If you’re a smart job searcher, you have probably already mastered everything there is to know about resumes, cover letters, interviews, and all of the other job-search basics. But are you familiar with the latest job-search trend: social media search? Sure, you use social media every day, but do you know how to use its power to make a job-search break-through? Studies show that more than 60% of companies check job candidates’ social profiles before hiring. How can you tap into the power of social media to make your job search more effective? Let’s take a look at these tips:
Get Everything Cleaned Up
Get your profiles cleaned up. This is the simplest yet most important rule. You use social media every day and you share all kinds of things on there. But do you really want your future employers to see everything you’ve posted? Make sure any public information on your social profiles is appropriate and suitable for your professional image. Remove all your drunken party pics, midnight prank videos, random cynical rants, as well as anything that shows an extreme political view or could be considered offensive.
Use Your Real Name
Not everyone uses their real name on social media. It can be tempting to pick a catchy nickname to show off your creativity, but from the moment you decide to build a professional personal image, use your real name. This will make your profile look more professional and help people to remember you by your name. If you insist on using a well-known nickname, at least choose a consistent name you can use across all social platforms, and try to also have your real name listed on each account.
Demonstrate Your Expertise
Your posts, updates, and tweets are open platforms for you to curate knowledge on a specific subject and therefore demonstrate your expertise. If you’re not a fan of writing, at least stay active by sharing links to relevant articles with your own comments. Participate in social events or conversations that are relevant to your industry, and post your own insights. By joining topic discussions on social media, you gain more exposure for your profile and you may even get to know some powerful social influencers who can connect you to your dream job.
Show Your Personality
Companies not only care about the knowledge and skills in a candidate, they also want to see a candidate’s personality. Once a potential employer sees your expertise, they’ll want to discover if your personality is a good fit for their company culture. With social media, you can color your status, tweets, posts and even your profile summaries with your own unique style and personality.
Blog Your Way to a Job
Commenting on hot issues in your field of work on social media can be a path to a new job. Blogging is an excellent way for job candidates to showcase their knowledge while looking for new opportunities. If you’ve blogged about a certain product or service, a popular trend, or even a specific company before, it can help strengthen your pitch when you apply for a new job. Every time when you publish a new piece, don’t forget to share it with your social network for potential contacts to see.
Reach Out To Potential Leads
Comparing to getting someone’s email address or phone number, finding them on social media is much easier. Inviting a contact to connect on LinkedIn, or direct messaging them on Twitter and Facebook might be the most efficient way of communication. A social media invitation is also less intrusive compared to a goal-oriented formal email. If you meet someone at an event, invite them to connect on social. You can also post pictures, and share takeaways from the event, and tag your new contacts in it.
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