Facebook has hit the big time – It’s a fact. It’s not going away, and it will only get bigger (at least for the next couple of years). I know this because many companies haven’t realized that they need to have a presence on it, and they will. Once that happens, users will be overwhelmed with uses for the site. Also, the number of unique visitors per month keeps getting higher and higher. Check out the graph below to see what I mean.

Number of users on Facebook continues to grow.

During my recent job search I’ve been using many tools to assist my efforts including Facebook. I thought that since many people out there are in the same situation as I am in, I would share some of my tips with you all.

So here are some tips on how to use Facebook to help find a job:

Research Companies

Currently, there are over 21, 000 companies that have some type of presence on Facebook. The smart ones have created information pages targeted to Generation Y, as a means of promoting a product or the company itself. Ernst & Young came up with a brilliant idea and created an actual ‘careers’ page for Facebook. It simply promotes the benefits of working there as well as showing some of the human aspects of the company. You can view the page and its 28,000 fans here- Ernst & Young Careers. More companies should be doing this.

Searching For Jobs on Facebook

Both Monster and CareerBuilder have a presence on Facebook. Monster does this in the form of an application, where you are able to receive job feeds of relevant positions directly to your home page news feed.

CareerBuilder did things a bit different. They have a pimped out page where you are able to conduct job searches and use some of their other site tools, like salary calculator, resume writing tips, etc. The page has over 36,000 fans. Check it out.

Using Facebook To Find The Right Contact

This was taken directly from a blog post on JobMob:

I saw an ad for a job and I *almost* fit the job description but they wanted a certain requirement. I did not have it and to be honest, I didn’t think it was needed for the job. I took the contact’s e-mail address and Googled it in order to get the contact’s full name, which I then plugged into Facebook and LinkedIn. It turns out we have a few common friends on Facebook and we even attended a barbecue together at a common friend’s house. I called the common friend of ours and asked her to see if I could get my CV through despite not having all of the requirements.

My CV got through and after a few interviews, I got the job.

Use Facebook To Promote Yourself

Every Facebook account has an Info tab. Use it. Fill out all of your work experience and education and change your settings to make this section of your profile searchable by everyone. Recruiters search Facebook for candidates too, the same way candidates use it to look for a job.

Also, be sure to join groups that are related to your profession and contribute to them often. Add relevant bits of content and keep an eye out for information that may help you land a gig.

That should get you started. I’m sure once you get going, you will think of others ways to utilize Facebook’s services. If you have other tips regarding this topic, please leave a comment and share it with the group.

Cheers and best of luck.