There has been a lot of talk about using social media to help find a new job; I’m not currently looking for a new position but should I be looking into social media anyway?
Social media (tools like Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs etc) are used for a whole host of reasons not just for job hunting but it is worth remembering that today most people still find their next position through traditional routes i.e., through someone they know.
It always makes sense to stay connected to the people you have met throughout your career. Social media tools can also be great for this as well as helping with your career development and advancement too. These tools have helped create communities of project managers online which in turn has led to real knowledge sharing – exchange of quality information – between project managers across the world. Taking three of the most popular tools available you can quickly see how they could be beneficial to you.
Social Media and the Job Search
Twitter for example has its own community of project managers who all communicate through a keyword term “#pmot”. This Project Manager on Twitter group comprised of hundreds of project managers all sharing tips, articles, advice, news and weblinks in areas such as planning, failure, leadership etc. It’s a great way to keep up to date with the PM field and also spend time each day or week carrying out a little informal career / professional development. Twitter is also a networking tool and more recently has become integrated with the professional networking website LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is not only a great way to keep in touch with contacts you make throughout your career (remember you may not be looking for a new position today but one day your own personal network will be the place you turn when you do) but also a way to get involved with your profession. There are a number of project management specialist interest groups which anyone can become members of (check out the PMI Career Central group as a starting point) and the objective is all about sharing project management expertise and advice.
Blogging is a great way to increase your connections to others in the project management world whilst at the same time letting the world know about what interests you in PM. There are literally hundreds of project management blogs (check out www.PPMCommunity.com for the top 100) written by both experienced writers and the enthusiastic amateur. You can just become acquainted with RSS feeds and readers, selecting a few blogs you like and incorporating them into your daily reading life or go one step further – create your own. Bloggers get immense satisfaction (and in some cases CPD points!) from writing about their works experiences and receiving comments from the wider community.
To find out more about social media use on your projects check out the new PMI published book “Social Media for Project Managers” by Elizabeth Harrin. The book will give you all you need to know about using social media to help manage your projects. I’ll also be reviewing this book on the Camel next month.
You can send us a question for the Q&A Project Management Careers series through the contact form. Just state if you would like to remain anonoymous.
Want to find out more about social media and project management, visit the Arras People website
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