Facebook rolled out the new Graph Search in January. While this feature is not available to everyone yet, it is an interesting development that job seekers should be aware of.
Here’s a blurb about how the search works from ABC News:
“I can just type in a short, simple phrase, like friends who like soccer and live nearby,” Facebook product manager Kate O’Neill, told ABC News “Nightline” in an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview. “And now I’m getting the exact group of people that I’m looking for, so I can play soccer and ask them if they want to kick the ball around with me after work.” O’Neill was able to narrow down the search in a demonstration only to show women.”
How will it affect your job search? Are your privacy settings keeping your personal information from being shared to the public (recruiters, companies etc). Facebook Graph Search engineers have said that the only things that will appear in the search are things that are already visible. So be sure to check your privacy settings (this is a good idea no matter what). Who can see your information? What if you are tagged in a photo? Limit what is available to the public. Just as with LinkedIn you want to be conscious of what anyone can find. Is your picture professional? Are you using keywords to describe yourself? How are you displaying your brand?
There has been a lot of buzz about the new feature and a lot of people who have Facebook Graph Search are impressed with it. You can learn more about Facebook Graph Search here: https://www.facebook.com/about/graphsearchÂ
The internet and social media trends are always changing. It can be intimidating trying to keep up with the latest online job search trends. I think that Facebook Graph Search will be a very innovative approach, and will have an impact on job seekers. So do your research, and prepare for yourself for these changes. It’s important to ‘stay with the times’ in your career transition.
Don’t overlook social media and the internet as step in your career path. In fact, we recently released a new coaching package that offers our help with leveraging your LinkedIn profile in your job search. You can learn more about it here.
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
P.S. You can follow Create Your Career Path on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/careercoachingteam
