Social Networking’s Impact on Career Connections and Changes

Over the last few days I have seen several friends and colleagues of a large company that I do some work for face new challenges in life due to being laid off.  I am very sad to see many of them go.

Many of these individuals have had some advance knowledge that this was in the works and they could be impacted.  This knowledge and the availability of tools such as Facebook and LinkedIn had a large impact on actions that were taken pre-layoff.

Over the last couple of months several employees at this company reached out to others that they worked directly with and those that they knew from association to become “connected”.  Several of these connections occurred on LinkedIn where a person can become connected to other business and career minded individuals.  Many of these connections also resulted in a mutual exchange of recommendations (which can be very helpful when looking for new employment).

There were also several connections made between colleagues on Facebook, however these were of a different nature than those on LinkedIn.  The Facebook connections are more of a fun connection on the personal side than the business and possible job search nature that was created on the Linked side.

In years past when someone was impacted by a reduction in force or a layoff usually you patted them on the back and wished them luck and maybe exchanged phone numbers and possibly an email address.  This is no longer the case.

In Today’s changing world where we have tools and avenues to reach out and connect with others saying good bye after someone is impacted by a lay off is not the same.  In most cases you say good bye in terms of your every day working relationship, however you can and should be connected in other ways so that you can continue to be “linked” and hopefully support one another.

The access we have to each other and each other’s networks in today’s world can really make an impact on how we approach things.  We really are no longer a lone wolf in a lot of cases if we are willing to reach out and connect with others.

If you are one of my friends or colleagues that were impacted I am very sorry to lose that relationship I had with you, however I do not consider it as a good-bye, just a change in our connection.  Please be sure to reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter or even Facebook. I would like to remain connected with you in some manner and hopefully play a role in your search for new employment opportunities – please reach out and feel free to access my network if it will help you.

- Stefanie

P.S.  Here are some additional links that reference using Social Networks for job and career tools

• Social Networking Mistakes that Can Break Your Career
• Brazen Careerist — A Career Management Tool
• Social Network Basics For Job Hunters
• How to Turn Social Networking into a Job Offer

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• 8 Ways to Network Effectively Online (socialwebschool.com)

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