Only just three months away before the end of the year and you know that you have been putting all of your efforts in sending copies of your resume across recruiters and have been checking job boards for over six months already. But your chances of landing a job before December is still looking bleak. Are you sure you have exhausted all of the available channels out there?
What about social media? Is there a chance that all the posting and networking will help you land your dream job? But is it not only for personal socialising? Will recruiters see you as a skilful professional there? Which platforms are the most applicable for you to showcase your career background?
We’re sure that you have other questions but let us tell you this – social media will help you land your dream job. It has revolutionised communication and has since been an important part of the business world and yes, companies out there use social media to look for potential members of their teams. Recruiters actively look into the profiles of job candidates to ensure that their background fit the company’s requirements. You may not be new to social media anymore but using it to look for a job is a bit different. Here are 10 easy steps to land a job using social media:
Step #1: Define what a “dream job” is for you
Before anything else, you need to identify what your goal is first. Yes, we know that you are looking for your dream job. But is your dream job specific to a certain job title, rank, company, or industry only? Is your dream job all about finding one that pays the bills or one that would make you feel accomplished? Is it about being in a company that is known to provide a comprehensive employee benefit package? Bottom line is, you need to streamline the things that you want into a single goal – one that you really want and will make you feel fulfilled.
Step #2: Make an action plan
Social media is a huge arena and you need a go-to-guide to avoid getting lost. Your plan should indicate what platforms to use – is it Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter? What are you going to do once you are on these sites? Your plan will also help you stay on track as you can get very focused on one aspect of your job hunting in social media and forget the others.
Step #3: Create a credible professional profile on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the no. 1 social networking site for professionals with more than 433 million members over 200 countries around the world. It is used for both networking with your colleagues and recruiting potential employees. Recruiters use LinkedIn to view your professional history, educational background, affiliated groups, projects, awards, certifications, etc. That is why you need to make your profile on LinkedIn up to date. At the same time, your profile entries should all be true and correct. Recruiters will eventually find out if there are any erroneous entries on there, so it’s best to be honest and truthful to project a credible image online.
Step #4: Start growing your social network
And by social network means not only your family members and friends but people who are in the same line of work as you do, same company, same industry, same college or university from years back, same interest, or same advocacy. You may not connect with them directly but they are what you call groups that represent a community. Search groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+ that interest you. But it doesn’t stop by just being a member of your chosen groups – you need to be an active member. Stay active by continuously offering helpful posts that you found, blogs that you yourself have written, or by commenting on conversations or forums that interest you. Other members of these groups may see you as a resource person for a particular field or someone who is fit for a job opening in their companies.
Step #5: Start developing your own shareable content
Spend time looking for engaging content that is relevant to the job that you are trying to get then share them on social media. If you are able to blog, then you can publish them on your own blog site, if you have one, then on LinkedIn too. Share links to these pages on your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts. If you know how to create videos of you doing a commentary on a specific topic or those how-to-clips then you can share those to YouTube, Vimeo, and even Instagram. Pinterest is a good channel too if you are into visual content like infographics, inspirational quotes, photo galleries, etc. All of these are part of your online portfolio and will make you more attractive to the eyes of job recruiters.
Step #6: Filter and search through job advertisements on LinkedIN
LinkedIn is a big marketplace for both jobseekers and recruiters. Do you know that DMR reported as of April 2016, there are about 6.5 million jobs posted on the site? And do you also know that 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to check on candidates? There are a lot of opportunities out there and most of them are on LinkedIn. You only need to properly search using the correct keywords. Another tip would be for you to follow the social media accounts of companies that you are aiming to enter or the social media sites of top employment companies.
Step #7: Stay active on your social media account
Make sure that when recruiters send you a private message on social media, you are instantly able to respond back to them. Being available readily shows your willingness to connect and take on a new job. So if you have been unreachable for a long time or if nothing is happening on your account or if you are not interacting with others, recruiters might think that you are no longer interested or that you are taking some time off.
Step #8: Be ready with your resume
Your profile on social media should not be just a complete duplicate of your resume. Although they tackle the same which are your skills and career experience, they are two different things. While you may have already created a very comprehensive profile say on LinkedIn, you should now take time to update your resume to make sure that it highlights the important entries that you have posted on social. Summarise and let your resume cater to a much more formal and corporate market. Social media profiles cater to a wider audience and so you have the option to make it long and a bit casual. Also, your resume may have different versions as you may need to tailor the document based on the job role that you are applying.
Step #9: Conduct a personal online reputation check
While the previous steps showed you ways on how to keep your presence online positive and attractive enough for recruiters to notice, you need to make sure too that nothing negative appears elsewhere. You have taken great lengths to build your professional profile and know that a single negative comment or post can turn off potential employers. Quickly Google yourself and do a thorough check of the results there. Also if you are aware of any posts that you may have made in the past which you prefer now to be unavailable for recruiters or future employers to see, then go back to these posts or photos or videos and either delete or change their privacy settings.
Step #10: Make yourself more in demand by continuously learning
Yes, the key is always never stop learning because others are also out to get your dream post. You need to be on top of the race so while job hunting and waiting for recruiters to contact you, spend time to enrich yourself by watching how-to videos, reading blogs of thought leaders and influencers, monitoring news about your target company or industry, and even taking courses online. Meanwhile, you can also start a new qualification to keep your skills up to date. Explore some of your courses options here.
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