Whether you are looking for a promotion or looking to dip your feet in an entirely new industry, social business networking can be just the thing to advance your current position. The following business-focused platforms provide the social networking tools needed to reach out and make business connections, find new jobs, or find specialized job seekers.

LinkedIn: The Number One Place to Be Online for Professionals

LinkedIn is the most popular business social network and one of the most recognizable social networks in the world. Focused on helping professionals maintain their list of connections, LinkedIn also provides invaluable information on companies and is a great resource for job seekers and for filling job vacancies.

  • One of the biggest business social networks on the internet.

  • Connections can endorse you and your skills.

  • Good privacy settings.

  • Incomplete profiles often overlooked.

  • Profiles can be faked.

  • The user experience is just average.

XING: Find Jobs, Events and Companies You Like

XING is one of the oldest business-oriented social networks. With over seven million professionals using the service every day and conducting business in 16 different languages, XING is a world leader in business networking. An excellent site for keeping track of your business contacts, XING can also help employers fill job vacancies and help young professionals land their first big job.

  • Offers top daily articles on your chosen industry.

  • Robust events section detailing seminars, conferences, and more.

  • Good platform for finding overseas jobs.

  • Primarily focused on the German-speaking job market.

  • Limited contact requests.

  • Much smaller user base than LinkedIn.

Opportunity: Get Matched With the Right Professional Opportunities

Opportunity does all the hard work for you by using its advanced algorithm to match you up with the best opportunities in employment, sales, networking, and other professional relationships. You can even integrate it with your LinkedIn network and receive alerts for job opportunities and more. 

  • Advanced algorithm matches you with job opportunities.

  • Integration with LinkedIn.

  • Unlimited messaging with connections on and off the platform.

  • Some of the best features are hidden behind a subscription.

  • The sub is pricey.

  • Spam is an issue on the platform.

 

Meetup: Find Local Groups That Meet Regularly in Your Area

Meetup isn’t just for professionals, but it’s a social network you won’t want to overlook for your professional goals. This popular platform aims to help people who share similar interests actually meet up in person. Use it to find existing groups in any location in the world or, alternatively, start your own.

  • Can be great for local networking.

  • Meetup Pro offers help with building community engagement and brand awareness.

  • Easy to use.

  • While it can be used for business, it’s not business-focused.

  • Finding the right group for you can take some digging.

  • Its most business-centric feature (Meetup Pro) is subscription only.

Ryze: List Your Professional Profile According to Different Category

Founded in late 2001, Ryze was one of the first social networking websites. With the ability to set up company networks, it’s great for professionals who want to create their own business networks and connect with other professionals on a platform other than LinkedIn. 

  • Focused on entrepreneurs.

  • Free networking homepage.

  • It’s free.

  • No mobile apps.

  • Smaller user base than other social networks.

  • Website could use an update.

Gadball: Take Advantage of Job Search and Application Tools

Gadball is a great alternative to LinkedIn for its valuable resources and tools. Job seekers can create their own professional profiles, browse job listings, access the cover letter center, see salaries and wages for their own professions and so much more. Recruiters can also post job listings for free, giving them a greater incentive to make use of the platform.

  • Offers free job posting to all employers and recruiters.

  • Profile writing wizard.

  • Selection of resume templates.

  • Looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 1990s.

  • Smaller user base.

AngelList: Apply to Job Listings at Startup Companies

Are you into the startup scene? If so, you’re going to want to know about AngelList. This is a social network designed specifically for professionals looking to advance their careers in startup companies. You can browse over 80,000 job listings and apply to them or connect with them as an investor to help them raise funds.

  • Focused on startups.

  • Long, proven track record as an investing platform.

  • Prolific job platform.

  • Fees can be prohibitive.

  • Messaging needs work.

  • Search features can be confusing to new users.

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