The Great Social Networking Job Hunt

Starting with a blank slate

2008-07-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

So here we go, first thing I need to do is clean up my online presence and decide my methods. I have found that there are a lot of Social networking sites out there and not all of them can be gathered in one place. But Friend Feed does a decent job of getting the main ones down.

So there is my gathering point.. I am sure I will use other tools, but friendfeed gives me a hub.

Next up: Cleaning up my Linkedin profile

The Rules of the Great Social Networking Job Hunt

2008-07-22T19:27:00.001-07:00

You might wonder why I am setting rules if I am so desperate to find a job.. It's because not only is this a means to an end, it is also an experiment to find out if there is an alternative to the endless "Make 80k filling out surveys about pyramid scheme lingerie model chat jobs."

Can I make my own way? A better way, networking with actual people instead of blindly hoping some HR Robot which just scanned 1000 resumes before mine will choose my buzzwords over another persons.

Here are the rules I will follow:

Use only Social Networking tools and the opportunities that come along with them
No Blind Resume Posting (I have one but I want this to be about networking not skill lists)
Big Job webpages are Not Social Networking Tools
No Cattle Call Job Fairs

I plan on updating this every step of the way and hopefully documenting it for the others out there frustrated with the system.

Wish Me Luck!!

The Goal - Great Social Job Hunt

2008-07-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

A Resume in printed form can only tell you so much about a person. You get snippets about what people have accomplished or what degree they have, but nothing at all about the person. So that is why you have face to face interviews.

In order to make it to the Interview you have to stand out among the crowd. In my employment area I am surrounded by many Universities, most of which are pumping out hundreds of educated go-getters every year with a huge debt who are willing to work for whatever money they can get hopefully in the industry of their Major.

For those of us Uneducated heathens with a wealth of working knowledge who have a house, car and family to support, Not just any position will do. Lord knows beggars can't be choosers but bagging groceries won't make the mortgage payment either. So the goal is to find a position in an area I can succeed in and get paid enough to be able to continue my current lifestyle.

Here are the qualifications of the position I am looking for:

Hours: Full Time, Monday - Saturday any time between 7am - 10pm
Location: Raleigh/Durham North Carolina, and Surrounding area, Or Telecommute
Travel: I am happy to Travel any amount
Salary: 29k per year minimum
Benefits: Doesn't really matter I am self insured but a retirement plan would be nice.
Type of company: I would love it to be a progressive small company or startup, but I am open to anything.
Time Frame: I am ready to go right now
Position: Any

Yes you read that right, Any position.. I will get into my specific qualifications next post but If the job meets most of that criteria above I will be happy.

Day 1: The Great Social Networking Job Hunt Begins

2008-07-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

The Concept:

Use only Social Networking sites to obtain reasonable full time employment.

The concept of "It's all about who you know" has been around for as long as there has been any kind of social interaction between living beings. In the working world this is a daily reality, Job offers, promotions, collaborations Etc.. all mostly rely on relationships with a little bit of skill and luck thrown in.

Traditional Non Internet job searches look kind of like a ripple in the pond when you drop a pebble in. Point of impact you make a little splash, your local area gets hit with the initial wave first and most effectively, and as the ripple moves away the wave becomes less significant and harder to see. With the advent of email and online job searches, the pond gets a lot bigger but your pebble remains the same size and there is lots of flotsam and jetsam to impede your wave. There are also millions of other people dropping pebbles that depending on their relationships might get to use a much bigger stone than you.

Now along come social networking sites, new ones every day. These applications allow you connect and have a relationship with people who before were at the farthest ends of the pond. So while this means the pond just got much much bigger, theoretically these relationship tools should turn my little pebble into a Fragmentation Bomb full of millions of pebbles.

Some Questions:

Has this already been Attempted?
Can I find ways to rise above the social networking noise tide to be noticed?
Which tools give me the biggest pebble?
Will my wife run out of patience and leave me before I find a job?