Published: Friday, 22nd January, 2010 3:07pm
Discover a new world of opportunities online
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EmailIf you thought social networking sites were just for the teenagers, think again. More and more professionals are using these sites to give their careers a boost, all at the click of a button. Here's how you could get in on the act too.
In last month's article we looked at some of the Dangers of Social Networking, but now we explore how they can be used correctly to help your career.
There has been a huge rise in the use of social networking sites over the last couple of years as the popularity of sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter keep on growing. But it's not just today's techno-savvy youth that are using these sites for online socialising - it's also industry professionals who have discovered that these sites have a very real place in the business world.
Ironically, the economic downturn has also helped these sites to thrive as entrepreneurs and company employees seek to find support from other like-minded individuals during times of hardship and struggle. But, as well as acting as vital support networks, social media sites can help you in many other ways professionally, most obviously through networking. Whether you like it or not, networking is going to feature heavily in your working life - from the old-style round of after-work drinks with colleagues to the new-style browsing of social networking sites, it's something every worker needs to be doing to give their career a boost.
Through networking you are exposing yourself to a wide audience of industry professionals, many of whom can help you in your career. You can exchange ideas with your peers and learn from those in senior positions all at the click of a button. Social networking sites can help you stay ahead of industry news so that you keep up to date with any advances happening in your field. This type of insider knowledge is often achieved through expensive training and seminars days but can easily be achieved by targeting social media sites - and for free! All it needs is a bit of clever research on your part and you could easily be top of the class.
It's good news for companies, too, as they can also benefit from your use of social networking sites. The website www.businessandnetworking.com even advocates that employers should actively encourage employees to use social networking sites during work time, stating: "There have been plenty of negative articles about social networking sites, but what's often forgotten are the positives that can come from them. Yes, time spent on them might take staff away from the work on hand, but exchanging ideas with others can bring in new thoughts, or trigger something in your own employees. It might even slowly lead to more business through contacts. For those reasons it's well worth encouraging employees to use social networking sites and even allow it - within limits - on company time. Monitor what happens, obviously, but giving that leeway to staff will also make them happier and more relaxed in the workplace, which can lead to the indirect gains of greater productivity and possibly lower staff turnover."
If you work for a large multi-national company, then internal networking can be of equal value - it's a chance to share ideas, problems, solutions and advances in industry with your colleagues across the globe. The worker who is clued up about his company on a global scale will undoubtedly be the one who stands out in his or her employer's eyes as he or she may even identify some important new projects or business leads for the company.
Through broadening your circle of professional contacts you are also setting yourself up for any future moves. Many jobs are secured through industry contacts and this is where social media sites are so useful - even the most practised social butterfly can't keep up with the number of contacts you can make online. All it takes is a typed message and the click of the return button and you could be looking at a new job possibility!
Many workers are also using social media sites as a way to build a portfolio of work. Blogs and video clips can be useful tools for showcasing your work, especially as employers can actively look you up on Facebook and other sites - use these features to impress them!
If you're anxious about delving into the world of social networking, don't be - sites such as Twitter and Facebook are so easy to get to grips with, no matter how computer-literate you are. Check out Jobsite's pages below for an easy introduction to the world of business networking online:
