What is the most popular social media site for job seekers? Facebook or Twitter? Many know that the two major social networking sites allow users to find friends, old and new, and reconnect. But it is also a place to network with potential employers. By effectively tailoring your personal profile on Facebook or LinkedIn, you can make it easier for employers to find you and to read about your strengths as a job candidate. For instance, an internship-seeker at American University tweeted his resume at McDonald’s Corp., which got the attention of a student-recruiting manager who had recently been using Twitter himself to identify hungry talent
Looking for the best ways to stay connected during your job search? Social Media for Job Seekers will teach you how to use social media in today’s online environment, showing specific strategies for each of the most popular platforms. You’ll learn how to create professional online profiles that can be read, searched, and accessed by potential employers.
With about 800 million current users, LinkedIn is a top spot for people looking for work.5
However, many users don’t take the necessary steps to maximize their chances, including optimizing their profile, creating their network, joining groups, incorporating work samples, and accumulating recommendations and endorsements.
Make sure that you reach out to first-, second-, and third-degree connections for information, advice, and introductions to hiring managers.
Join professional groups related to your interests and contribute to discussions to enhance your visibility as a potential candidate.
LinkedIn is also a great resource for accessing job postings. The search results include a listing of jobs that correspond to your interests and also a list of individuals in your network who might be able to refer you to relevant jobs.
Alumni from your college who are working at the employers’ advertising jobs will also be noted on your results list.
Many employers will place job advertisements on Facebook. You can find these opportunities by searching for “Jobs on Facebook” in the search window on the site. However, the greatest value of Facebook is the opportunity to solicit the assistance of your contacts with your job search.
Ask if your contacts are aware of any jobs related to your interests, and also request that your friends provide referrals to any people whom they know in your field for advice and information relevant to your job transition.
Join groups of people with common interests and network with them.
Be careful how you proceed if you are currently employed and have Facebook contacts who might report your activity to your employer.
Instagram is a good way to establish your personal brand while demonstrating your social media skills and enhancing your overall digital presence. It’s also a smart way to glean information and insights about a company where you might want to work.
Did an employee post a picture of “massage Mondays,” and you’re a corporate masseuse? Does a company showcase a “Fajita Fridays” special, and you’re a Mexican chef?
Instagram is a great way to see inside a company to demonstrate later how you’d be a good fit.
Instagram also provides a vehicle for you to post visual representations related to your professional or academic projects.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a freemium online software designed to manage multiple social media accounts in one place. It can be a pain to spend time logging in and out of your social media networks to update a few posts a day and build your personal brand. To simplify things, consider this social media tip: by putting all of those networks in one dashboard, you can streamline your workflow. And don’t forget to build saved searches using specific hashtags. Click on the following link to view a list of must-follow hashtags for job seekers.
Buffer
Buffer is very similar to Hootsuite, but it allows you to schedule more than one post at any time. With the free account, you can connect one profile for each social platform—Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn, and you can store or schedule up to 10 concurrent posts for each profile. Use it to schedule engagement with brands and companies that you want to impress. Schedule retweets from those organizations’ official handles or from a recruiter’s handle to help draw attention to yourself and pace those posts over the course of a day or week.
IFTTT
If This Then That (IFTTT) allows you to connect seemingly unconnected applications, through a super simple interface, to put your social life on autopilot. This open-sourced, online software has more features than other automated websites. But it can be a bit confusing at times. If you need a little push in your job hunt, there are even ways to set reminders to look for new jobs.
Like LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter offers a great resource to demonstrate your expertise. When you use it to post updates and connect with others online via using their Twitter handles in your posts, you can expand your network and make sure people know about your expertise. One thing you may not have considered: you can learn what’s new in your field by following Twitter handles from your professional organizations and conferences.
Even if you can’t personally attend an organization’s professional event, it’s possible attendees will be there to “live tweet” what goes on at the conference. Look online to see if there is a hashtag (a word that includes a # sign) to help designate tweets from the conference. Follow that hashtag on Twitter and reap the benefits of what your colleagues share.
Pinterest reports millions of active monthly users. The site will be most useful for creative types like interior decorators, artists, and graphic designers who can post visual representations of their work.
TikTok
You can find plenty of job search advice on TikTok using hashtags such as #jobsearch and #careertok. Job seekers can also use TikTok as an application tool and for sharing video resumes.
Conclusion
Social media has reshaped the job search in recent years. With tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more, job-seekers can easily connect with recruiters and potential employers. Learn more about social media’s impact on the job search as well as specific sites that can help you through any step in your career journey.