11 tips for using social media to find your next job

According to a recent report from ABC News, 80% of today’s jobs are landed through networking — social networking being the main reason for this. In recent years, we have all seen the rapid development of social media; from Facebook check ins to pinning your favourite interests. Everything about everyone seems to be available online.

This has been the catalyst for a dramatic change in the recruitment process. From multinational organisations to small local businesses, the change has been evident across all levels. Employers are sick of dishing out thousands on recruitment agencies: instead, they are using the power of social media to bolt them into the future.

Job seekers and graduates alike have recognised this shift, identifying that social media is the best platform to connect with employers. Job seekers are becoming increasingly aware that having a strong online presence can be the difference to landing their dream job or not. Here are some tips to on how to use social media to improve your online presence.

Register on LinkedIn and get involved

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. In March 2012, they had a reported 161-million users. More than 2 million companies have LinkedIn Company Pages, making it a prime place to engage with potential employers. With over one million groups, LinkedIn is the best platform for exchanging ideas, chatting with potential employers and connecting with old and existing colleagues who may help you in your job search.

• Ask for recommendations from your ex-colleagues and employers.
• Add your written work such as guest blogs and academic coursework to your account.
• Add your work experience to highlight your skills and qualities.
• Leverage your second degree connections — you’ll be shocked at the amount of relevant people your friends and other connections can introduce to you.

Get blogging:

It’s important in this day and age to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd; there is no better way to do this than by setting up your own personal blog. This gives you the chance to highlight your skills and passion for your industry. One can write about anything, from topical issues in the news to their pet hates. Many people have used this as a platform in the past such as Aman Basanti, who says his blog was the reason for landing his $100k job.

• Use Twitter to leverage your blog and contact influencers. This broadens your reach. It’s a good idea to mention influencers in blog posts and tweet them; grabbing their attention and getting noticed in your industry. People love having their egos boosted by being referenced. This is an excellent way to engage with them.
• You need to remember two things when writing your blog; authenticity and quality. It’s important to be authentic when creating content and good content is essential to engagement. Communicating authentically can get you noticed in any industry and can give you an edge. So write original posts with your own point of view.

Be proactive on Twitter
Twitter has become the main source of communication to connect directly with individuals, whether being recruiters or employees at companies you want to work for.

• Conduct Twitter searches, follow recruiters and communicate with them on occasion so you can learn about them and their companies.
• Follow professionals and recruiters in your field. A lot of the time jobs may be advertised online and appear on their Twitter feeds.

Connect your social media accounts:

Connecting your social media accounts enables you to reach a larger target audience. More importantly it allows you to showcase what you have to offer.

• Ensure your social media accounts are secure, so potential employers can’t find anything too damaging about you. Hence, choose wisely when deciding upon your profile pictures, and comments you make, especially around the time of applying for a job.
• Link your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, but be smart; if your social media accounts are connected make sure your content is not explicit or damaging to your online presence.
• Engage with the employees of jobs you are interested in and relevant people that could be interested in your skills and you as an individual.

Remember, social media is now the first part of the interview, so every time you create something authentic via social media you are giving yourself an edge over a person who may have the exact same qualifications as you.