Social Media and social networking is no new concept in the job search space.  Depending on who you ask – you’ll receive varying tips to build your network and possibly land a job.

Some of the advice is good, but as one Recruiter shared, “Don’t listen to all the bad advice out there – if it seems crazy it’s because it is”.

At a Minnesota Recruiters event a week ago, we asked Recruiters to identify useful tips for job seekers when they are leveraging social media in their job search.

We compiled the list into the following 25 bite-size tips:

1. Use social media as a vehicle, not a substitute for an in-person interaction
2. Remember your audience and that social doesn’t necessarily mean casual
3. Engaging in social shouldn’t be a one-way communication or conversation
4. Don’t fall for all the fads.  It’s likely you won’t find your next job browsing Pinterest, although some of the worst recruiting consultants make it seem like a viable channel to be found
5. Pick one or two social sites and be active.  It’s also important to have your profile and any links on other static sites that you do not visit as frequently
6. Use the right keywords in order to be found
7. Have a Skype account, make the offer to conduct a digital interview or ask if the company uses a video interviewing service
8. Post industry content on the social sites and be focused
9. Don’t be afraid to reach out to employers directly via social sites
10. Your social presence is your personal brand – protect it
11. Use social media for validation, see who you know, what they’re saying – it’s great for research
12. Don’t listen to all the bad advice out there – if it seems crazy it’s because it is
13. Check out a company’s social profiles to see if they have FAQs to help answer any questions you may have
14. Increase the visibility of your personal and professional brand by posting several times a month on the various social sites
15. Educate yourself about it before using it
16. Keep your information current
17. Be targeted and visible
18. Set goals and prioritize activities (making connections, in person meetings, etc)
19. Post your resume on sites like Facebook – it’s part of your brand too
20. Follow company pages and social channels as they can contain information or updates you might not find elsewhere
21. Stay on top of changes to the sites (ex. LinkedIn’s recent launch of “endorsements”)
22. Quality vs. quantity
23. Don’t sit back and wait for things to happen – take charge and make it happen
24. Do it right or don’t do it at all
25. Giving back to your network should be as big of a priority as receiving

Additional tips? Use the comments section.