How to use social media in your job search [Daily Dose]

Daily Dose Social Media Tip – How to use social media in your job search

34-year-old Dave Cutler in Waltham is looking for a job.

But he’s not just photocopying resumes, attending boring networking events and cut & pasting impassioned cover letters.

When he was laid off from his job a year ago, Cutler started an all out social media blitz to help him in his quest to find another, better job.

As he states on his blog, HireDaveCutler.com, he didn’t expect to get so much attention from traditional media channels such as the Boston Globe, Fox25 News and WBUR (and he gets the irony).

I think that Cutler’s methods make him relevant, unique and interesting. And isn’t that what all job hunters aspire to be, no matter the field?

Point being: You don’t have to be seeking a job in social media or marketing to adapt some of these same strategies and make them work for you.

How to job hunt Dave Cutler style:

Create a website specific to your job search – like hiredavecutler.com. It works in the same way as a completed LinkedIn profile, but creating and updating a separate website showcases different skills, and it’s more likely to get picked up by Google with a unique URL.

Start a blog and link it to your website. Blog about your interest in your field, about your experiences good and bad (try to refrain from trashing former bosses and co-workers), about your future aspirations, about what makes you so awesome. Starting a blog is the hardest part; once you get writing, you won’t be able to stop!

Get on Twitter (a great job search tool) and start tweeting about news related to your industry and your desired positions. Follow and Retweet influential people in your field or at companies where you want to work. If they follow you back, make sure to thank them. Then contact them via Direct Message and ask to get coffee or set up a phone call.

Make a video resume – it’s so much more compelling than a paper one! (Who reads anymore?) Check out Dave’s example here.

Launch your own Foursquare account. Use it to check in when you have job interviews, informational coffees or lunches, and networking events.

Adapting some or most of Cutler’s methods will surely get you some attention and hopefully some quality interviews! Good luck!  

Have you used social media in your job search? Did you find it beneficial? If so or if not, why?

Please post any feedback or comments in the section below. Thanks!