What should your social and professional media be saying about you?

Social media platforms have become a very normal part of everyday life and learning how to utilise these apps can really help get your job search going. Social media is a very easy way to bring people together and get them talking. Despite there being both positive and negatives to using social media, it can be a great place to shout about your professional experience and achievements. Having an online presence is about more than just sharing an opinion, it’s about marketing yourself and can be an easy way to share your CV online. It can be very important for job-seekers to know how to use social media in the right way and help you get your next opportunity!

What social platforms should you use for your job search?

It’s likely that you have a few social media pages already set up, if not there are a few social sites that may be better for your job search than others. Social sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn are being used more and more for job search purposes.

Typically, some people may not think of Twitter as a great place to start an online job search. However, more and more businesses are beginning to set up career pages where they post their live vacancies. In addition to specific companies, many recruitment consultants use Twitter as well, so if you are interested in getting help from recruitment agencies, then it may be worth giving Twitter a go.

As well as Twitter, LinkedIn is a good place to have a live profile. LinkedIn can be one of the best social platforms for job-seekers. It is a platform that allows professionals to come together, talk about their interests and you have a profile where you are encouraged to upload career updates and your employment history.

It’s a social platform where users can network with both old and new contacts, as well as sharing industry news.  Whether you have just graduated or an experienced worker, LinkedIn has its own job-board where they will recommend jobs for you, based on your profile. Once you complete your profile, you can have job alerts sent to you for jobs in your field and positions that you may be of interest to you. Overall, LinkedIn is probably one of the best social media platforms you can use to aid you in the search for a new job or career.

How you should be using your social media pages

After setting up your accounts, you want to think about what kind of message you want to send before beginning to post on the account. Once you have posted, it’s on the internet forever, so try and steer clear of posting anything you may regret later. When you are using LinkedIn, it’s important to make sure that you aren’t using it in the same way you may use Facebook. It’s okay to share photos and like people’s posts but try and go about it in a more professional way. You don’t want to be posting family pictures and replying to things you may not agree with in the wrong tone. It’s not just you that can see what you are writing, everyone has access to your account. Employers and recruitment consultants are able to access you page, so make sure there isn’t anything there that you wouldn’t want them to see.

Elements of a successful social profile

When you begin your job search, your social media pages should be there to aid your search, in addition to the job boards or recruitment agencies you may be using. So, you want to make sure that you are making the most of the resources that are there for you.

Display name/username

If you created your social accounts at a young age and may have an embarrassing username, change it. Most social platforms give you the ability to change this when you want. The same with email addresses, we may all have an embarrassing email from our younger years, but if it is simply not simple and professional, get rid of it and make a new one. You don’t want to be embarrassed by an old email address.

Images

The image you chose for your profile can be very important. You want something professional and simple. A lot of LinkedIn users chose to use their work photo or a professional looking headshot. This doesn’t have to be expensive to do, you can take a photo yourself and have it look just as professional.

Biography Section

The biography section should have as much thought put into it as the personal statement section on your CV. You need to think about the message you want to get across. Use this space to talk about yourself as an employee, talk about why you’re interested in your industry and share some of your skills. Anyone that visits your profile will be able to view this. Don’t just leave this blank.

Your activity

On most social media platforms, people can see what you have been commenting on and reacting to. Make sure you are using the right language and are not coming across as rude to other users. They could be the hiring manager for a role you just applied for. It’s good to share your opinion, but don’t go to far, you never know who will be reading what you say.

It’s important to remember to stay active! An unused account may mean some employers or recruiters won’t bother to contact you, make sure they can see that you use this account!

What are your goals?

To begin any job search, you need to figure out what your goals are. Social media platforms should act as an ‘extra’ in regard to your job search. It’s good to make use of the resource, but make sure you are using other forms of job searching. You need to market yourself and do it well.

You should want to showcase your personality and make sure that you are leaving a positive impression. It can be good to put your social media links on your CV, so the two can work in harmony. Social media should be the little added extra, not the whole show. It is still important to have an outstanding CV. Your overall goals should be what keeps you going in the job search. Keep yourself aware and use the people in your online network to help achieve those goals. Be your own brand and stick by it.

Your online presence should show that you are up to date with the latest technologies and you are using them to your advantage. A lot of businesses are now active on social media, so you should be too. Your professional media should portray the right message about you, whatever that message may be. Be professional, just like you would be in a job interview.

Your social media should be professional, sleek and well built. If you take this advice and make your pages your own, then a whole new world of possibilities can open for you. If you use it correctly, it will ensure that you get the right message across and reach your job-seeking goals.