Using the Social Web to Find Work

I first started working right at the end of an era. Those who preceded me still believed in, and possibly had, jobs for life. But I had the fortune to hit the workforce in the middle of a recession – and found it quite a challenge to find work.

Eventually I landed a job but soon realised that the job safety net – the job for life – no longer existed. I met and worked with many people who were forced to change their jobs or to retire – and with this came isolation, confusion and fear. After all, back then there was no such thing as LinkedIn or Facebook – we were lucky to see one computer in an office of 100 employees. Social networking was something that happened after work – at the pub – and it was not necessarily conducive to showcasing your skills, aspirations or hidden talents (drinking games aside).

Social media, however, now provides us all with ready-made tools to showcase our talents. It provides the perfect way to share our OWN career stories, publish our portfolio of creative work or even receive public endorsement of our capabilities.

If you happen to be out of work, or are starting to look for your next opportunity, it will be worth reading Chris Brogan’s free eBook – How to Use the Social Web to Find Work. It may well be the most important thing you read this year.