The Benefits of Using Social Media in Your Job Search

Category: Tips and Advice Publish date: 30/06/2014

In a world where we live our lives on public forums, the importance of having a professional online profile cannot be over-stated. No doubt you have read or heard stories about how someone’s social media profile has caused them to lose their job or have a job offer rescinded. It is common practise for an employer to research a candidate to make sure that the person they offer employment to is right for their company. Have you “Googled” yourself recently?

Having completed your Career Transition Workshop (CTW) you will have given some thought to your personal brand, so when approaching social media you need to be able to answer the following questions:

• What am I marketing myself as?
• What are my unique selling points?
• What solutions am I offering to my employers of choice?
• How am I going to get the employers’ attention?

As with the CV and interview, your social media presence needs to create a positive impression. You are looking to highlight your best qualities and your achievements. It can be helpful to spend some time making notes before you start typing on a profile page.

There are 3 main forums that employers tend to look at for more information about a candidate:

• LinkedIn – the world’s largest online professional network where you can connect with other professionals.
• Facebook – often only used by people for social activities but if your profile settings are public then it is very easy for an employer to find out what you get up to.
• Twitter – often used to express opinions. It is important that you are not tweeting anything about your work or employer as this will impact on how you are viewed as an employee.

Given that LinkedIn is the main forum for recruitment activity out of the above, especially for management level opportunities, it is where you should spend some time ensuring you have the perfect profile. However, it is also strongly recommended that you spend a few minutes making sure that your Facebook and Twitter profiles aren’t going to damage your chances at getting a job!

LinkedIn offers you the chance to control what is said about you. You are able to present your professional portfolio and have colleagues and contacts verify your skills and experiences. It is a great way to develop a network of contacts who can be useful to you throughout your career. In order to strengthen your profile it is important to:

• Have a professional-looking photo (i.e. not one of you on holiday or holding a drink). If possible wear a suit and have a clear background.
• Have a professional headline – similar to your CV. Make it clear who you are and what your brand is.
• State your last 3 roles, including key words, responsibilities, accountabilities and strengths. 
• Highlight recent achievements that are relevant to what you are looking to do.
• Skills – start with 3-5 and ask colleagues to endorse you.
• Strengthen your profile using the tool on LinkedIn until you reach “all star”.
• Be active – share articles from industry sites and groups. Show you are interested in your professional development.

Twitter can be used to help with the job search. Rather than focusing on your personal life, start to use it to research companies and people. Companies will often tweet about events that they are attending and opportunities they have. By joining in chats and re-tweeting content you can raise your profile. You can also start conversations and show examples of your work through clever marketing – remember that the number of characters is limited so you really want to just focus on the important information you want people to know about you.

Maintaining a social media presence and working your network can be time-consuming. It is therefore important to think about what information you want others to know about you. It is important to represent and protect Brand YOU!