Image by OcchiovivoBy Megan Tyrell

From social to

professional

networking

In the past five years, social networking sites

have become the number one way to

communicate with others around the world.

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Around 57% of people prefer to communicate online over of face to face interaction.

Image by Lorianne DiSabato

But social networking sites are not only being used socially, it is clearly the new way to

professionally network.Image by Shoothead

One in five employers use social networking sites in the hiring process.

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Facebook and Linkedin are a couple

social networking sites of many that are being used by popular businesses to achieve

improved interaction with

customers.

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Image by Samtironika

Facebook was originally created for social interaction among colleagues but today it is also being used as a business and marketing tool.

There are over 500 million Facebook users today. The amount of traffic Facebook

receives in a day has made it easier to search for possible

candidates as well as advertise business

opportunities.

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Image by Tychay

Linkedin, on the other hand, only has around

100 million members

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…but it is a professional networking site that can achieve business goals effectively in a business environment.

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There are many advantages to social networking sites for both businesses and candidates.

Social networking sites support the maintenance of existing social ties and

the formation of new connections.

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They provide the power of rapport and meeting up with the right people at the right time.

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They make searching for possible candidates quick and easy, with just a press of a button.

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Image by Johan Larsson

Also, social networking sites can be used at anytime and anywhere with the increased technology such as a Smartphone, a laptop and/or a tablet.

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Their goal is to build interpersonal relationships, which can open doors to job opportunities at target employers.

But how do successful candidates stand out from the millions of people in the online world?

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Image by Shoothead

The most important way to stand out is to brand yourself.

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Branding is an idea, an image, a promise. It is about what makes you different from everyone else, and what others can expect to gain from you.

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If you do not create a strong and true brand for yourself in the virtual world, people will create it

for you and you might not like the results

Image by Lisa Anne

Image by Shoothead

All in all, the purpose of business networking is to make it easier for the employer to attract good workers, and more importantly get the top talent it needs from the job market.

Image by SJ Photography

Therefore, social networking sites are the key to success in business.

All images are licensed under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial NoDerivs License

Credits

Image by Stephanie Wallace