How to find a job using Facebook and Twitter

I've got a new story up on Time.com about how to find a job using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. It begins:

Brian Ward lost his job on a Friday afternoon. Eleven days later he had a new one. With nearly 1 in 10 people out of work and the typical job search lasting 12 weeks, how did the Cleveland-based software architect pull it off? In a phrase: online social networking.

Welcome to the new rules of the job hunt. Gone are the days of simply posting your resumé on CareerBuilder, e-mailing former colleagues and trolling company websites for open slots. These days, if you're serious about being hired, you really put your computer and PDA to work. That means getting word out on social sites like Facebook and MySpace, sending instant job-search updates via messaging feeds like Twitter, and meeting new people who might be able to lend a hand through Web-networking outfits like LinkedIn and Ryze.

Why? Because for all our technology, the best way to land a job is still by having someone who already works at a company mention your name.

You can read the rest of the story here.

Thanks to Dennis Smith, a recruiter in Dallas, for hooking me up with Brian Ward.

One thing I didn't get to in the story is how many companies are popping up to help people find jobs through Twitter. Sites like TweetMyJobs.com funnel leads from recruiters and folks in HR out to job hunters. There's also a new site called TwitterJobSearch.com that lets you search Tweets worldwide for mentions of jobs. Pretty cool. Though having talked to people who are actually looking for work and using the various social networks, I'm a little dubious about how far Twitter gets you in this area.

UPDATE: Although according to some negative-nellie bloggers, you're not going to be able to find a job anyway.

Barbara!