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Your Facebook and MySpace profiles may not help you in that next interview
But a new site called SalesBook can
By Patrick Robbins
The functionality of social networking has increased dramatically, as has its usage
and acceptance. Still, the most popular social networking sites remain social-that
is, used for making social connections-and are not seen as legitimate business tools.
In fact, some corporations even go so far as to block access to Facebook and MySpace
at the firewall. A professional who attempts to use such a site for business purposes
may be thwarted from the very beginning.
In fact, job seekers that use these common social networking sites will want to
re-visit them to make sure nothing offensive or incriminating is present, since
many employers do an Internet search on a candidate before making a hiring decision-and
a MySpace page may come to the attention of a hiring manager even if the candidate
does not intend for it to occur.
Some job applicants may occasionally use a Facebook or MySpace site as part of a
job search as a way to present an online profile. The attraction is clear. These
are powerful sites that make it easy to create an online presence, but they are
limited to the social realm so job seekers beware.
While the concept of an online profile is a valuable idea whose time has come, the
social sites are places to re-connect with old friends, and meet new friends that
have common interests. They are not, and were never meant to be, business tools.
Presenting a casual social tool such as a MySpace page as part of a job search could
be seen as unprofessional by many hiring managers.
Recently however, the idea of social networking has expanded into the business world,
and we are starting to see the first Web 2.0 networking sites that are specifically
geared towards business use. Presenting an online resume and profile on the dynamic
site SalesBook.com -which is specifically geared towards the needs of sales professionals-will
immediately be seen by a hiring manager as professional, useful and complete. It
shows a level of seriousness on the part of the sales professional that the hiring
manager is looking for.
SalesBook offers a powerful framework for presenting content, including the ability
to incorporate presentations and virtually any type of file or media-making it very
easy to create a virtual portfolio online. Additionally, the powerful networking
tools will prove very valuable in the job search, allowing the candidate to reach
out and connect with others in the same industry. SalesBook.com has the right on-line
profile for the business world-and presents members with the best venue possible
for conducting a complete online job search.
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