How to use social media to land your next job
You've got a job interview coming up. You've rehearsed your answers, and thought long and hard about what you want to say. But have you thought about the question that's not being asked? Social media.
In fact, the hiring manager or HR rep might not even think of it as a question at all ― after all, it's just part of the process these days. If you don't have an online presence, how can anyone know who you are?
1. Know how to identify your personal brand
The first step to finding your job on social media is knowing yourself. What are your strengths? What do you have to offer? What do you want to offer?
The answers to these questions will help shape how you approach the process of finding a job through social media, but even more importantly, they will help inform how prospective employers see you.
If an employer sees that someone has posted about their company or career opportunity on their social media, it may make them think twice about whether or not that person would be a good fit for their business.
So take some time now and reflect on what makes up your personal online brand—and remember that it's never too late for a rebrand!
2. Build a strong LinkedIn profile
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and complete. Use a professional photo that shows you in the workplace or out of the office. If you’re not in the workplace, try to make sure your photo looks like it could have been taken at work (i.e., you're wearing business clothes).
Use a headline that includes your name along with a job title or something related to what you do. Just be as clear as possible about who you are and what positions/roles/activities might interest potential employers.
Include an optional summary section under each position in which there are bullet points (no longer than three per line) describing what makes this role different from other similar roles in terms of challenge level, complexity level and so on.
3. Make Twitter your friend
Twitter is a great way to connect with potential employers and to find out about job opportunities. It can be used to promote yourself and your work, especially if you're looking for more of a freelance gig or part-time job opportunity. If you're looking for something full-time, the connections you make on Twitter can help lead you in the right direction.
Also include lists. This can be a tool to group all the companies that look for candidates and you can see all their offers without having to follow them.
4. Follow the right people on TikTok
To get started, find the right people to follow. It’s important to follow people who are in your industry, as well as those who are doing things you want to do in a way that resonates with you.
TikTok is a great source for interview advice, CV tips and more to improve your job search strategy.
Additionally, it’s good to find others who are also trying out new things or experimenting with different approaches in this social network – and don't forget about people who are already working in industries similar to yours!
5. Consider Instagram and Facebook (Meta)
Instagram is a visual social media platform. The ability to showcase your skills visually can be very effective in getting a job. For example, if you're applying for an internship at an ad agency, you can use Instagram to show off your artistic talents by posting photos of ads that impress you or even some of your own work!
Instagram and Facebook are also great places to show off your personality—but also an excellent way of showing off your skills with photography, video editing or design. Posting pictures from past jobs is another great way of demonstrating how well prepared you are.
Don’t forget to look for job search groups in your city to find more offers and grow your network!
6. With the right social media strategy, you can make the job search work for you -- not the other way around
If you're looking for work, it's important to have a social media strategy. You can't just post on Instagram or tweet your resume into the void in hopes of getting noticed by employers. Social media can help find jobs and create opportunities, but it's not the only way to get hired -- and it doesn't guarantee that you'll get a job offer from someone who visits your profile page.
If you’re looking for a job, social media can be a great tool for you. It gives you an opportunity to market yourself, find recruiters and companies who want to hire people like you, and build relationships with potential employers over time.
But there are some best practices that can help make sure your social media presence is helping rather than hurting your job search. The most important thing is to make sure that your brand is consistent across all of these platforms so that when hiring managers look at them all together (and sometimes individually), they get a clear picture of who exactly they’ll be working with if they hire this person!
Interviews are nerve-wracking, and it can be hard to stay calm. However, with a little bit of preparation and tips, you can feel confident in your ability to ace any job interview! Read more here →
