How to get social media savvy in your job search

I found my first job as a graduate in digital marketing by finding a video posted by my future employer on YouTube – and I’m not the only one who has found their next big opportunity by harnessing the power of social networks. It’s all about putting yourself out there, in the right places, in front of the right people. But you need to do so in the right light.

Employers and recruiters are increasingly utilizing social media to engage and target candidates with the skills sets they are looking for – it is emerging as a vital tool for employers recruiting talent. It is therefore essential that candidates looking for new roles learn use social media effectively in order to get noticed by recruiters and employers. So, whether you are actively looking for a new opportunity, or starting to think about a career change, here are some important pointers to help you use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in your job search:

Clean up your act on social

It may sound obvious, but first things first, take some time to tidy up your online presence on the major social networks. After all, your online reputation is now just as important as your offline one, so you need to put your best self out there. Use these tips to help you get on the right track.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the network for professionals – it is used by employers and recruiters searching for talent. To get the most out of your job search, use all of the capabilities LinkedIn has to offer:

Use it to be found: Your LinkedIn profile should be as current as possible and should showcase your skills and experience in an engaging way:

• Use a professional headshot (your profile is 11 times more likely to be viewed if you have one)
• Include relevant keywords in your summary (this will ensure you get found sooner)
• List all your experience (your profile is 12 times more likely to be viewed by a hiring manager if you do so)
• Include endorsements and recommendations.

Use it to search: LinkedIn has a sophisticated job search functionality allowing you to easily search for opportunities, save them and apply directly either using your LinkedIn profile or on the company’s website.

Get following: There are over 3 million company pages on LinkedIn. Follow companies of interest to stay up-to-date with live opportunities and to get a feel for their company culture. Hays is the number 1 most followed staffing and recruiting company on LinkedIn and the 22nd most followed company globally. Follow us on LinkedIn now.

Share more: Share relevant articles with your connections and in relevant LinkedIn groups to help build your professional profile and get yourself noticed. By doing this, you will boost your chances of being contacted by a recruiter or employer.

Twitter

This micro-blogging platform is quickly turning into an ideal job searching platform. Use these pointers to help you master it as a job searching tool:

Update your bio: In order to ensure you are found on social media, you should considering using a recruiter-friendly and keyword rich bio (you have 160 characters to play with).

Start tweeting: Once your Twitter bio is updated and keyword rich, start tweeting about your area of expertise and trending topics using appropriate hashtags to ensure you get noticed by recruiters and potential employers.

Use it to search: Use the Twitter search functionality to look for terms which are relevant to the type of role you are looking for. E.g. ‘Social media job London’. Recruiters also often use hashtags in their tweets to increase their reach, so try using these in your searches, e.g. ‘#Socialmedia job London’.

Get following: Many Twitter accounts are set up to promote jobs and tweet careers advice, either by recruiters or job boards. Go to the search bar and type in “jobs,” then click “People” on the left-hand side. You’ll soon see all the Twitter accounts with “jobs” in the username and can hit ‘Follow’. This will ensure you have more visibility of the roles available.

Get organised: If you follow a high number of Twitter accounts and have a clogged up Twitter feed, I recommend you use the Twitter’s ‘lists’ function. This allows you to organize companies and people into specific categories, e.g. ‘ideal employers’. You can share lists or keep them private.

Facebook

Facebook is likely to be your largest and most engaged network, so make sure you use it wisely in your job search:

“Like” your employers and recruiters of choice: Many companies and recruiting consultancies will have their own Facebook fan pages. By “liking” them, you will receive daily updates on your newsfeed.

Is your Facebook profile doing you justice?: In order to put you in the best possible light, ensure your work and education information is current. You can also add your professional skills to your profile (you can find this under your profile’s ‘About’ section, under the ‘Work and Education’ section).Tagging a profile with a list of professional skills instantly makes your profile easier to discover for employers looking for candidates with particular skills.

Set your privacy settings: Take the time to update your privacy settings so that employers and recruiters do not find content you don’t want to share.

YouTube

Video is a more personal job searching tool.

Use video to promote yourself: Many industry leading professionals regularly post advice-based videos as a way of showcasing their talents to a wider audience. A great example of this in action is Tom Ferry, a real estate training coach, who since using YouTube to build his profile, has received speaking engagements and consulting jobs across the world. If you decide to go down this route, do your research – ensure your videos are sufficiently tagged for SEO and that you are always creating valuable content. Otherwise, there is risk you could do more harm to your career than good. However, not everyone is born to inform or entertain, so be objective about whether or not video is the best format on which to showcase your talents!

Research employers: Many companies and recruiters now have their own dedicated YouTube careers channels, often showcasing opportunities and providing a glimpse into the culture of the organization. Use the YouTube search functionality to find what you are looking for.

Did you find your current or a past job using social media? If so, I’d be interested to hear from you, so please share your experiences in the comments box below.

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