Using Social Media Platforms for Your Job Search
People typically consider Facebook a personal network, so it's difficult to make the most of the fact that many people use it to find professional candidates. What's the solution? Share your status publicly.
The benefits of making a specific status update public are within reach with a few clicks. Check the privacy settings on your Facebook page using the link at the top. Click on the "Followers" icon on the left side of the screen. Check the box for "turn on following" under Follower Settings. This will allow you to create public updates and allow people to "follow" them
Every time you post on Facebook, you will have the option to make your post public. Create public posts similar to what you would share on LinkedIn and other social networks: including news and information relevant to your field and commentary on what's going on in it. By doing so, you'll add yet another searchable series of posts to your digital footprint, making it more likely that people will find you when they search for someone with your skills.
The majority of people know that having a LinkedIn profile is an essential part of job search preparation, but are you using all of LinkedIn's features to your advantage?
A frequently-overlooked opportunity for demonstrating your expertise on LinkedIn is the ability to update your profile status. LinkedIn offers you this option whenever you sign in. How should you update your status? Include news and information that prove you are knowledgeable about your industry and commentary on topics to show you're on top of the latest trends.
In your status update, make sure to tag people if you are sharing information they originally shared. It's also a good idea to tag companies if you mention them. All you have to do is include the person's or company's name with the @ symbol in your update (for example, @LaneFoe), and LinkedIn alerts them to the mention.
Twitter is a great resource for displaying your expertise, like LinkedIn and Facebook. When you use it to post updates and connect with others online via their Twitter handles, you can expand your network and ensure people know about your expertise. If you follow the Twitter handles of your professional organizations and conferences, you can learn what's new in your field.
Even if you can't attend an organization's professional event, you might still be able to follow what goes on at the conference via "live-tweeting". Check online to see if there is a hashtag (a word with a # symbol) to help you identify tweets from the conference. Use that hashtag on Twitter to discover what your colleagues are sharing.
You can use Instagram to search for a job as well. Create a professional profile and post-professional things on it. Post a story about a recent win or a picture of a project you completed.
Connect with companies and jobs by searching popular hashtags. For instance:
#remoteworking
#jobs
#jobhunt
However, don't limit your hashtag search to general ones. Try hashtags specific to your field. Suppose you're a virtual assistant. You might search for:
#virtualassistance
#virtualassistancejobs
The posts and jobs you will find never cease to amaze you!
Social Media Job Search Mistakes to Avoid
As you probably already know, there are social media mistakes you want to avoid during your job search (and at any time).
Add it all up
Separating your social media profiles from your resume is fine, but should not be so different that it raises red flags. Recruiters may think you are overstating your qualifications if, for example, your LinkedIn profile says you are an expert audit accountant but your posts discuss your interior design skills.
Even though it's okay to rephrase things across your social media profiles (one says expert audit accountants, another says experienced and skilled CPAs), make sure that you're being honest (and consistent).
It's getting stale
Social media is all about being active. A recruiter may be underwhelmed by your profile if you never engage with a company, like a post, or share useful information. It may not necessarily hurt your chances of getting a job, but it probably won't help either, especially if your competition is active.
Overactive
Participating in social media is one thing. Overactivity, however, is entirely different and should be avoided.
Even if you disregard the concept of what you post (nothing offensive, nothing mean, nothing that lets your boss know you're job hunting), it is possible to annoy people by posting and engaging too much. Are you retweeting the same posts every day? Are you liking every post made by companies? Are you pestering hiring managers?
It is important to like and share, but you don't have to do it constantly. You should spend some time on your social media each week to like and repost things that are professionally relevant to your job search.
Adjustments to the profile constantly
When you are looking for a job, you want to put your best foot forward in both a real-life interview and an online application. Make sure, however, that every single profile update does not get broadcast to your network.
A Request for Recommendations
Do you know how you feel when you get those generic LinkedIn messages from your former colleagues asking you for a recommendation?
Imagine you're the one processing those requests. Having references who can attest to your stellar work ethic and exceptional performance is always a good idea, but you don't need dozens of recommendations to improve your online presence. Organic recommendations are even better! But don't go overboard.
1 Comments
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great Post!
we also provide Video and Voice Over Production, telephone on-hold messages, Voice Artists, after-hours messages, and interactive voice response recordings.