It seems an avalanche of titles has hit the market recently praising the virtues of social media, and in particular, the positive impact it can have for jobseekers. Another such book has hit the shelves today called “Job Searching with Social Media (For Dummies)” by Joshua Waldman.

The author has been kind enough to send me a forward chapter of the book and from what I’ve read, it was impressive and accurate. Early pages are devoted to explaining about your personal brand—a strategy that has become increasingly popular over the past few years. Personal branding (for those new to the concept) is leveraging what makes you unique in the market to become the standout candidate in a pool of many. A strong and authentic personal brand is a match made in heaven with social media where you show the real you every day, in every statement you make, both publicly and privately.

The book, like many in the “Dummies” series is comprehensive and provides tips along the way. Now whether anyone has the amount of time to read a book like this from cover-to-cover is debatable but, from the sample chapter and index I was given, you will not be short of information and obviously, you will be able to zero in on the areas that hold specific interest for you.

In a market where books like these are coming thick and fast, would I recommend it? Well, given the advance materials I’ve seen, yes. The information appears to be solid, researched and accurate… at least at the point where social media stands today. It gives you an opportunity to understand the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ behind the actions you should take when including social media as part of your job search. There is no doubt that social media has become a strong influence in the recruiting and job search arenas and is set to strengthen and grow. Where it will lead us is anyone’s guess, but for jobseekers now, it is clear that the traditional way of finding a job is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. If you don’t know about it, then it’s time to learn — even if you don’t need it right now. It is better to gain familiarity with new(ish) processes early on, than be faced with considerable and inevitable confusion when the world has moved on without you!

This book is relevant and new, but with the growth in social media, one thing is true, one needs to be on the cutting edge, to stay ahead of the game.

Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies is available now from Amazon.com