Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn: A help rather than a hindrance to jobseekers?

It's official! The media finally seem to recognise that social networks, including Facebook and Twitter, have a serious and constructive purpose.

After all of the horror and scare stories, the balance was redressed a bit by yesterday's London Evening Standard. Under the heading 'Is your online profile good enough to make finding a new job easy?', a full page of the Business Section was devoted to the power of online networks in job search.

According to the article, written by Jackie Switzer and based on a survey by Harvey Nash recruitment consultants and the Department for Work and Pensions, a third of employers in the UK are using social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to connect to potential recruits.

Rather than taking the typical media focus of employers looking for something negative in people's profiles, the article studies how a good online networking strategy can make all of the difference for candidates in a very competitive market.

Dhana Markanday of Reed is quoted as saying, "An extensive LinkedIn profile could make the difference between getting an interview or not", while Rob Grimsey of Harvey Nash calls a jobseeker's online presence "the most important marketing and strategy document you will produce to advance your career."

The article makes it clear that you need to approach your membership of these sites carefully, but not for the obvious reasons.

"Senior people create LinkedIn profiles and then they don't maintain them. That is a missed opportunity", says Grimsey. "Equally they can create profiles which can look too desperate, with thousands of connections."

LinkedIn Open Networkers take note!

The value of a strong online network cannot be underestimated. Not only is it vital for jobseekers, the article also emphasises how recruiters will identify prospective candidates from those not currently actively seeking work, based on strong networking links and professional relationships online.

The last word goes to Matt Burney, who was made redundant from his Sales Director post at the beginning of June.

"When I was told I was being made redundant, I posted it on LinkedIn and Twitter. Within six hours I had nine meetings arranged."

How get ahead in your career through networking

I was interviewed for today's interview about the importance of networking for your career. With so many people facing the prospect of redundancy, those with the strongest networks will survive.

Actually, let me correct that, those with the knowledge of how to turn to their networks for help, how to educate their network and how to reward their network will be the ones who thrive.

Too many people ignore huge chunks of their network because they don't think they'll have the connections to help them. Or fail to articulate a clear message about the help they need.

Job vacancies are filled predominantly through referral. If you want to develop your career, now's the time to develop your networking.

A Hand Up The Ladder

We're constantly told how important personal connections are when taking the next step on the career ladder. It is said that 70% of all vacancies are filled by personal recommendations and connections.

Last month I had the pleasure of meeting with Lori Friedman. Lori is the former COO of AOL UK. Lori's story underlines the importance of personal connections.

Back in 2000, Lori was looking for her next career move. She saw the post of COO of AOL UK advertised and felt that it would be the ideal next step for her. Applying for the job, she soon found herself meeting with the agency retained to lead the search. Despite what she felt was a positive interview, Lori didn't hear any more.

About six months later, Lori was talking to a client of hers, Neil Thomson of St. Lukes Advertising Agency. During the conversation, Lori found out that Neil's wife is Karen Thomson who was, at the time, CEO of AOL. Lori mentioned that job that she had applied for. Neil grabbed her CV and took it back to his wife, telling her all about Lori and how she would be perfect for the role.

The rest is history!