How To Use Social Media In Your Job Search
Throughout the past decade, social media has quickly become the go-to place for over 70% of adults in America to stay up to date on everything from breaking news to current popular culture trends. Now, in recent years, many people are even turning to social media to help in their job search, with 41% of young job seekers being more likely to use social media as opposed to more traditional methods such as job boards or employer career sites.
Thinking of becoming a part of this growing statistic? Check out five tips below for incorporating social media into your job search.
Use a variety of different platforms
The more social media platforms you decide to utilize during your job search means the more opportunities you will come across. Whether you’re looking to post career-specific questions, do a general search for open positions in your area, or build a stronger professional network, each of the platforms below can offer you a unique experience:
LinkedIn: With a reported 45 million people using LinkedIn to search for jobs per week, this platform is certainly not a bad place to begin your job search when it comes to utilizing social media, but it's also important to remember LinkedIn is not the only social media platform that can aid in your job search. LinkedIn can be used to connect with people in your industry, see the latest job market trends, and more. You can even use the platform's many resources like LinkedIn Learning or seek help from professional resume writers to strengthen your career development opportunities and improve your hiring materials.
Facebook: Never underestimate the power of networking or everyday conversations when it comes to finding a new job. When it comes to social media, Facebook Groups, which give users a unique experience to create private or public groups to discuss a certain topic, can be used to meet new people and be the first to hear about job openings. With 1.8 billion people using this feature from Facebook, you’re sure to find groups geared toward your field or industry, common career goals, or even specific organizations.
Twitter: Twitter revolutionized the use of the hashtag, so when it comes to using this platform in your job search, be sure to check out tweets marked with popular hashtags such as #Hiring, #Jobs, or even those in your specific field such as #GraphicDesignJobs or #MarketingJobs. Today, some organizations even have separate Twitter accounts to share career openings (@BBCareers, @CVSHealthJobs, and @HomeDepotCareer to name a few). This means in addition to checking popular hashtags or even the main accounts of organizations you’re interested in, be sure to check if they have any secondary accounts sharing useful information in regards to job openings.
Reddit: Reddit may not be the first place job seekers think to check for an open position or career advice, but with over 3 million subreddits, or forums dedicated to a variety of topics, many offer information pertaining to the job search. Whether they’re posts focused on general interview tips, advice for work-related dilemmas, or even region-specific job postings (e.g. r/NYCjobs), Reddit is a great platform to add into your job search.
Create a personal brand
A personal brand is what makes you, you. It’s what others think of or associate with you when hearing your name or seeing your work. Having a strong personal brand is important because it is how you market yourself in your job search and it can be what makes you stand out from other candidates. When it comes to sharing this personal brand particularly on social media, it helps others recognize you as a reputable source to receive and share information and shows you are knowledgeable about your specific field or industry.
Therefore, in order to establish a strong personal brand for yourself, it’s important that you have a strong understanding of who you are and what it is that makes you tick – your interests and passions, goals, and plans for the future. In order to establish these aspects across your social media, make sure each post you create reflects a clear understanding of what it is you do and what you want to accomplish. In other words, when people look at your social media profiles and read through your posts, it should be obvious what your goals and passions are, what you stand for, and where you want to go next.
Share and interact with content that aligns with your goals, interests, and personal brand
If you’re not ready to create content of your own just yet, be sure to interact with the content that others post in order to establish your personal brand, show your interests, and open yourself up to new opportunities. Depending on the social media platform you use and your privacy settings, others will be able to see the content you have interacted with. For example, by visiting your LinkedIn activity or Twitter profile, other users can see what posts and accounts you have liked, shared, retweeted, commented on, etc. While these practices are certainly a more subtle way of establishing your personal brand or getting your name out there, it can still be an effective way to show others what you are interested in and the type of ideas that resonate with you.
Form connections
Social media is meant to be a social experience. This means take advantage of the platforms you use to meet new people or create stronger connections with those you already know. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, give advice of your own, or reach out to people you may not have the chance to interact with in person. Use social media to grow your professional network and gain a new perspective from people in various industries and fields. In the event that a job opens up that you are particularly interested in, having a connection at the organization can help you learn more about the role and company or be a helping hand throughout the hiring process.
Keep it professional
At the end of the day, social media is undoubtedly a great tool to use throughout your job search, but it’s important to remember these pieces of advice: not everyone will use their social media to form professional connections or share content related to their work and not every social media platform can be used in the same way. Keep these facts in mind while reaching out to new people and creating or sharing content across different platforms. For example, rather than sending a Facebook friend request to the interviewer you just spoke with, try adding them to your LinkedIn network instead. Additionally, if you primarily use social media to share personal posts or photos, be wary of who you are adding to those networks and whether or not this is the content they want to see. If necessary, be sure to limit your privacy settings to share certain posts with specific audiences or even consider making separate profiles for your professional endeavors. This will help you draw a clear line between your professional and personal uses of social media and gives you the opportunity to use each platform however you decide.
Still scrolling through lists of job openings looking for the perfect one to catch your eye? Contact Nexus today for a personalized recruitment experience or check out our list of available jobs here. Our team of experienced recruiters is here to help guide you every step of the way.