User:Muralimathashri

Join Specific Groups

All networking sites have groups formed by people with specific skills or in a particular industry You should join these as it will help to expand your network and tap these contacts when you need to start a job search. Also, recruiters often post vacancies on the pages of such groups. However, don’ think that once you join a group you will be flooded with job offers instantly. It will take time to build a network as well as rapport with the members. After all, it is diffi cult to trust someone whom you have never met personally.

Keep an Active Profile

You should post a detailed profile as this is the first thing that a po tential employer will read about you. Highlight your professional capabilities and skills, but be brief about personal information. The headline or ‘about me’ informa tion should be succinct and in teresting. Use keywords which will help your profile to pop up when someone is trawling the site look ing for a candidate.

Be active on the site. Give so lutions to enquiries posted by peo ple and regularly post news about what’s happening in your indus try. If you are looking for a job, fre quently post messages regarding your search as this will keep it fresh in the minds of people with in your network.

Recommendations

Your profile should carry positive feedback about your work. Re cruiters prefer it if the recom mendations are written by senior colleagues. “While requesting a colleague to write one for you, ask him to focus on the positive as pects and achievements in the past one to five years. Don’t ask some one who has known you for less than this period as it will come across as a biased view,” says Kris Lakshmikanth, CEO, The Head Hunters (India).

Online Behaviour

You may have to change the pri vacy settings for your Website page so that recruiters can easily send or post a message.

While a social networking site can help you get a job, it could also land you in trouble if you are not careful about what you post. Don’ start writing about a job change before informing your current em ployer as someone in your network may spill the beans at work.

Avoid mentioning faults of your current and past colleagues as this can sour relations within your network and harm future op portunities. Also, potential em ployers will be unwilling to hire you. Keep a check on what you post about your personal life. No racy photographs, snide com ments, risky jokes or strong po litical views should be aired.