Social media is not just a place for rants or cat pics. It can be a powerful job-hunting tool that lets you to craft a positive professional image to a wide yet relevant audience.
Statistics show people rate their connections, both professional and personal, as the most effective means of finding jobs [source: Ott, Blacksmith and Royal].
Let’s look at the top 6 ways to help you get noticed in all the right ways:
1. CURATE CONTENT THAT HIGHLIGHTS YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERTISE
The explosion of social media has made it easy for job seekers and employers to look for prospects on social media platforms. To tap into this, curate content that focuses on your expertise and skills. Content is relevant to the platform you use, so get a feel for what works best on different sites. Twitter is great for short takes on issues or for building well-structured threads. Instagram or Pinterest, on the other hand are better for highly visual content. Remember though, it can be hard to get the necessary following and attention from social media if your content is low in quality. Take the time to express your expertise in a given field in a well-crafted manner. It is the only way to be assured of numerous career growth opportunities.
2. INCLUDE THE RIGHT INFORMATION
There are many elements of social media that you can use to tailor information for best visibility. You can use a Twitter bio or your LinkedIn profile to list your qualifications and key skills. Pinned tweets can direct people to your blog, website, or portfolio. This kind of well-organised information can demonstrate you have an integrated approach to your career. Similarly, add links to your LinkedIn and Twitter profile (but not Facebook) to your resume. Include keywords on all your social media feeds that a recruiter or hiring manager might use to find a person with your skill set.
3. INTERACT WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE
The social media realm is full of people with diverse skills, knowledge, and experience in different fields. Interacting with the right individuals can strongly improve both personal and career growth. Make sure that you establish new connections within your area of specialization. Connect with them and ensure that you engage in relevant discussions. Remember, no one will be willing to help you for nothing. It is often recommended to offer value to any connections you make so that the other party can see the value of your skills.
Social media allows you to grow your career by associating with the individuals and companies that align with your career goals
4. PARTICIPATE
Take part in online discussions, join industry groups, follow relevant blogs and share content. These types of activities will demonstrate that you are an expert who is genuinely involved in what you do. It will also help you to build up a relevant following. Interact with companies you’d be interested in joining – and people who work for them – by reposting or linking to their content to put yourself on their radar. But don’t just repost blindly. Add some of your own insights into their content to add quality to the repost, retweet or link.
5. USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO FIND COMPANIES IN YOUR INDUSTRY
You can grow your career by associating with the right individuals and companies. Social media has a massive variety of information on the companies that you might want to work with in the future. Find companies within your industry and network with them. This kind of strategy keeps you updated about the companies’ relevant information such as new product developments or job vacancies. Information that they post can be highly relevant material to bring up in a job interview. This can show how well tapped-in you are to a specific industry and company you want to work for.
6. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY
The number one social media blunder is carelessly posting information that you wouldn’t want a prospective employer to see. Don’t make the same mistake as many politicians or sports stars have made by posting controversial comments about things you know little about. One bad post can severely damage your reputation and credibility. If you enjoy sharing vacation party pics with friends and family, make sure your personal information on Facebook is private and don’t post anything publicly that you wouldn’t want a prospective employer to see.
Don’t avoid expressing opinions, however. Companies want to know you have well-formed thoughts about business – but be careful how you do it.
Social media is there 24/7, so it works for you constantly. If you have a strong social network and well-developed content, don’t be surprised if someone contacts you looking for someone with your skills and experience.
