Calling all social media mavens! Do you love Facebook? How about Twitter or Skype? Imagine if you could combine all three. By now, you’ve probably heard of Google+, Google’s venture into social media. You may even have an account. Given social media’s involvement in the recruiting process (see The State of Social Recruiting), it’s time for job seekers to take things to the next level and get involved. Why? 
1. More privacy
Google+ allows you to follow people as you would on Twitter while interacting with people as you would on Facebook — and you can even video chat with multiple people, like on Skype. You can separate people into different circles and apply different settings for each circle. Want to separate your professional networks from your friend networks? Done. Your boss can see different parts of your profile than your roommate (no need for her to see you and your friends’ conversation about how many hours of Real Housewives you watched last weekend). Something to note — just because you have more privacy doesn’t mean you should post things you wouldn’t want complete strangers to see (see Could One Tweet Keep You From Getting a Job?).
2. Discover a new way to network
You know the importance of networking, so when a new networking tool pops up, it’s important to take full advantage (see Networking: It’s A Way of Life). On Google+, you can connect with contacts that you might not feel comfortable connecting with on Facebook or even Twitter — again, thanks to the ability to add them to different circles and interact with each circle differently. Google+ will even pull your Gmail contacts and suggest their profiles to you, so you can seamlessly transition from email to a newfangled social network. Additionally, you can follow influential people and companies and keep up-to-date on their activity.
3. Brand yourself
As any job seeker knows, it’s important to create a personal brand to separate yourself from the endless sea of other candidates. Google+ can help. The mere fact of being active on Google+ will position you as a savvy, in-the-know person. Additionally, you can post your own and +1 (or “vote for,” in a sense) other people’s content to cement your personal brand, whatever it may be.
4. Learn more
A neat feature on Google+ is Sparks, which allows you to stay up-to-date on everything that interests you. Make a list of your Sparks, whether it be blogging, banking or butterfly catching, and Google+ will show you top stories dealing with that subject. From there, you can easily share by adding it to your stream, where people who are following you (those who have added you to their circles) can see it. You can stay on top of all news related to personal or professional interests — a surefire way to impress at a job interview.
Are you on Google+? What other reasons would you offer for joining?
