To coincide with Adecco’s global social media recruitment and job seeker surveys, we are publishing a two-part blog series. In part one, we discuss some best practices of using social media as part of a job search. In part two, we present some basics of utilizing social media for recruiting needs.
If you are interested in helping Adecco better understand the impact that social media platforms have on job seeking, recruiting and hiring, please take our recruiter and job seeker surveys today!
Social Media is now an integral part of our daily lives. Not only does it allow you to sort out your social life, it can also be an incredibly useful tool when you are job hunting.
Recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly browsing social websites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ to learn more about candidates or to recruit talent. Because of this, more and more job seekers are using social media as a means to find a job.
Some social networking websites may yield better results than others, especially if the website’s audience and demographics are in-line with your interests and field of work.
Keep in mind that the social media landscape is not limited only to the four big players — there are niche social media websites that may get you great results and connections.
Optimizing your social media profiles
The first step in order to establish a strong presence on social media websites — and eventually land your dream position — is to optimize your online profiles. This includes every online profile that is public that a future employer might stumble upon when looking to get more information about you.
This does not only mean to update your profile picture with a more professional one (though we definitely encourage this). It is also crucial to make your social media profiles easy to find by recruiters and hiring managers, and ensure that they convey a professional image as well as broadcast that you are, in fact, available for hire. Every social network is different and they each have their own sets of rules and guidelines.
One of the biggest professional networking website is, without a doubt, LinkedIn. Both job seekers and recruiters visit LinkedIn on a regular basis to stay up to date with the latest news in their industry, interact with the professional groups they belong to, and network with the connections they have made via the website. Defining itself as a social networking website for professionals, your chances of making meaningful connections are quite high on LinkedIn. Interested in building a strong LinkedIn profile? Make sure you follow the 5 tips outlined in this article.
Online reputation management
Keep in mind that many recruiters will also look you up on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Those networks are often used to share family photos, thoughts & opinions, and stay in touch with close friends — some of that content may not always be suitable for all audiences.
Ensure that all the content you publish on your social media accounts is clean, safe, and above all, professional. If you would like to share only some of your content publicly, US News advises to set your privacy settings accordingly.
After all, you only have one chance of making a great first impression.
Showcasing your online portfolio on social channels
Even though you may already have a strong presence on social media websites, landing a job is only half the battle. First, you need recruiters to notice you and give them good enough reasons to get in touch with you to schedule an interview. Depending on your field of work, you may already have an online portfolio that showcases projects you have completed and that give hiring managers more information about your skills.
If you do not have an online portfolio already, we urge you to read this article about building a great portfolio and get started on one right away.
Letting your followers, fans, and friends know that you are looking for work is a great first step to make connections and get the word out. Don’t end it there, actively search social networks for job openings in your field of expertise, send private messages to your connections and contacts and use your existing connections to put you in touch with the right people.
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