Social media, social media, social media! It’s a term that’s getting almost too much play, and you might be getting tired of all the talk with no substance. For example, you’ve probably heard that you should be using social media for job-hunting. But how, exactly, should you do that? Here are 6 smart strategies to network your way into a job using three popular online tools: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Let people know you’re looking.

Whether on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, let your connections, friends and followers know that you’re looking for a job—and what type of job you’re looking for. They may not know of any current openings, but put yourself on their radar for future opportunities.

You may think of Facebook as being for fun, but don’t make the mistake of overlooking your network there, especially if you already have hundreds of friends. Facebook can sometimes have an edge for job hunters over LinkedIn, because friends who know you personally have more of a stake in helping you.

You probably don’t want a potential employer browsing your personal updates, so make sure your every move on Facebook isn’t set for public view. Under Account, then Privacy Settings, choose “Friends Only.” That way, an employer who Googles you won’t be able to see the details of your profile, your photos or your personal status updates.

Before you submit your resume for a job, look up the hiring manager on LinkedIn and Twitter. LinkedIn profiles and Twitter feeds are gold mines of information on individuals. Knowing more about the person who’s hiring can help you tailor your cover letter to their needs and desires.

It’s all about who you know. Figure out who you need to know to land a certain job—like the hiring manager—and make that connection, whether by getting them to follow you on Twitter by retweeting their tweets, or growing your LinkedIn network until they become a second- or third-degree connection. Twitter offers great opportunities to connect with professionals who might not otherwise give you the time of day.

Look for chats that revolve around your industry or the industry you want to work in. Joining online conversations helps you keep up-to-date on the industry, meet helpful contacts and showcase your expertise in your field. Or try networking with other job seekers through weekly conversations like #jobhuntchat or #careerchat.

By doing any or all of the above, not only will you reach many more people as part of your job search, but people will also see you as a person with expertise, not someone who is merely using social media to find a job.  Using social media is bound to lead to greater opportunities and attract more people who respect your knowledge.

These days, it’s not unusual to have gaps in your employment. Since 2008, the average unemployment rate has remained around 10% nationally. Employers and recruiters should be used to seeing employment gaps on resumes by now, but you’ll still want to explain them if you have them. Here’s how to put your best foot forward and keep those gaps from harming your chances of getting hired.

1. Be honest. It is important that you be truthful when presenting your work background. Don’t try to hide the gaps. That being said, use your common sense. Don’t go into an interview and feel you have to tell a potential employer about all of your faults, weaknesses and mistakes. Have a calm, prepared answer that explains the gaps in your resume without going overboard. If you’ve been out of work because you raised a family, continued your education, cared for a sick family member or recovered from an injury, don’t act apologetic. There’s nothing wrong with taking time off of work for any of these reasons.

2. Reformat your dates. Instead of laying out your employment history in months and years on your resume, such as March 2004 – January 2008, simply use the years: 2004-2008. First of all, it’s easier to follow and helps your resume look clear and concise. It also doesn’t raise any red flags unnecessarily, if there was an employment gap of a few months. If that comes up in the interview, by all means be honest about those months and what you were doing, but you don’t need to wave it under the interviewer’s nose.

If you are currently unemployed and concerned about the future impact on your resume, get active!

3. Do contract work or side projects. Consider taking contract or temporary work, especially in your industry. Hiring managers will like to see that you’re staying busy and keeping your skills fresh. You can still search for a permanent post while you take on project or temporary work, and it allows for you to have some flexibility. And, with income coming in, it may take the pressure off from feeling like you need to jump at the first permanent job offer to come along.

 4. Brush up on your skills. If contract or temp work isn’t an option, you can also take the time to invest in your professional development by taking classes. Professional associations, local colleges, continuing education programs, alumni associations, user groups, online courses and unemployment offices offer a variety of low-cost training opportunities. This will give you something to list on your resume to help explain what you did during your time away from work.

Regardless of how you handle your employment gaps, do it in a positive way. There’s nothing you can do to change the fact that they happened, so the best strategy is to develop a forward-looking resume that shows the value you offer potential employers.

Many people believe job searching between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve is unadvisable, but contrary to popular opinion, this is a great time for job seekers.

Companies don’t just stop working during the holiday season. They don’t stop doing business, and given the tough economic climate, those that are hiring are being proactive to get key employees on board. Plus, you’ll have an advantage over other job seekers, because many people decide not to look for jobs at this time of year.

Here are some important tips on how to search for jobs during the holiday season:

Be Flexible

Many companies try to hire candidates before the end of the year, so it is important to remain flexible during the interview process. Hiring managers and other interviewers will be out of the office for different events, personal time and holiday activities. If you demonstrate you can work around these speed bumps, that will bring you closer to a job offer.

Stay Focused On Your Social Media Accounts

Make sure you update your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter accounts to let all of your contacts know you’re searching for a new job. Check them regularly. Not only are you connecting with people directly, this could be helpful in finding networking events.

Attend Networking Parties Or Events

Speaking of networking events, there are plenty of opportunities at this time of year. If you are attending a holiday social event, it is definitely appropriate to mention that you are job searching. Accept all the invitations you receive, both personal and professional. You never know who may be able to help. Friends and family, as well as business acquaintances are typically more than happy to assist. Always have business cards on you — that give your name, phone number, email address, and even the URL of your LinkedIn profile — so you can hand them out.

Send Holiday Cards

Reach out to employers or networking contacts by sending a holiday card. If you have recently interviewed with someone, send him or her a hand-written holiday card, by mail, to thank him or her for taking the time out of a busy schedule to meet with you. You should also send cards to networking contacts, recruiters and employers you have interviewed with — it’s a pleasant way to connect with those who can help with your job search.

Relax and Enjoy

During this time of year, it’s also important to take some time for yourself and your family and friends. The holiday memories you make will linger much longer than the memories of the resumes you sent or the cover letters you wrote.

Having strong employment references is one of the final pieces to a successful job search. Who you choose and what they say about you to a prospective employer can make or break your chances of being offered the job.

Before you even send out your resume, select five people you think would give a potential employer a positive review of your professional skills. Professional is the key word here — don’t use a friend or family member for a job reference unless they have served as your boss.

Where can you find those five people?

Previous Jobs: Employment references should come from your previous bosses or co-workers. The most recent are the most important. You can also ask people you worked with at other companies, such as vendors or strategic partners. They may agree to give you a reference because they respected your work and your professionalism. This would show you are respected in the broader industry, not just at one company.

Academic Institutions: If you’re a recent graduate or have been in the workplace for less than 5 years, you can ask one or two of your professors or your advisor. In highly specialized careers like medicine, science or law, your intellectual background and training are always of interest.

Your Community: Think of someone completely outside your career field who can vouch for you as a person. Are you acquainted with a well-known local minister or politician? If you know anyone who has some sort of standing in the community, ask them if they will vouch for you.

Once you have identified the five, contact them, explain why you feel they would be a good reference for you, and ask if they would be comfortable discussing you with a potential employer.

When you’re interviewing and get to the point where you actually need references, pick three of the five that can best speak to the skills needed for that particular job. E-mail each of the three and send them a copy of the job posting. Explain why you want this position and why you feel you are a fit for the role.

Then, give each of them a call and see if they have any questions for you. Ask if they have any stories they feel would be good to share about you and your performance.

Ask them to call you afterward and let you know how it went. Make sure they will be positive! If you feel any doubt that they will, politely thank them and use an alternate reference. Don’t forget to express gratitude to the references you actually use as well. You never know when you might need them again.

Remember, an employer usually speaks to your references just before deciding whether to make you a job offer. Make sure you know that the people on your reference list will be the ones to give you that last boost toward a new job!

It could happen to you. Even in this tight job market, you might find yourself fielding more than one job offer at the same time. Or, you might get offered a job that you’re just not interested in accepting. In an employment era where very few can afford to burn any bridges, you need to handle this situation professionally.

The first thing you need to do, as soon as possible, is contact the hiring manager quickly by phone — never in an e-mail. Declining a job offer by phone is more professional and respectful, and offers you the opportunity to explain your decision and possibly give helpful feedback to the hiring manager. Let the contact know that you are grateful for the offer, you carefully considered the offer and you appreciate the time he took with you.

You are not obligated to explain your reasons, or if you do, you don’t have to go into specifics about the decision, especially if it’s because you felt the hiring manager’s company seemed like a negative work environment or a bad career risk. If you do choose to discuss your decision, you should be able to offer specific reasons why the other opportunity is a better fit for you, whether it’s the hours, location or industry trends. Try to avoid discussing money; if it comes up, and the other salary is less than $10,000 higher, try to emphasize a secondary reason, such as stability or a clearer promotional path.

At any rate, contact the company making the offer as soon as you can, so the company can contact their second choice candidate or restart their search. If you know of anyone who would be a good fit for the position you are turning down, share their contact information (with that person’s permission, of course).

Once you’ve made the call, follow up with a formal written letter. Of course email is the most popular business communication tool these days, but to keep your rejection as professional as possible, send out some good old-fashioned snail mail. Keep your letter polite, professional and short, and leave the door open for future possibilities of working for the company.

When you resign a position you don’t want to burn any bridges on your way out the door, and the same is true when you decide to decline a job offer. Preserve your reputation by being as polite and professional as possible.

Long-distance job hunting  can be tricky, and let’s face it, it’s not going to work for everybody. Why?

Your skill set or job type may be in low demand. Let’s say you want to move from Tucson to San Francisco. There aren’t many skill sets that a recruiter has to look outside San Francisco to get. So why would they pay to relocate you? Why would they even look at an out-of-town candidate if there are scores of qualified candidates locally?

On the flip side, maybe you’re trying to move in the opposite direction, from San Francisco to Tucson. In that case, your big-city experience might scare off the recruiter because they imagine you have big-city salary expectations.

Also, companies do try to avoid paying relocation costs when they can. Unless they know they need a very specialized skill set, or that there are very few people in the country who would be the right choice, their first plan is not going to be to hire an out-of-towner.

So, how can you can get that long-distance job offer? By eliminating the distance factor and turning the negatives into positives.

Some people recommend using a local address on your cover letter, such as the address of a family member or friend who lives in your target town, but that can be perceived as dishonest. And if the company calls and asks you to come in on short notice for an interview, and you don’t live nearby, how will you explain to them why you can’t get there quickly?

Instead, on your resume, list your contact info like this:

Joe Smith
Relocating in [month, year] to [target company's city]
jsmith@email.com

This tells the recruiter that you already plan to move to their city and don’t expect them to foot the bill.

Find contact information for the right person at your target companies, call directly and tell them you’ll be in town on a given week and would like to meet with them. This lets them know you’re not expecting them to pay your way for an interview. If they don’t have any job openings you’re qualified for, ask them if they can take the time to do an informational interview with you.

Travel to the city where you are seeking a job. In between appointments, look at the places you can afford to live on your current savings. If you truly want or need to move, you may have to relocate to your target city before you get a job offer. Just don’t do it if you can’t afford it!

Make sure that you’re physically ready to move. Without a job offer, you might not have a definite moving date, but you can start to build a possible timeframe in case you get an offer. If employers know you’re not local, they’ll want to know how soon you can start. If you get an offer, then say you need time to sell your house, find a good school for your children, and decide where you want to live, you’ll probably lose out on the opportunity. Get as many of your ducks in a row as possible. Do your research on housing prices and locations and schools in the new city, and make an appointment with a Realtor in your current city. Have the Realtor assess your house and give you a possible selling price, and possibly even get the paperwork set up, so that you are truly ready to make a move when the time comes.

Finding a job in a new city requires a great deal of extra preparation and diligence to get you to the top of the resume heap – and ultimately get you the offer you’ve been waiting for.