5 Tips for Finding a Job Using Social Media - CareerAlley

5 Tips for Finding a Job Using Social Media - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. For many people social media sites are exactly that; a place to socialize, and keep in touch with friends and relatives. Increasingly however, social media platforms are being turned to other purposes. Twitter has been used to foment revolution and social media marketing continues to be a buzz phrase for businesses of all sizes and shapes Social media sites have also started to play an increasingly important role in the job market. While online job boards are increasingly prevalent, many jobs are never advertised. Networking plays an important part in many peoples job hunting activities. Although the value of meeting people face to face should never be underestimated, social media sites can help you make contacts in the first place. Any extra advantage can be vital in an overcrowded job market. Think about your profiles Social media sites can be useful for finding jobs but they can also result in you missing out or even losing an existing one. Even if youre applying for jobs by more traditional methods, recruitment managers increasingly take a look at prospective employees social media profiles as part of a general background check. Risqu or inappropriate photos and controversial comments could lead to you being ruled out of the race for a job without you even being aware of it, while unguarded rants about your existing employers could land you in hot water. If youre using a site to look for work, make sure your profile is professionally presented. Provide a summary of your skills and employer-friendly qualities. If you want to maintain one or more profiles for purely personal content, then check the privacy settings and dont link them to your more professional profiles. Find the right people and platforms Instead of searching for jobs it can pay to search for people. Connecting with people at a company or working within an industry youre interested in can pay dividends later, even if youre not looking for a job right now. As for the best platforms to use, all the big hitters of the social media world, like Facebook, Twitter and the professionally oriented LinkedIn have their specific roles. Any social network can potentially be used for job-hunting purposes and there are also a host of industry-specific social media sites springing up. These may involve forums, job boards and news and features allowing you to keep abreast of developments within the industry. Sites like this include: iShade Dedicated to the accounting industry. Glozal For those involved in the real estate industry. Sermo Claims to be the largest online community for physicians in the US ResearchGate Built for scientists by scientists. There are currently dozens if not hundreds more, catering to professionals from all fields and walks of life. Use Facebook indirectly For many people, Facebook is their personal space and they might not always appreciate being directly approached or tapped up for jobs. Unless youre the sort who expands their friends list indiscriminately you should at least know who your Facebook contacts are. But it can be easy to lose touch with people and you may not know what each now does for a living. Updating your status or posting notes concerning your job-seeking status might just yield advice, contacts or even a job offer from an unexpected source. People with whom you have a closer relationship might be more open to a direct approach and you should use your own judgement here. Use Twitter sparingly Twitter allows you to make contact with people you dont know based on common interests, making it a great way to network and build up contacts. Job vacancies are increasingly posted on Twitter but, while its easy to tweet at hundreds of people across a number of sectors and jobs, dont forget that people can look through your stream and see these tweets. Prospective employers like to think that youre particularly interested in working for them. You dont want them to think that youre simply playing a numbers game. Make the best use of LinkedIn As the worlds leading business oriented social media site (as of August 2012 its own statistics claimed more than 175 million members in over 200 countries) LinkedIn presents a perfect opportunity to establish professional networks and boost your job-seeking chances. Fill in your profile as completely as possible many people never reach the 100% complete notification and highlight your skills, experience and qualifications. Cast your net as widely as possible when it comes to building your network and try to engage with people as much as you can whether or not youre currently looking for a job, or theyre in a position to offer you one. About the authorChristian Arno is the Managing Director of Lingo24, Inc. Follow Lingo24, Inc. on Twitter: @Lingo24 This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif