Lisa B, 

I saw this on Mashable: Top 10 Social Sites for Finding a Job

by Dan Schawbel

DanSchawbel is the author of Me 2.0: Build aPowerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, and owner of the awardwinning Personal Branding Blog.

Here at Mashable.com,we’re trying hard to help you stay afloat and succeed in the current economiccrisis. We’ve told you how to build the ultimate socialmedia resume, sites to visit if you’ve been laid off,and the secrets to finding your next job using socialmedia tools. Now we’ll look at ten incredible social sites to helpyou in your job search.

Some of these sitesallow you to craft a resume, while others are networking platforms that containjob listings. By signing up for all ten, you increase your chances of getting ajob and decrease the amount of time you’ll spend searching for a new one. Threeof the listed sites can be combined with other sites to be more impactful. Inaddition to joining, creating profiles and searching for jobs, I encourage youto support these sites with either a traditional website or blog, so that youhave more to present to employers, in addition to your profile.

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is by far the #1 spot for jobseekers, those currently employed, marketers who are looking to build lists andsalespeople who are seeking out new clients. With 35 million users, includingrecruiters and job seekers, LinkedInis quite a hot spot. Of course, due to the current state of the economy, it’ssimple to understand why LinkedIn is more popular than ever.

The problem is thatmost job seekers don’t optimize their profile, cultivate their network, joinand participate in groups, use applications and exchangeendorsements. That is basically everything you should be doing in a nutshell. Ialso recommend that you use a distinct URL (linkedin.com/in/yourfullname) andan avatar that best represents you and is consistent with the picture on yourother social sites.

When you search fora job, recognize who in your network might help you get to the hiring manager.You’re given 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree connections on LinkedIn that you should beusing to secure a job opening.

2. Plaxo With Simply Hired

Plaxo is a social network that resemblesLinkedIn to a certain degree. You’re able to create your own profile with asection about you, your contact information and your “pulse stream,” which ismade up of your presence on social media sites such as Twitter. You’re evenable to share your photo album and send eCards, which is a nice differentiator.

The real value inPlaxo is the address book that keeps track of all of your contact information,including a Yahoo! Map indicating where your contacts live. Plaxo, which isowned by Comcast, is also integrated with Simply Hired, which is ajob aggregator that searches thousands of job sites and companies andaggregates them in a single location for you. After building your Plaxoprofile, use it as part of the recruitment process when applying for jobs withSimply Hired for success.

3. Twitter With Blog or LinkedIn URL

Twitter is an amazing tool if you can unlockits power. It’s taken me months to understand how conversations flow and how Ican add to the discussion. Twitter breaks down communication barriers and letsyou talk directly to hiring managers, without having to submit a resumeimmediately to a machine.

Although Twitter isprobably one of the best networking tools on the planet, it needs to besupplemented with a blog or LinkedIn profile. There’s no way you can hiresomeone based on a Twitter profile, without having a link from that profile tosomething else that gives more information on that job seeker. You get to addone URL to your profile, so choose wisely.

4. Jobster

Jobster isn’t spoken about nearly enough, yetit is a powerful platform for networking with employers who are offering jobs,while you’re searching. You can upload your resume, embed your video resume,showcase links to your site, your picture and tag your skills, which is aunique differentiator. You can search for open positions and see who the personis who posted the job. Then you can add them to your network and connect withthem to find out more about the position.

5. Facebook

Facebook can be used to get jobs. Thereare two main ways of acquiring a job through Facebook. The first is to go toyour Facebook marketplace, which lists job openings or other opportunities inyour network. Aside from jobs, there are “items wanted” and a “for sale”listing. When searching for jobs, you’ll be able to see who listed the item andthen message them to show your interest.

When you find a jobopening that you’re interested in, you’ll be able to message the hiring managerdirectly. For instance, the subject line of the message will auto-populate with“Principal Web Developer in Littleton, MA” in the subject line. The second wayto get a job using Facebook is to join groups and fan pages to find people withcommon interests and to network with them.

6. Craigslist

Craigslist is an extremely valuable job searchtool if you’re not looking to work for a big brand name company, such asP&G or GE. Most of the positions on Craigslist are for consultants (design/programminghelp) and at small to midsize companies that are hiring. There are new listingsevery day and if you wake up to this site every morning and refresh the page,you have a good chance at getting a job sooner rather than later.

7. MyWorkster With Indeed

MyWorkster focuses on exclusive networks forcolleges, allowing students and alumni to connect for exclusive careeropportunities. This site isn’t valuable to you if you didn’t go to collegethough. This social network allows you to create a professional profile andnetwork with potential employers.

For a free account,you get a profile, instant messenger built in the site, groups, events, yourresume and more. The big differentiator is that it uses Facebook Connect to getyour information. Hereis an example of a profile page. MyWorkster also has job listings, which areprovided by Indeed, a job search engine andaggregator, which is very similar to Simply Hired.

8. VisualCV

VisualCV understands the importance of personalbranding in a job search. Instead of a traditional resume, you get your ownbranded webpage, where you can add video, audio, images, graphs, charts, worksamples, presentations and references. VisualCVs not only let you stand outfrom the crowd, but communicate your value in a way that’s not possible with statictext.

After you’ve createdyour VisualCV, you can display it publicly or privately, email it to arecruiter, save it as a PDF or forward the URL, which will rank high for yourname. On the site, you can search for jobs and apply directly using your VisualCV.Everybody’s favorite venture capitalist, Guy Kawasaki, is on their board.

Disclosure:VisualCV sponsors my blog and magazine.

9. JobFox

JobFox, like online dating, tries to pair youup with a job that best fits you. Their differentiator is their “MutualSuitability SystemTM” that enables them to match your wants and needs to thoseof employers to find the best relationship. The system learns about yourskills, experiences, and goals and then presents you with jobs.

Then there’s the“Jobfox Intro,” where both the applicant and company get emails to encouragethe connection. Just like VisualCV, you get your own branded website, with apersonal web address to send to employers. JobFox was created by Rob McGovern,the founder of Careerbuilder.com.

10. Ecademy