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Use Social Media to Get the Word Out

LinkedIn Set up your professional profile on LinkedIn, connect to people you know, join relevant local industry groups, research companies and find key contacts. There are over 70 million professionals online worldwide connecting 24/7!

Use your network of friends on Facebook to get the word out there. Use 'Notes' and 'Status Updates' to let people know you're looking for a job. For example, a Status Update might be, "Had a great interview this morning… keep your fingers crossed!" so people know you are actively looking for work.

Twitter allows you to connect with new people based on common interests. Set up a profile (use your name) and start following people, companies, organisations that you would like to build a relationship with, and hopefully they'll follow you back! To start networking with specific people you could say something like, "Hi, I'm looking to break into the advertising field, can you refer me to someone who could help?" And when updating your status, talk about your job search in positive, proactive terms, such as, "Looking forward to my first interview with XYZ Company tomorrow".

Twellow is another tool for Twitter you can use to connect with people in different companies. You can search for a specific company name and find out which of their staff is on Twitter - providing you a direct contact point.

Networking on social media sites will boost your list of contacts in the job search, but don't forget face-to-face contact is ultimately the best. Once you've made a solid connection with a potential employer, ask them if they'd like to meet for coffee to chat further.

WARNING! Before you post on any Social Media site, consider, if a prospective employee see's it… will it make you look better or worse? Many companies will "Google you" before they interview you to see what comes up… Scary, but true!