How To Effectively Use Social Media in Your Job Search
Social media can provide you information and connections that are vital to your job search. You can research companies and industries, but you can also contact alumni who work at a company to learn even more.
Connections (Identify alumni at your target companies and review profiles of your interviewers, including their recommendations, professional associations and groups.)
Company information (Learn about the culture, hiring process, what they value, recruiting and networking events.)
Industry information (See competitors and understand how skills transfer within the industry.)
Job information (See career paths for various functions and review job postings.)
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site where millions of professionals connect. This platform provides the largest opportunity to market yourself and expand your personal network. Your LinkedIn profile provides a visible, online résumé that your contacts, including potential employers, can view.
Have a complete and robust profile
The more information you have on your page, the better
Having a complete profile makes you 40 times more likely to receive job opportunities
A potential employer or contact will look at your page once and, if there is no useful information on it, they may never look again
Include major accomplishments, experiences, education, skills, honors and any other professional achievements you would include on a résumé or in an interview
Use a picture of you in a business suit for your profile image
Be sure everything you do on LinkedIn is professional and appropriate. Remember that potential employers will be seeing it
Request recommendations from your previous supervisors and co-workers
Their praise is credible and will impress viewers of your profile
Ask for social media recommendations as you would a regular recommendation. Ask in person, professionally, before sending the generic form
Only write recommendations for people that you know well and can honestly recommend
Grow your network
Start making connections as soon as your profile is complete
Import your address book to add people you know
Connect to friends, family, alumni and both past and present colleagues and supervisors
Try to add at least one new person to your network a week
When making a new connection, remind the individual of how you know each other
Quality is more important than quantity
You want a large network, but don’t invite strangers or people you vaguely know and do not be offended if those people deny your requests
Respond to requests promptly, within 24 hours if possible
Join LinkedIn groups that align with your professional interests
These include alumni groups, trade associations and organizations you are a member of
Unless you have a personal connection with group members, avoid sending them direct messages
Add value to discussions
Share your observations or post a link to a relevant news article
Be sure to read and respond to what other people are saying
You can ask members of your network to introduce you to one of their contacts
This can help you establish great connections
Ask politely and explain why you are interested in the new connection
Using LinkedIn to Search for a Job
LinkedIn Jobs suggests open positions that align with your interests and allows you to search jobs based on different categories. You can also see how you are linked to the person who posted the job opening
Follow companies and industries you are interested in
Research your recruiters or interviewers through their LinkedIn pages
Facebook and Twitter
Facebook and Twitter can be just as effective in your job search as Linked In. These two platforms are traditionally used more socially than professionally, so it is very important to be aware of your online presence and the image you are projecting.
More and more companies are using Facebook and Twitter for recruiting and hiring
Like and Follow companies you are interested in
Retweet or share interesting posts by these companies
If you have a professional interest or area of expertise, become a go-to person in that area
Create a blog, focus your tweets on that subject or, post interesting articles on your LinkedIn and Facebook pages
More Information and Resources
When used effectively and appropriately, social media can be one of your most valuable resources for career search and development. Use as many tools and resources as you can to become a pro at social media networking.
Stay up-to-date by reading articles regarding social media
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