Social media offers a wide variety of job search benefits
for both job seekers and employers. As such, embracing these opportunities
requires careful planning and execution.
One of the biggest benefits of social media for job hunting
is that it can give you an edge over other candidates. This is especially true
if you use Twitter and LinkedIn to connect with hiring managers in your field
and develop relationships that lead to job interviews.
Using Twitter and LinkedIn to find leads is especially
important because companies often post new jobs on these social media sites
before they are posted on traditional job boards. That is why it is a good idea
to sign up for a Twitter job alert and follow accounts in your field that
regularly post jobs or tweet about them.
Instagram is another great social media tool for job
seekers. This social media site allows you to share pictures from your
professional life, which can be a powerful way to show off your values,
personality and work experience. In addition, you can also search for jobs on
Instagram or browse pages of companies.
If you are looking for a job in a specific industry, you can
also take advantage of LinkedIn's "Careers" feature to see what other
people in your industry are doing. This can help you identify a prototype for
your own career path, as well as the type of industry or function that best
fits your interests and values.
LinkedIn is also a great resource for learning about a
company's culture. Employers may post information about changes to their
policies, company-wide events or employee recognition programs, which can help
you build your knowledge of a company and learn more about its culture before
applying for a job.
You can also use LinkedIn to connect with current and former
employees of companies that you are interested in working for. By connecting
with former employees of a company, you can learn more about their career
experiences and how they were treated during their time at the company.
It is a good idea to have separate profiles for your
personal and professional lives, so you can avoid posting things that could be
seen by potential employers. It is also a good idea to keep your profiles
up-to-date as you gain new skills and experience.
Before you post any material to a social media site, it is a
good idea to go through it and remove anything that might be considered
inappropriate. This includes posts that contain foul language, sex or racism.
It is also a good idea to delete any photos of you that are not flattering or
show you in a negative light.
Facebook is the largest social media network with over 2.5
billion members worldwide (Q1 of 2020). Fortunately, most Facebook users have
the option to set up privacy settings to prevent other Facebook users from
viewing their private information, such as contact details or posts that have
been made by others.
