Last week, I collaborated with a fellow AIESECer for a presentation on the use of social media in the job search process. The presentation was meant for our fellow Career Peer Educators. As you probably already know by now, I’m volunteering for SFU Career Services as a peer, usually helping other students and alumni with their resumes and cover letters.

The best thing about this project is that it gave me a legitimate reason to use Slideshare. Check it out!

The complete accompanying blog post for the presentation is on the AIESEC SFU blog. Some of the major topics we tackled includes the following:

• Using social media to create your online personal brand
• Creating a clean presence
• Finding leads through social media
• Growing and maintaining your network

We’ve also pointed out some caveats about social media that every job seeker should know. I think those points are worth repeating, so here they are:

• Don’t forget about the “social” aspect of social media. This means you should be talking to people. Contribute with insightful comments. Respond to people. Offer help where it’s needed.

• Consider social media as a supplement to your job search. Meet new people via social media, but also continue to meet people face-to-face via informational interviews, by volunteering, attending networking events, getting an internship, etc.

• Maintain your relationships via social networks and face-to-face meetings even after you get a job. Most of us change jobs often. Also, pay forward and help other job seekers if you can.

• Finally, make sure you have fun! Be yourself and make new friends along the way.

One thing I forgot to talk about in the blog post is that these tips take into account typical students. We’ve looked at what the general population need to know. Obviously things change depending on people’s industries.

In the slide where we talk about which social networking sites students should be joining, for example, the spectrum will look very different for an aspiring photographer. In that case, Flickr might be the most important site.

To read the complete blog post, please go http://bit.ly/sm4peers. And if you have any feedback, send them over! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Were there other important tips that we didn’t cover? How do YOU use social media in your job search?

If you have any feedback on our Slideshare, please be nice – it’s my first one.

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