Social media is the new place to be when looking for your next job opportunity. Thousands of job seekers trawl through the roles advertised on job boards, but to tip the odds in your favour it might be worth branching out into the social job search, where recruiters and employers are on the lookout for career-focused candidates.
Here are 6 steps you can take to find a job on social media:
1. Professional Profiles
Creating online professional profiles can open doors to new opportunities. LinkedIn is the obvious place for this as it is purpose-built for you to showcase your experience and skills. If you are looking for opportunities through LinkedIn you should ensure that your profile is fully complete and up-to-date. However, LinkedIn is not the only place you can create a professional profile, Twitter and Google+ can also be beneficial when looking for jobs. Having professional profiles not only aids you in looking for jobs but also with maintaining an image of professionalism and expertise when you begin working in your next role and throughout the rest of your career.
Top Tip: Include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your CV as this will give you another way to showcase your skills and experience beyond what a recruiter would usually see. This will also give you an advantage over other applicants!
2. Network
Once you have your professional profile you can use social media to network. Connect with others in your industry, join applicable groups, follow relevant company pages and be an active participant.
3. Engage with Potential Employers and Recruiters
If you are following relevant recruiters and employers for your industry then you will be the first to know about new opportunities. Joining conversations about industry trends and updates on these pages will also get you noticed before you even apply for a role.
4. Search for Jobs
You can look out for jobs on company pages, Twitter feeds and in industry groups. LinkedIn has a job search facility for users and thousands of companies are now tweeting about new opportunities they have available.
5. Share Great Content
When your online connections and friends are part of the same industry as you, then you should aim to try and share interesting articles with them. This makes you a valuable connection and also suggests that you know what you are talking about.
6. Avoid Asking Directly for a Job
The purpose of having professional profiles is to make you more visible to potential employers. However, it is inadvisable to approach recruiters and employers directly on social media to ask for a job. Instead, you should be engaging with them before applying for a role through their official channels.
Additional Points:
If you are using social media professionally, ensure that your profiles and posts do not contain any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes.
Remember to check that your personal profiles are private as recruiters will still look for these when considering you for a position.
Professional networking has become easier than ever with the rise of social media and during your job search is the perfect time to get onboard the social media train that is rocketing into the professional world.
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