How To Seek Employment Through Social Media

By Laurie Wood

Have you ever considered finding employment through social media? As much as job boards offer huge value in finding a new role, social media can benefit your job-hunting journey too. A whopping 91% of employers are using social media to hire new talent in the forms of paid and organic job posting. If an employer is using social media to hire, then obviously, you should also be using social media to find a job.

Whether you’re new to job hunting or just need a bit of guidance, we will help you on your journey to ensure you’re making the most out of your social media job hunt.

CLEAN UP YOUR PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA
This one is an easy step to forget, but making sure your own personal, social media accounts are private and non-offensive, could be the difference between being hired or being passed off. This is the most vital step before seeking employment via social media and should have as much attention to detail as your CV.

Some tips to help you tidy up include:

• Make your accounts private. This may take some time, especially if you’ve been updating your Facebook for over 10 years… But privacy means an employer cannot judge you. It’s best to keep them guessing as it encourages them to want to know more and get in contact!
• Remove any offensive language/jokes. We like to get on the banter-train as much as the next person, but having it on paper as hard evidence may not come across as funny as in person.
• Think about how an employer would feel reading something which could be considered offensive on your Twitter. Try to avoid slurs, rude jokes or anything which could be taken the wrong way, at least when you’re actively seeking work.
• Update your work history. This is particularly important on LinkedIn which is the professional social network. Update all your work history and experience, including any awards and degrees you have… No lying now! The idea is to make yourself appear employable through social media by showing off your skills.

Remember, if employers are hiring via social media, then they are watching out for you too.

USE FACEBOOK’S JOB FUNCTION
Facebook now has a Jobs tabs which allows you to filter via location and keyword. If you’re lucky, the company you want to work for would have listed their latest vacancy. Though be warned, when you apply via Facebook, your work and education data on Facebook will be sent to the employer, so again, make sure it’s up to date!

SEARCH FOR RECRUITMENT HASHTAGS
#Hiring #Vacancy #Job – These are all super-hot hashtags you could be searching on Twitter or Instagram to find a recent job posting. Or if you want to narrow your search, try location hashtagging instead e.g. #Basingstoke, #Oldbury, #Cardiff.

FOLLOW THE RIGHT SOCIAL ACCOUNTS
Other than following social media accounts of brands you want to work for, you should also follow job boards like Indeed and Jobsite. They can sometimes appear a little spammy with their job postings, but occasionally they will share some hot career tips and advice.

ENGAGE WITH THOSE EMPLOYERS
This one is optional but can’t do any harm.
After applying for a position and being left in that limbo stage of waiting around, get active on social media. Start interacting with the brand’s presence through comments, likes, and shares. This means your name will re-appear and could possibly work as a friendly reminder that not only did you apply for the role, but you’re clearly eager to get noticed.

That’s it from me, I hope you’ve enjoyed this reading this blog and hopefully, this advice will come in useful for you.

Follow me @LaurieWoodUK for film, cats and social media!

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