We take a look at how you can use social media to help find the job of your dreams!
Searching for your dream job – or any job, for that matter – can be overwhelming in today’s digital age. With so many job-hunting options available, including recruitment agencies, online searches, social media and work experience, it’s hard to know which route to take.
Gone are the days when you just sent out your CV and sat back, waiting to be called for interview. Today’s jobseekers need to be proactive and use all their skills – and more – to get recruiters to sit up and take notice of them.
Most employers use social media as a tool to find the best staff, and it should form a major part of your job-seeking plan too. The right social presence will ensure recruiters see your profile and skills, and give you opportunities to network online and be well positioned should an opportunity arise.
But there’s so much information out there it can be hard to know where to start. Read on to find out how to make social media work for you.
This short and snappy media channel is a good tool for following companies, individuals and influencers. Most companies use Twitter to talk about what they’re doing, promote their services, advertise jobs and encourage people to click through to their company website.
Think about following people or companies you might like to work for – individuals often tweet when they’re changing jobs. But don’t follow everyone. Choose 10-15 companies, then add the rest to a list on Twitter you can check back on. This way you’ll avoid being inundated with messages from hundreds of feeds.
If you don’t feel that you’ve got anything interesting to tweet yourself, you don’t have to. Simply build a Twitter bio that sums you up and specifies what you’re looking for, including a professional-looking photo and a link to your CV.
When looking for a job, make use of Twitter’s advanced search to specify location and add in relevant keywords and hashtags. Recruiters tend to be very active on Twitter, and may tweet you links to jobs that seem to fit the bill.
Snapchat
Snapchat is one of the fastest growing media platforms, with 200 million active users, 39% aged between 25 and 44.
If you’re yet to use this instant-communication tool, the basics are this: photos and videos can be shared with friends for up to 10 seconds, after which they’re removed; or they can stay up for 24 hours if you put your snaps together into My Story. Images can also be saved in the Memories section of your account, there’s a chat function and it now also lets you replay snaps from friends.
The ways in which Snapchat can be useful for your job search are multiple. Follow your dream companies on Snapchat and if there’s something you like, include a nod to that in your covering letter when applying for a position. Engage with their content to start networking with them, and use your snaps to chronicle your professional achievements.
You may not instantly think of using Instagram for your job search, but it’s a good resource that shouldn’t be ignored when searching for a job.
This app is all about using pictures to tell a story. Just as with other social media platforms, you can connect with and follow companies that interest you. See what they’re up to and find out what their company culture is. This will help you learn about the company from the inside out, and may give you an advantage should you get an interview.
When posting pictures, think about who is going to see them and what kind of image they portray. It’s fine to tag a conference you’ve been to or a screenshot of something you’ve done professionally, as well as uploading personal photos that you wouldn’t mind a potential boss seeing.
As with Twitter, engage with photos and posts that employees are talking about, but only if you’re adding to the conversation. You don’t want to seem like a stalker.
Facebook is great for sharing events and photos with friends, but it isn’t the best when it comes to job hunting. It’s very easy to portray the social you, but not the professional you – and this is the bit you need to be selling.
However, prospective employers will check social media to see who you are and find out more about you, so make sure there’s nothing on your public Facebook profile that you wouldn’t want them to see. Remove any posts that could be distasteful or offensive. Likewise, remove any photos that show you in an unfavourable light and delete any groups you really shouldn’t belong to.
It’s also important to check your privacy settings – make sure your posts can only be seen by friends.
Are you LinkedIn?
If you’re not, you should be. LinkedIn is the top social media site for jobseekers, used by more than 500 million people worldwide – with a staggering 10 million active job posts.
The site works a bit like an online CV, with the added bonus that you can connect with other like-minded professionals and build up your network. You can also use your contacts to help connect with other people who might be useful to know.
People on LinkedIn can also build up endorsements from people they’ve worked with or know, which helps to create a fuller profile and give prospective employers a good idea of your skills and credibility. Colleagues or clients can also write personal testimonials describing you and your work to further enhance your profile.
Connecting with the right people will increase your online presence. James Caan, for example, boasts nearly three million followers, and uses his page to post blogs about business and recruitment.
If you ask to connect with someone you like/admire/think could be useful, it helps if you have already connected with someone else in their network. That makes you less of a stranger and more of a networker.
How to make your CV stand out!
The average recruiter spends six seconds looking at a CV.
Here’s what you can do to make sure they notice yours
Be relevant
There are four key areas recruiters scan for when reading a CV: past jobs, previous employers, start and end dates and qualifications. Make sure these are near the top of your CV.
use keywords
Just like using search engine optimisation for a website, you need to select those keywords on your CV that will bring it up in search results. Identify the right words and phrases used in the industry you’re applying for and make sure they’re embedded in your CV – but don’t overdo it.
include a photo
While what you look like shouldn’t influence whether or not you get an interview, putting a photograph on your CV will make you stand out from the crowd. However, some recruiters believe that while it may help attract attention it’s a bit of a no-no. The decision is yours.
make a video
Video CVs are still fairly rare, so sending one will definitely get you noticed. If you want your applicaton to make a real impact, consider giving it a go.
link well
Embedding a link to your CV on your profile on social media sites such as LinkedIn or Twitter – or your own website or blog – will help prospective employers find out more about you. Just make sure they find something that will impress!
