Social media: A job hunting tool?
(From ec.europa.eu)
LinkedIn
An article about job hunting on social media could not start without talking about LinkedIn. Launched in 2002, the site is specifically designed for professional networking and recruitment. There are a variety of tools and features on offer, and we’ve pulled out some of our favourites.
Join groups: An obvious one, but a logical place to start. There are over 1.7 million groups on LinkedIn, dedicated not just to individual companies but also to networking, organisations and specific themes. Joining a group will give you access to experts, people who have the same interests or ideas and maybe even potential employers.
Search for a job: The LinkedIn job search operates in a similar way to many other job search engines in that you can search for open roles and apply for them. As well as the manual search option, the site will also recommend jobs to you based on your profile and career interests (see below). This can be a great shortcut to interesting positions posted directly by employers.
Activate your career interests: Located under the ‘Jobs’ tab, this option lets you tell recruiters that you’re looking for a job. You can specify things such as job titles you’re interested in, locations, contract types, industries and start dates. Turn the career interests option on and fill out the information as completely as possible to show your interest to potential employers.
Get your skills endorsed: It’s easy to draw up a list of skills, but an employer doesn’t normally have a way of judging how accurate that list is. That’s where the endorsements feature comes in. Endorsed skills reflect more than just your opinion, providing that extra level of reassurance for recruiters.
Twitter
There are an estimated 500 million tweets sent each day on Twitter, making it a rich source of information, the latest trends and news. It’s also a great place to hunt for employment opportunities, particularly if you like to do your searching while you’re on-the-go.
Follow the hashtags: Most recruiters use hashtags when they advertise open positions on Twitter. A quick and regular search for hashtags like #job – and more specific ones, if you’re targeting a particular company or role – will bring the opportunities straight to you.
Follow the leaders: Every industry has its leading companies and influencers. Following these people and organisations not only expands your network, but also gives you instant access to all of their latest tweets.
Target your tweets: Tweeting about a particular industry or subject matter is an easy way of showing your interest. You might find that you also gather more relevant followers this way, or identify useful accounts for you to follow.
Search for a job: While Twitter doesn’t have a classic built-in job search function like LinkedIn, websites like Jobs By Twitter and Twit Job Seek can help. Simply follow the instructions on these sites to track down the job opportunities that interest you.
Facebook
Facebook is probably the least obvious of the social networking sites when it comes to finding a job, but that doesn’t mean it has nothing to offer. It’s still the world’s largest and most used social networking site, with an average of almost 1.5 billion daily active users. Add the fact that more than 60 million businesses have a Facebook page and the site more than justifies its presence on this list.
Expand your network: The most basic step on Facebook is to join relevant groups and ‘like’ the pages of people and companies that interest you. It’ll give you instant access to all of their latest news and job leads. You can also adjust your account settings to ensure you receive notification emails whenever they post to ensure you don’t miss out on opportunities.
Create a dedicated job-hunting profile: If you want to go a step further, it might be worth creating an entirely new ‘professional’ profile. This allows you to have a clean space where you can sell your talents, while also having a personal space where you can continue to post holiday snaps and funny memes.
General tips
Keep you profile up-to-date: Whatever social media platform you decide to use, your profile is only as strong as the information it contains. Keep yours detailed, relevant and up-to-date to maximise your recruitment potential.
Stay professional: Social media encourages a certain level of informality. That’s fine when you’re chatting to your friends, but recruiters are going to be looking for something a little more professional. Think about who your audience is and how you should address them before you click the ‘submit’ button. And remember that social media sites have a long memory – don’t find yourself regretting that post or tweet from five years ago!
So there you have it: our top tips for using social media in your job hunt. It’s up to you now to get out there and put this advice to good use. Good luck!
Article produced in partnership with EURES, the European Job Mobility Portal.
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