A little bird named Twitter a key to digital job hunt

Spring is here and before you know it we’ll be soaking up the summer sun during our last semester of the MBA program. As part of our degree we must complete an internship in the fall so that we can apply our new found knowledge and skills in the working world.

Searching for a job or an internship is never easy. However, many of us are getting a bit creative in finding ways to engage top employers through networking and conversation. Along with advice from our Career Management Centre and equipped with our list of dream companies, my fellow classmates and I are hitting the streets, or rather the Internet waves, for a job search adventure. Here are a few examples of what it’s like in our shoes. 

1. The hottest job searching tool on the market right now is that little bird named Twitter. Through short, real-time bursts of information called Tweets, anyone can follow a company, human resources profile, individual executive, association, or recruiting company to get notifications of job postings. Not only can you react to Tweets from these accounts, but you can also be proactive and seek out people in the industry or organizations you hope to work for and engage them in a conversation.

2. Facebook allows you to set up a profile for yourself, but you can also use the site to evaluate your interest for a company by joining their fan page. This way every time they post an update or job opening within the organization you’ll be informed through your personal newsfeed. As a plus, companies include additional information such as videos, articles, and photos that can help you gain a better understanding of what the company culture is like.

3. LinkedIn is known as a professional social networking website. In addition to making connections with people you know, you can also conduct a search on a specific company, person or position and find out if you are connected to them through your network. Job postings from human resources are increasingly being posted on LinkedIn; the best thing about finding job postings here is that the human resources contact is published next to the position, making your search for name to address your cover letter to simple and easy.

4. An old-fashioned email address can also help you with your job search. Asking professionals in the industry by email for an informational interview is the best way to talk to someone who knows first-hand what it’s like to work for a company. The key to securing an informational interview is making your role as a curious, ambitious and motivated student known to them. Remember employers, when you start getting requests from students for informational interviews, don’t forget what it was like during your own job hunt!

To all of the MBAs this year and anyone looking to start a new career, good luck!

(Editors’s note: Don’t forget to follow the Business Career Expo and SFU Beedie’s Career Management Centre on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.)