Organizing a Job Hunt with Social Media Tools, Part One: Netvibes.com

By Alicia Wells, a public relations professional

This is part one of a three-part series on organizing a job hunt with social media tools. It can be said that looking for a job is a full-time job in itself. Searching the job boards, sending out resumes and networking can take up a lot of time and quickly overcome the job hunter. Social media tools are a great way to supplement a job search and grow one’s network, but even just maintaining these resources can become a burden. Instead of letting them get the best of you, this series will provide tips for organizing a job hunt with social media tools.

NetVibes

Between searching a handful of job boards, reading up on industry relevant news and blogs, and logging into your various social networks, online job hunting can become cumbersome and overwhelming. Using an aggregator or “personal startpage” will help you to organize all of these tools into one easy-to-access spot. Netvibes.com is an example of one such online aggregator that allows you to set up a free, personalized account. By logging into your Netvibes dashboard, you can access your bookmarks, Twitter, Facebook, email and RSS feeds of job boards, blogs and news outlets you follow. It also allows you to create separate tabs and assign your own categories, such as personal, professional, etc.

To make the most of this tool, set up bookmarks of the job boards that you regularly search so that you have quick access to them upon logging in. If any of the job boards you use offer RSS feeds, save the feeds to your page and Netvibes will automatically update them when there are new listings. Instead of having to individually search each website, you will be able to see all of the new openings in one place.

Another key way to utilize Netvibes is to set up RSS feeds for professional blogs and publications within your industry to stay on top of trends and opinions of other industry professionals. This will help you to become familiar with influential professionals and start interacting with them in an easy, comfortable way. By sharing your thoughts and opinions in the comments of blogs and publications you follow, you will start to get your name out in a positive light (as long as your comments are well thought-out and inoffensive).

Staying up on the news and trends of your industry will also make you more knowledgeable in and prepared for job interviews. If you know what’s going on and can share your opinions and ask intelligent questions, you will form a positive impression of the interviewer.

Social media can quickly become overwhelming, but using this simple dashboard to gather everything in one place for quick access should allow you to keep your cool and organize these tools for a better job search.

Alicia Wells is a public relations professional and helps hire soon-to-be and recent graduates for a mid-sized PR agency. She writes a blog about entry-level PR and job hunting, and can be found on Twitter and LinkedIn.