With so many people vying for the same mid-level nursing jobs, it’s easy to fall into obscurity. But there are ways to stand out of the typical applicant pool and make a great impression right at the start. More and more job candidates are using social media to approach companies they’re interested in.

There are a few major social media sites that you can use to create an Internet presence and contact employers you’re interested in working for. Because of the volume of people who access these sites, they can present amazing ways to form connections, meet new people, get your name out there, and learn about new job openings.

Facebook

Facebook isn’t just good for finding embarrassing pictures of friends or playing FarmVille. According to blogger Ed Bennett’s Hospital Social Network List, about 1,068 hospitals have Facebook pages. If you’re looking for a job at a hospital, take the initiative to “Like” these pages to keep up with the hospital’s updates.

Some pages, like the McKee Medical Center’s Facebook page, have a section for job openings. If there isn’t a section, you can also post on the Wall about whether they’re hiring and express your interest. Facebook allows for a more direct way to communicate about jobs than by going through a form or another application medium, so take advantage of it!

Twitter

Another way to stay updated and find out about job postings at hospitals and clinics you’d like to work for is to follow professionals and hospital reps on Twitter. For example, Mayo Clinic tweets about openings, so you can follow @mayoclinicjobs for more info. To search for people to follow, you can do a search for local jobs or follow accounts like @NursingJobsCom, which continually posts new medical job openings. For advanced tips on how to search Twitter, check this article out.

Using Twitter, you can actually communicate with any person who has a Twitter account. If you start your tweet with an @ symbol, the recipient will see the tweet that’s directed at them. Tweet at a hospital about your interest in working for them, or better yet, find out who the representative is and tweet at him or her. This is an easy way to stand out of the crowd.

LinkedIn

This site is inherently more job-based than Facebook and Twitter, as it’s a networking site for professionals and would allow you to connect with other people in the medical industry. Instead of only having a physical, printed resume or even a PDF resume, you can have an online resume that LinkedIn users can see. This opens many doors because people hiring in the medical field can see your qualifications, recommendations, and skill-set all in one easily accessible place.

Another great feature on LinkedIn is the job search capability. You can do an advanced search that narrows down the type of industry you’re looking for, which zip code you’d like to restrict it to, and what level of management you’d like to apply for. By doing this, you can keep your search on-point and not waste time filtering through a ton of irrelevant job postings.

Med-Specific Sites

On top of utilizing the general social media sites, there are also sites that were made to help people looking for medical jobs specifically. These are useful because the postings and content are already directed toward your industry, so searching won’t be as difficult, and you’re probably more likely to find others to network with who’ve also had similar jobs and experiences.

Medical Mingle is a free social networking site for people in the medical field and was created to help you find job resources, post your resume, and keep up with industry news. If you want to join something more specific to nurses, Nurse.com or NursingTravel.com could be a great resource for you, as it posts about jobs, career fairs, relevant webinars, and other information relevant to nurses on the hunt for a job. It also features a nursing forum that would allow you to connect with other medical professionals.

When looking for a job, make the most out of every opportunity available to you. Social media is a key tool in your job search, and being visible on the Internet can make you stand out in an instant. If you go the extra mile and become active in social media, reach out to potential employers. You might discover the results you’ve been looking for.

‪Tera Tuten is Operations Director at Soliant Health.