<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none;" alt="" src="https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=2953769&amp;fmt=gif">

Social networking has become a great way to connect with clients and potential recruiters. Utilizing social networking is important regardless of if you are looking for a job or looking to hire new employees. However, it is important that you choose the right social networks that will project a professional image on you and your company.

Facebook is a great tool for businesses as a whole. The smart companies have created a Facebook Page for their business and encouraged clients and potential clients to “Like” the page. The Facebook Page will allow your company to post updates to all of the Facebook users who have liked your page. This is a great way to attract traffic to your company website and encourage customers to voice their opinion. It allows your business to have two-way communication where the customer can interact with you, and you can interact with the customer.

On the other hand, Facebook is not a good tool for those who are looking to get hired. Facebook is typically used as a personal social networking site among friends and family members. Leaving your Facebook page open for employers to see can stop you from getting a position based on a picture you have been tagged in or a comment that was left on your wall. For this reason, it is important to change your security settings to limit the amount of information that people who are not your friend can see.

LinkedIn is a more appropriate place for job seekers to network with employers and contacts. This social network is used for professional uses and shows off your experience, education, recommendations, and more. It is a great way to reconnect with a possible contact that may be able to help you get that interview. Additionally, you can search for open positions from some of your favorite companies using the social networking site.

LinkedIn is also a great tool for businesses because it gives a quick overview of the company and allows people to see who is working there.  The front page of the LinkedIn page gives a snapshot of the company size, industry, year founded, headquarters, and more. Recruiting managers will be able to utilize LinkedIn by posting open job positions (for a fee) for any LinkedIn member to check out.

These are a few of the many social networking sites available for businesses or job seekers. It is 2011 and it is essential that your business have a presence on the social networking sites. To even better improve the customer experience, businesses should post updates on a regular basis and make sure that they are interacting with the customers.

Check out how Hire Velocity utilizes social networking sites by visiting our LinkedIn and Facebook pages.