4 Tools That Make Job Networking Easier

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — It’s often said that the secret to landing a job is who you know, but for some, that may sound more like an obstacle than an opportunity.

Networking can be time consuming and challenging, but a few websites are making this process easier by helping job hunters tap into their connections on social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Who knows? That person who floods your Facebook news feed with pictures of cats may just be your best hope for landing your next dream job.

Glassdoor

Glassdoor is one of our favorite sites for getting the inside scoop on what it’s like to work at any given company, based on their comprehensive surveys of employees. Earlier this month, the career site added a new feature called Inside Connections that lets job hunters pull information from their Facebook account to find out if they already know someone who works at the company they’re applying to.

InTheDoor

InTheDoor is similar to Glassdoor’s feature, but with one key twist. Rather than look up particular companies and then see if you know someone working there, InTheDoor combines data from your Facebook network with recent job postings on Indeed.com to give you a list of companies which are currently hiring and already employ people you know.

LinkedIn Job Insider Toolbar

Of course, Facebook isn’t the only social network people might want to draw from in their job hunt. Many have probably built up a strong list of professional contacts on LinkedIn, which is why the LinkedIn Job Insider Toolbar is so helpful. As with each of the two previous features, this toolbar makes it easy to find out if you know someone on LinkedIn who works at a company you’re about to apply to. All you have to do is install the toolbar in your browser (Firefox or Internet Explorer only) and then turn it on any time you’re browsing job postings online. The toolbar will then display a list of the people you know at that company who could help get your application into the right hands.

Meeteor

Meeteor takes the concept of online networking one step further by spotlighting new contacts at companies who may be helpful to you in your job search based on their connections and interests. So, for example, if you’re looking for a job at Apple, Meeteor will try to pinpoint an employee at Apple or someone with connections to an employee at the company whose friends and background information overlaps with yours. From there, Meeteor will actually help you draft an introductory message to that person to begin the networking process.

Seth Fiegerman is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by e-mail at seth.fiegerman@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @sfiegerman.