Wondering how you can use social media to get employment? We got you covered! Discover secrets for successfully using social media in your job search.
Billions of people around the world use at least one kind of social media regularly in their day. So much so that many businesses rely on these platforms to weed out potential candidates before the interviewing process.
By now, you’ve heard the warnings about what not to do on social media if you want to land a professional job. And although there are things to be cautious with, you can also leverage social media platforms to help your career chances.
Yes, if you use it right, you can turn the mindless scrolling and the pictures of your pets into an advantage before your next interview. Our five tips show you how to use social media platforms to get a job quickly!
1. Choose Your Professional Social Media Platforms
Many of us use a social media platform or two for personal reasons. It shows off our likes and dislikes, our daily lives, and our true personality.
But a lot of employers examine social media accounts to check for your professionalism, too.
Choose the social media platforms that you want to share with potential employers. Then make the rest of your accounts private and only show pictures and comments that are neutral and professional.
Narrowing Down Your Professional Social Media
Some social media accounts are better for your personal life and not your business life. However, there are a few that are becoming the norm in professional networking.
If you’re building your connections through your social media accounts, be sure to include these three platforms:
LinkedIn is the network most job searchers use, as do those looking to hire staff. If you’re set on landing a position in a professional industry, this is the site to head to first.
Take time to optimize your LinkedIn profile as much as you can. Update your resume, list your hard and soft skills, and keep a recent photo of you on your page.
Recruiters often go to LinkedIn as their default search option when trying to fill a position for a big company. Make sure you have your “Open to New Opportunities” feature turned on so potential employers can find you!
Celebrities, major companies, and everyone in between use Twitter, but be careful who you’re engaging with and following. Hiring managers may judge you based on your audience and those you’re following.
To make the most of this platform:
As with Twitter, Facebook can be beneficial or a disadvantage, depending on how you use it. Turn off the “tag” features and automatic timeline notifications. This ensures you get to approve or delete anything anyone else tries to tag you in.
What you’re posting should stay neutral or relevant to your professional industry of choice, as well. Avoid pictures of you at parties, drinking alcohol, or engaging in other questionable behaviors.
Yes, you can share your own opinion on religion, politics, and other controversial topics. But if you want to be valuable to a company, your Facebook profile should be clean.
You can have personal accounts, too. Ensure the privacy settings are as strict as possible and anything public is neutral or professional. But keep in mind that everything online may eventually be seen by your employers, coworkers, or clients, even if it’s private.
2. Show Off Your Portfolio
People expect you to show off your stuff on social media platforms. You see your friends sharing their vacation shots, pet pictures, and even their meals. Why not use the opportunity to show off your portfolio?
You probably see network marketing in action all day long on your news feed. Your friends and acquaintances don’t hesitate to share whatever it is they sell.
You can do something similar by posting your skills. What are you marketing about yourself?
Start by creating a blog or electronic portfolio on a website that lists and links to all your work and skills. If you’re a blogger, for instance, link your blog to your social media account. If you have a website with all your photos because you’re a photographer, link that site to your accounts.
Most of the social media sites let you pin your page to the top. Take advantage of this prime location to show off your talent and let the hiring managers come to you!
3. Clean Up Your Act (Online, Anyway)
Yes, it’s your personal social media account. Yes, you should post whatever you want And you can, as long as you realize that prospective employers can, and will, use it against you.
It’s not a court of law, but potential employers have the right to scroll through anything you publish online. They can then use that information to prejudge whether they think you’ll be suitable for their company’s image or not.
Certain topics are safe, like your pets and your professional discussions.
However, avoid engaging in your own or other people’s comments about things like:
Pictures of a party lifestyle, poor spelling and grammar, and profanity will also turn off a potential hiring manager.
Clean up your social media image for a better chance at landing that job!
4. Increase Your Network
The entire point of social media is to connect with others. And you should use your accounts to grow your network. However, never use a personal social media account to connect with professional contacts.
There are some “rules” against cold contacts on social media that you should follow. Certain behaviors can skirt the line between acceptable and over-the-top.
To make sure people see you as professional instead of annoying, keep these tips in mind:
When you’re growing your network, other people are extending theirs, too. Let each contact know what you bring to the table, so the communication isn’t one-sided.
5. When You Share, Do it With a Strategy
Everyone uses their social media differently. You have the daily posters who let you know everything that’s going on in their day. Then there are the “kid-centric” people who only share their children’s milestones (even if they are a bit TMI).
Other people are “lurkers,” going on social media and seeing what everyone else is doing but never posting themselves.
You need to become the strategic sharer. When you post, share things that show your knowledge and interest in your career.
Don’t just share your ideas and thoughts, though. Show that you’re following the experts in your industry and your peers. Be the poster that people in your field can count on to share relevant, interesting information, not just pictures.
When someone in the industry you’re applying for knows of a job opening, they’ll be more likely to come to you to fill it.
Conclusion
Almost everyone uses social media in some form or another today.
You can make the most of your already built accounts and use them to help you get a job by following these tips.
Author bio:
Caitlin Sinclair is the Property Manager at Portside Ventura Harbor with five years of property management experience and many more in customer service. She loves sharing her passion for her community and looks forward to making Portside Ventura Harbor the place to call home.
