According to Undercover Recruiter, 84 percent of companies use social media to recruit, so if you aren’t currently using social media in your job search, you may be missing out on some great potential jobs.
It’s now commonly accepted that employers will search for your name online before conducting to see how you present yourself on social media and to judge if you would be a good fit for the company.
While you may think this means setting everything to private is the best approach, having no social media presence can also work against you as it either looks like you’re trying to cover something up, or that you simply don’t have any social media skills.
Instead, it’s a much better idea to cultivate a professional, well-presented social media presence. Read on for some tips on how to use social media to your advantage to get the perfect grad job.
Use social media and other websites to search for relevant jobs (or better yet, let them come to you)
Long gone are the days of searching in newspapers and magazines for grad jobs. Nowadays grad jobs are mostly found online and you’ll probably be well acquainted with the most popular online job boards (Reed, Monster, Indeed, Milkround).
Facebook and Twitter may not be your first port of call when looking for a grad job, but the former does actually have its own official job board, which shows you jobs in your local area, and you can also join specialist groups for job seekers as well as follow company profiles.
Twitter can be used to find postings for grad jobs by searching hashtags such as #jobpostings, #jobopening, #jobsearch and #careers. You can also use more industry-specific hashtags such as #techjobs if you know which industry you’re looking to get into.
As the ‘professional network’, it’s no surprise LinkedIn also has its own job board, showing jobs from a diverse range of companies that it thinks might be of interest to you, given what you have uploaded and searched for in the past. Some companies hire directly through LinkedIn, using the information you’ve already uploaded, and other times you are directed to the company’s website.
Get your resume online everywhere you can
LinkedIn is likely to become your best friend when it comes to social media job applications, as it is the most commonly checked social network by employers. Uploading your resume here will draw more attention to it and improve your job prospects.
LinkedIn even has a special tool where it uses keywords from your resume to generate relevant job opportunities, as well as recommending you to recruiting employers if you fit their job description.
To take full advantage of this, you should use industry buzzwords in your resume to really stand out – try searching relevant job ads on LinkedIn to see which keywords crop up and use these on your profile. If you don’t have an account already, check out the LinkedIn students page for more information on how to set up the perfect online profile.
Online job board sites such as Reed and Indeed are also great places to upload your resume to get attention from potential employers, especially since there is often an option to have an open resume, where employers can view your resume even if you haven’t applied for the job, with the option to send you an email if they’re interested.
The fine line between professionalism and showing your personality
Nobody wants to hire a cold, professional robot (not yet anyway), but equally, showing a potential employer too many pictures from that time you got drunk with your friends in Malta might not be ideal either. As with most things in life, it’s about balance.
Creating a website or a blog can be a great way to show your personality as well as showcase your work. Think of your website as a kind of online portfolio, and a way to show your dedication and passion for your chosen industry.
Once you’re happy your website is error free and contains good content, a great way to spread the work is to use your social media channels to promote it to your friends and followers, by posting about it and providing links to your website in your bio, as well as in your job applications.
Show your creative side when searching for jobs
Being slightly creative with your job application can sometimes be a great way to capture employers’ attention. Some people show this creativity in their CV; for example the guy who spent his last £500 on a big billboard trying to get people to hire him.
While we’re not saying that’s what you should be doing (it’s way too expensive for one thing!) it can help if you think outside the box sometimes.
Think about what’s appropriate for the job (and the company) you’re applying for. For a job in design, for example, it might make sense to be creative with your CV or cover letter to show companies what you can do.
Don’t be afraid to make speculative applications if there’s a company you really want to work for but they aren’t currently advertising. Include links to relevant social media accounts (LinkedIn, WordPress etc.) and they’ll be able to get up-to-date information about you whenever they decide to consider you for an opening. You can also contact relevant individuals on LinkedIn, sending a polite email to let them know of your interest in their firm.
Build a strong network and engage in relevant conversation
Building a strong network is probably one of the most important things you can do on social media to find a grad job, and there are plenty of ways you can do this.
Add people on LinkedIn that you meet through networking events, internships or even on your course at uni to help build your network.
You could also join groups on LinkedIn and Facebook that are relevant to you, including school and university alumni groups and groups for industries you’re interested in working in. You never know when these groups may have useful contacts that will be able to help you find a job in the future.
However just joining these groups is often not enough. Engagement is the key factor to networking – you are unlikely to be successful if you just have social media, you need to engage with people in order to build relationships.
Comment on and engage with any news or updates related to your industry, with researched and considered answers that show that you’re taking an interest in the industry.
While job searching, be a detective
No, you don’t have to become the next Sherlock Holmes, but it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on your investigative skills.
It can be easy to forget sometimes that you only need the one job, so it is always better to spend more time submitting a great application for a job you really want, than applying for many jobs quickly and putting less time into each application.
Researching the role and the company fully before you apply will make it easier to write a cover letter and give you a better indication as to whether you can see yourself being happy in the role on offer. After looking through the company’s website, the next point of call should be the company’s social media sites; Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.
A company’s social media accounts should give you a good indication of how it wants customers to portray them. For example, is the tone of the social media formal or informal? Are the images fun or strictly professional? On LinkedIn, check to see if you have any connections who work at the company, and if so, ask yourself whether you can reach out to them to put in a good word for you.
