The Seventh Chapter of Brad & Deb Schepp’s great book How To Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Other Social Networks formally leaves the domain of LinkedIn and begins exploring other social networks like Facebook. Specifically, the prevailing concept that is presented in this chapter is that most people do not believe that social networks, per say, can really help you find work. Rather, social networks are something that are supposed to be aside from your professional life. In fact, in a survey cited in this chapter (by the company Robert Half), most people think that professional networks alone are the best way to find a job. In fact, almost two-to-one who were surveyed thought that social networks were not an appropriate place to look for a job.

However, this figure has changed since the current recession began in 2008. In fact, since 2008, the overall opinion about social networks has changed immensely. Now, for the first time, people are actually turning to social networks (Facebook mostly) to enhance their job search when they feel they have reached the limits with traditional professional networks like LinkedIn.

Brad & Deb entitle Chapter 7 as “Facebook, For College Kids and Their Parents, Too” because this is the case. In fact, Facebook was started by Mark Zuckerberg inside his dormitory room at Harvard University, however, this “original social college friends network” has expanded and now has over 150 million members. Facebook is now FIVE times the size of LinkedIn. Impressive? You bet. So, if LinkedIn has not helped you, then you can (and very carefully) turn to Facebook.

Chapter 7 is the first step in a series of chapters that address social networks other than LinkedIn. The fact that Brad & Deb have devoted half of this book to LinkedIn says a lot, I believe. At the same time, we need to move ahead at this point and hear what they have to say about Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Plaxo and “beyond”. As previously mentioned, Facebook today has 150+ million members. That is amazing. In fact, Facebook has more than just people there. It also has groups and different ways of subscribing to different groups of all kinds, and perhaps within these affiliations you will be able to network and ultimately find yourself needed work. This blog post concludes Chapter Seven (7) of Ten (10) of one of the greatest and most helpful how-to books that we have right now, especially considering the difficult times that many American and International professional readers are facing. I wish you all success in your job search, and that is why I am doing this “Julie and Julia” blogging approach to better understand this great book by Brad & Deb Schepp.

All The Best,

Keith

Visit Brad & Deb Online (Book Authors)
Visit Pinny Cohen Online (Book Recommendation)