Social Media can be an incredible asset to anyone looking for a new role, it can also be your worse enemy if you don’t ensure that you have undergone a social media audit before taking yourself to market.
Make sure you have employed all the following techniques before sending out your CV…
Hate your job?
Only you know the reasons why you are looking for a new role, and when it comes to social media it is better to keep it that way. Having a tantrum on Facebook, or tweeting your dismay to the world may give you a short burst of relief but is not an emotion you want a prospective employer to read. It is becoming increasingly common for prospective employers to check social feeds before meeting candidates for an interview, make sure yours is showing you in the best possible light.
Make your LinkedIn beautiful
LinkedIn is a fundamental part of your job hunt.
If you are starting to send out your CV then you need to ensure that your LinkedIn profile is fantastic. Dates, job titles, and responsibilities should mirror what is on your CV. However you can also use the summary section to really highlight your skills and sell yourself to the viewer.
Testimonials on LinkedIn are a really powerful way to demonstrate how you will be an asset to a new role. Use the messaging function on LinkedIn to reach out to old contacts and customers and ask them to provide a testimonial on your interactions together.
Strong testimonials tell prospective employers that you are respected in your field.
You can use LinkedIn as an expanded version of your CV. Whereas a CV needs to be concise, and ideally two pages or less, your LinkedIn profile can expand more on key areas of skill (without going too wild!)
Keep Facebook clean (or change your privacies)
Facebook seems to have ever changing privacy functions, so if you would prefer your future employer didn’t see you personal posts make sure you have a good look in the settings to ensure you are hidden. If not, throughout the time of your job search make sure the content you share with your friends, is material that you are happy for anyone to read.
Tweeting?
Twitter is a platform which can be perceived as personal and business. Either way it is a completely public forum where your tweets can be read by anyone.
If you are looking for a role I would use Twitter to your advantage. You can follow businesses you are interested in working for, tweet industry news, and identify yourself as an expert in your field…
On the flip side, avoid tweeting anything that could cast negative shadows over a possible application.
Using Social Media to get a new job
Social media is more than just a branding tool, with a bit of work you can also use social media to find a new opportunity. LinkedIn offers a great job hunting tool and over 80% of recruiters use LinkedIn to actually search for clients.
You can actively try to link in with relevant contacts who work at organisations you are targeting or ask for endorsements from individuals you are connected to who share connections with prospective employers.
Job hunting is so much more than just sending a CV, embrace the technology and use it to your benefit.