Once signed onto a social network, having answered a few basic profile questions, it is easy to sit back and wonder what you are supposed to do next. Networking is based on a certain structure that allows people to both express their individuality and meet people with similar interests.
This structure includes having profiles, friends, blog posts, widgets, and usually something unique to that particular community website. Special features include the ability to 'poke' people on Facebook or high-five someone on Hi5.
Career websites can provide the cornerstone to recruiting efforts for a company and can be a great asset to the hungry professional hoping to leverage their corporate contacts in order to improve their job. Focused on business, these social structures provides the tools needed to reach out and make connections, find new jobs, or find specialized job seekers.
Whether you are looking for a promotion or looking for new opportunities, community business networking can be just the thing to advance your career. Career websites are also a boon to recruiters looking to fill urgent vacancies.
CompanyLoop is a business structure aimed at workers in the same company. By restricting access to only co-workers, CompanyLoop allows you to connect with your fellow employees and share knowledge specific to your vocation.
Not only can you stay up to date with your co-workers, you can find the people you need to get your tasks done faster. DoMyStuff is a website designed to connect people who want stuff done to people who will do it.
DoMyStuff allows everything from household chores to corporate tasks to be outsourced to thousands of assistants bidding on the jobs. An alternative to hiring a temp agency to fill short-term needs, DoMyStuff is also a good site for people looking to do odd jobs.
DOOSTANG is a company structure marketing itself as an exclusive career website for top young professionals. To become a member, you must either be at a company that is hiring or have an invite from a current member.
While the idea is to raise the level of talent in the job seeker pool, whether this is actually true is open for debate. Fast Pitch connects enterprising professionals to other professionals and is a great way for job seekers to become involved with potentially their next boss.
It also provides tools for businesses to market themselves and helps drive traffic to the company website. In this way, it is a great community for entrepreneurs.
Konnects is a website aimed at the young professional who wants to start building a network of contacts. It is also geared toward the new business looking to start their own community and offers the tools needed to promote the company.
LinkedIn is the most popular business website and one of the most recognizable social networks in the world. Focused on helping professionals maintain their list of connections, LinkedIn also provides invaluable information on companies and is a great resource for job seekers and for filling job vacancies.
PairUp takes a step away from the standard career website by focusing on the frequent business travel. Providing the tools to share travel plans and alert colleagues that you are arriving in town, PairUp is a great resource to cope with changing itineraries.
Ryze was one of the first social networking websites. With the ability to set up company structures, Ryze is a great destination for companies wanting to get more done on the web.
It is also great for professionals who want to create their own networks and connect with other professionals. Spoke is a business community that specializes on the recruiting aspects of social networks.
Unlike many other social structures for professionals, Spoke is an open-ended structure that allows companies to search through the database and tailor their recruiting efforts to a specialized audience. XING is one of the oldest business-oriented structures.
With over six million professionals using the service every day and conducting business in 16 different languages, XING is a world leader in career networking. An excellent site for keeping track of your contacts, XING can also help employers fill job vacancies and help young professionals land their first big job.
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