How To Use Social Media To Get A Job
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How To Use Social Media To Get A Job
The credit's crunched, the recession is biting and certain jobs are getting harder and harder to come by, especially by the traditional means of finding employment. To get ahead of the game you need to utilize the social media world in your quest for another job. That's right, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin can all help you to find that next pay-check... here's how!
Step 1: Clean Up Your Profile
First things first, clean up your profiles across all the social media sites you use.
Remove any inappropriate photos, comments and applications that might give someone the wrong impression!
Once you're happy with everything, make sure your profiles are all set to be accessible publicly.
Step 2: Twitter
As more and more people are using it for business purposes, Twitter has become one of the ultimate recruitment tools.
Many of the recruitment agencies that use Twitter have an RSS feed which you can find a link to on their Profile pages. Simply follow the prompts and subscribe to their feed so you'll be instantly informed when new jobs are posted.
Its Important that you regularly communicate on Twitter with other users if you want to build online relationships that might bear fruit in the jobs market. As well as using hashtags in your own posts you should also re-tweet comments by people you want to develop connections with.
Step 3: LinkedIn
Recruiters are starting to use LinkedIn as one of their primary means to source candidates so getting a profile up and running is a must if you want to be ahead of the crowd.
Once you've completed your profile there two key things to do to increase your chances of finding work through LinkedIn. Increase your number of connections and get some recommendations.
The easiest way to start making connections is to import your contacts from Outlook or Gmail and see if anyone you know is already on LinkedIn. If they are simply find their profile and click to add them to your network. By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will see your profile first when they're searching for someone to hire or do business with.
The other way to increase your employability is to get people to recommend you. If you have a former employer or friend already on LinkedIn, you could ask them if they would mind recommending you. This simply adds a little thumbs up icon to your profile that prospective employers will be able to see when they search for job candidates.
Step 4: Facebook
Whilst one of the biggest social media sites on the internet, Facebook mostly caters to personal networking rather than businesses. However, there are things you can do to try and utilize Facebook to your advantage in the quest for employment.
The main tool at your disposal is Facebook's Social Ad's. These allow individuals and businesses to advertise via Facebook's news feed, meaning that your ad will spread through all of your friends mini-feeds in a 'word-of-mouth' friendly way.
Its important to get your Social Ad right. The title is the most important piece of the ad as it has the most text emphasis. Try to be specific and toute your skills.
Next select an appropriate image, something professional but personal would be ideal.
Finally your description should be concise, no more than 25 words for instance, giving the viewer a quick overview of who you are, what you do and what job you would like.
Once you create your Ad, link it to your facebook page, and also your LinkedIn profile or Twitter account to have the maximum impact.
And there you have it, all the knowledge and advice you need to find employment using Social Media sites!