If you use social media professionally to showcase your skills and expertise, it could propel you to your next job. Nowadays, recruiters are turning to social media to look for candidates and what they find there determines who they hire.
As a job seeker, you can also use social media to learn about companies you’re interested in and to find potential jobs. This knowledge can help you as an advantage in an interview setting.
Different social networks have different unique characteristics and best practices. This article rounds up the six best ways to find a job through using social media platforms.
- Manage Your Online Profile
If you try to Google yourself, you’re likely to see your personal brand and how it appears. Best termed as the digital footprint, your online brand is likely to be spread across several different platforms in the web. What image do you want your potential employers to see when they land on your profile?
Well, you need to ensure that whatever you term as your online profile matches the professional image you want employers to see. Be authentic, at least be clear about who you are, what you offer and what you want. Then make sure your message gets across different social platforms.
This does not rule out that social media can only be useful for professional branding, not at all. In fact, you can use social media for personal use. This way, you need to create separate accounts for professional and personal use.
These platforms are great when it comes to searching for jobs online:
- LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great way to get an online CV that showcases your experience and skills. Complete your profile as fully as possible, then put the link on your email footer, on Facebook, on your Twitter bio and your ‘real’ CV. Regularly update your profile with skills that enhance your employability.
- Make your Twitter bio as specific as possible and include website address such as your blog or LinkedIn profile. Add a professional-looking photograph and state that you are looking for a job.
- Blogs. Blogs are a great way to showcase your expertise. Post great content regularly; manage comments and respond appropriately.
- Ensure your potential employers only see things that fit your professional image. Though it’s perfectly right to mention your achievements on Facebook, don’t overdo it.
- Find Opportunities
Make sure to follow organizations and individuals in the industry you want to work in just to keep up-to-date with emerging trends.
If you like LinkedIn for instance, you could research employers and follow them for useful updates on recruitment activities within the company.
Although majority have not discovered the potential of Facebook in job hunting, graduate recruiters are increasingly using Facebook to publicize their graduate programs, so look for the ones you are interested in.
A simple twitter search can land you to a totally new opportunity. Check out for people working in careers that you are interested in and be sure to follow them. This way, you will get to know the company culture as well as potential job leads.
- Network Network Network
If you want to go miles in job searching, you have to do three things. Firstly, network. Secondly, network, and thirdly, network. The great thing about social media is that they let you connect with people whom you know and those whom you don’t.
More importantly, seek to network with people who work at companies you’re interested in. As you interact with them, you learn from them and show them what you can contribute. Join different forums in LinkedIn and mingle with like-minded people as you build virtual relationships. Remember to develop relationships before you ask for work.
- Use Scheduling Tools to Stay on Top of Things
Are you worried on how to keep our profiles active and updated? Worry not; you can make use of reliable tools to update your social profiles regularly.
Search for the lots of the available tools out there that will allow you to schedule posts and updates. You can share things directly from your browser, and hardly have to think about keeping an active social presence. Use Buffer as one of the best tools, though there are plenty of many more tools to consider.
- Keep Your Credentials Up-to-date
One of the best ways to stay ahead of the competition is to keep your credentials updated for potential employers to review. Your resume is apparently your first meet-up with your recruiter, so you should make them impressive. If you have found that your past resumes haven’t seemed to impress recruiters, then it could be a better idea to look at a creditable resume writing service to see if a better-looking resume could secure you more interviews.
Get the best resume builder for LinkedIn to offer an impression that gives a nod. Chloe is a dignified template for job seekers in need of an elegant resume whose design and stylish format conveys resume details simply and directly, ready to impress. Ensure your credentials are updated to increase your employability.
- Build and Launch a Creative Campaign
Launch a campaign based on your interests. Though it may not necessarily be aligned with your industry or professional space, it should demonstrate your skills at most. Remember you’re also building an audience through social media. Who knows the campaign won’t come to the attention of prospective employers!
