June 5, 2012 | British Columbia

Whether they work in accounting firms, corporate accounting departments, small businesses or payroll departments, accounting and payroll professionals may find a range of employment opportunities in their field. However, if they're interested in working for a specific company, new graduates should attempt to distinguish themselves from their competition. In addition to learning all about the companies they're applying to, new grads, regardless of their chosen career fields, can now use their online presence to catch the eye of a potential employer.

In a recent story, Business Insider showed how a number of determined job seekers turned to social media to reach out employers, including Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and other sites.

One applicant was determined to land his dream job with Foursquare. He sent Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadura, the site's cofounders, a series of emails until, finally, one of them responded. Crowley asked if the applicant was ever in New York City, and although he resided on the West Coast, the applicant booked a flight for the following day. While flooding someone's email inbox is risky, in this case it showed an employer that the applicant was confident in his skills and ability to do the job.

By creating an impressive and respectable online presence, job seekers can supply employers with the appropriate information and resources to determine if they're the right fit for the job. The Business Insider article also describe how one young adult became the second employee at Pinterest when cofounder Ben Silberman noticed some of his online work. The applicant built a brand for himself by blogging, tweeting and using Hacker News, which then attracted attention from Silicon Valley executives. He accepted the job offer from Pinterest and worked with the company for a year before taking what he learned and venturing off on his own to create and build the startup Gumroad.

As college graduates venture out into the job market today, they have a range of social networking platforms at their disposal. Graduates of the Accounting and Payroll Administrator program at CDI College can use their LinkedIn profiles and Twitter feeds to connect with potential employers. For more information about the Accounting and Payroll Administrator program, fill out the form on the right.