By Gabriela Vlasich

Nowadays, everything happens through social networks. If you are not in them, it is almost as if you did not exist. Sure, you do exist for your friends, your family, for those who are close to you. But you lose track of million of events, news, information, and facts that are published every day through social media. Things that happen right in the other corner of the world, suddenly become viral and everyone who has access to the internet can learn about them. And by being within them, you become aware of that.

Clearly, social networks may involve almost every aspect of life, and your job, your professional career, is not an exception. These networks are neither good nor bad in themselves. They can be useful tools or treacherous sources of information, it all depends on how you use them. For instance, they can be very useful to connect talent throughout the world, as well as to develop your personal brand by promoting an idea, a business or yourself.

Therefore, social networks can be useful tools when you are looking for a job. The obvious choice is LinkedIn, a network aimed at professionals and companies who want to connect with each other. You can check job postings, get involved in forum discussions, follow groups or companies you are interested in and advertise yourself. In addition, you can learn more about that company you recently applied to or you would really like to work in.

You may also use other social media for job seeking or career opportunities, depending on the profession you have. For example, if you work with images, Instagram could be a good choice.  You may publish your work as a photographer or as a graphic designer and encourage followers to check your webpage or blog through Instagram. Basically the same happens with Twitter. The little bird’s network allows you to follow people, companies and institutions you are interested in, as well as publish and promote your own work and ideas and gain followers yourself. Currently many people are freelancers or entrepreneurs, and social networks are a great way to advertise your work. And even if you work for an employer or aim to work in a company, Twitter can help you to be updated on trends and topics that are important for your job.

Many companies have Facebook accounts, where they post job opportunities, webinars or events. By following those companies, you may learn about an interesting job opportunity or check if it has information that make you decide whether its right company for you.

In other words, social networks help job seekers and talent seekers to connect, which is a lot to say in a world where it has become increasingly hard for companies to find and attract talent.

In an interconnected world, the basic principle is to be connected and to become visible by developing your personal brand. Social networks are perfect for that purpose. Of course, this is not easy in a media where everyone seeks the same goals. Besides, you have to be careful, particularly when your professional life is exposed.

If you use social networks for professional purposes, you do not want to become known for the wrong reasons. And even if you don’t, you must know that many employers check their candidates Twitter or Facebook accounts expecting to gain more details about them, which may be either good or bad, depending on the things you decided to expose about yourself. Everything you show in social media becomes part of your personal brand and that may have a direct impact on your professional career. Consequently you must give serious thought to what you want your personal brand to be like and that includes being careful with the content you publish online.

In conclusion, if you are looking for career opportunities, use social networks to develop personal branding, to be updated on job postings, interesting professional trends & topics and to stay connected with other professionals and with talent seekers. If used wisely, social networks may be a great professional ally as well as the right place to connect talent.