By Phil Rosenberg

This is a republication of an article Phil wrote for NewMediaHire.

In today’s hyper-competitive, recessionary job market, job seekers are finding more barriers than good news. Creative social media use gives job seekers a way to beat the odds. When government figures list unemployment as 6 times greater than job openings, you’ve got to try something different to be noticed.

The good news is that Social Media gives job seekers plenty of opportunities to stand out. While most job seekers recognize Social Media’s help in networking, few take advantage of Social Media’s power in branding, Subject Matter Expertise, research and differentiation.

Here’s a list of 5 ways social media gives job seekers an advantage:

1. • Linkedin is great for more formal contact with hiring managers, and to discover who to contact within a company. Linkedin has tools that overlay major job boards, so job seekers see who to contact in their network are at target companies where jobs are advertised.  For an examples of all these points see 20 Ways to Brand Yourself.
   • Facebook’s sheer size, viral distribution and groups make it a great place for media professionals to build network contacts. Facebook is great for more informal networking, especially to use common interests to contact hiring managers. Identify contact manager on Linkedin, discover common interests, search for them by name on Facebook groups with common interests and start a discussion about something other than your job search. Build a relationship first, and the decision maker will ask what you do. » Read more: Job Search Tips: 5 Ways Social Media Gives Job Seekers An Advantage