HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO ENHANCE YOUR JOB PROSPECTS

Think social media is simply about interacting with your friends and family, and posting the odd company update on LinkedIn? Think again.

When used with intention, social media can be a great marketing tool for your own personal brand and can benefit your career progression. In fact, by avoiding social media, you could be missing out on the chance to connect with industry leaders and headhunters. 

It’s reported that 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process and 47% wouldn't call a person for an interview if they can't find them online. So if you think staying offline is better for you, this goes to show that without a robust social media presence, you could be missing out on pivotal career connections and opportunities.

Put your resume online

Even if you’re not actively looking for a new role, having your resume or job history listed on LinkedIn gives you credibility for your current role.

Listing your key milestones and accomplishments on LinkedIn also allows you to be headhunted if any suitable opportunities arise. There might be a new role out there that would be perfect for you, and your LinkedIn page could help a headhunter discover you as a suitable match.

In fact, it can look a little untrustworthy and unprofessional if you are a notable business leader but don’t have an online presence, as social media activity promotes authenticity and transparency. 

LinkedIn as a thought-leadership tool

If you work in a professional industry, such as accounting and finance LinkedIn can be used to promote yourself by giving away your expertise for free.

Rather than creating a blog on your own website (which can also have its benefits), LinkedIn can be used as a social media platform to host your articles. 

When you publish on LinkedIn, you are posting articles in a space your target market visits regularly, often allowing you to get more views on your content than if you were to post on your own website.

By regularly creating content for LinkedIn, you can swiftly become a thought-leader for your industry and get noticed by hiring firms. 

It’s not all eyes on LinkedIn

While LinkedIn is undoubtedly the platform for professional connections and conversations, it’s important to remember that employers can also search for you across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and general Google searches. 

If you were to audit all your social media pages through the eyes of a future employer, would you want you representing their reputable brand? It’s all well and good to have a polished LinkedIn account, but if your Instagram feed is filled with partying and your Facebook feed shows meme after meme, it gives a more rounded perspective of your character outside of the confines of the office walls. 

If you feel your personal Facebook page doesn’t do this, make sure all of your privacy settings are activated. But remember, it’s possible you are in the same Facebook groups as hiring managers, so even the comments you leave are subject to be found and scrutinised. 

Use the reach of social media to your professional advantage by sharing news items that are important to you, quoting sayings that resonate, recognising the efforts of others, providing industry advice that celebrates your skillset, and posting images and videos that show you enjoy a healthy work-life balance. 

Remember that it’s better to be across one or two social media platforms that align with your brand (and post regularly), than to be across all of them and post infrequently. 

Use social media for research

Ahead of a job interview, it pays to research the online presence of the company and your interviewing panel so you can gather a better understanding of how the business interacts with their customers and who you’ll be meeting with. 

If there is a recent new client announcement or an upcoming event the hiring firm is promoting on social media, be sure to mention it in your interview. This gives you the chance to impress the interviewee with your knowledge while demonstrating a host of likable attributes such as preparedness, work ethic, connection and communication. Essentially, it shows you have put some effort into your interview. 

Curate your social media over time

If you don’t yet have a social media account then don’t worry – you can start one now and make sure it aligns with how you want to be seen professionally.

And if you do already have an online presence, perhaps now is the time to go through and make sure it’s representing the best version of yourself. Just ask yourself, would you hire you?