new, so best practices are hard to find. In addition to everything above, be creative. Build a website, sign up as an expert at a popular blog, submit articles to news magazines, make a page on Squidoo, or anything else you can think of. Just make sure that the image you are looking to project, as a job seeker, is reflected in your digital footprint.

Mike Trapanese - April 14, 2009 - 3:33 am
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