Now that you have sorted out your reputation and your résumé, it’s time to use your online prowess to increase your chances of landing the job of your dreams. There are a plethora of ways you can utilize the internet to increase your chances of getting the job once you have applied.

Thorough Research
Undoubtedly your career services office already told you to research the firm and interviewers before going to an interview. Take the extra step to have more information about your potential employer than your competition. Instead of a simple Google search, dig a little deeper. Use websites like iSearch, Wink, and Pipl to find out as much as you can about your interviewers. Those sites also search LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, but double check those sites anyway.

If you are serious about getting the job, the more information you have, the better. Once you know everything you can about your employer, rack your brain to determine if anyone you know may know the interviewer. LinkedIn is a great way to do this. Track the person down on LinkedIn and you can see if there are any mutual connections. Facebook is the same way. If there are mutual friends between you and the interviewer, try to get a good recommendation from the mutual friend. Once you are armed with that information, use it to your advantage. Talk to the interviewer about why you are interested in the firm. Explain how much you enjoyed their website and how excited you are to work somewhere with a strong social media presence.

Local Presence
A great way to increase your chances of getting a job somewhere is applying in a locale where you have some kind of geographic ties. If you don’t have any ties in the geographic area, you can use Google Voice to appear more local. A local phone number can go a long way to giving you a more regional presence in a new city.

Centralize Your Information
Although you already sent out your résumé and writing sample to potential employers, it is a great idea to have all of your information in one place. Keep links to all application materials in one place, such as your website, to make it easier to find. Supplemental materials, including secondary writing samples, expanded résumés and references can also be kept on your website for easy browsing. Link to your website in all of your e-mails and any e-mail you send will essentially have a copy of your résumé and writing sample attached. That is a great way to spread your information around.

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