Best Practices for Social Media
Keeping Up with Social Media
With all of the technological advancements in this ever-changing Internet age, the way people look for jobs is bound to evolve. While options like the newspaper and job search sites are still viable, there are many new ways to become more active, aggressive and intelligent in your job search. There are new resources, some that you may even be using now, that have great potential for helping you find a career you love. Read below to discover the networking power and the “dos” and “don’ts” for social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
With all social media, the question of privacy is a constant concern. Be sure to read the Privacy and Terms of Use sections for each.
Before discussing how to use Facebook to find a job, you need to be aware of how and why employers are using it as a source for finding potential employees. Once you know, you’ll be better able to use it to your advantage. Below are just a few of the reasons why employers are using Facebook to find and get to know you.
- Facebook offers employers specific search opportunities and parameters.
- A person’s profile provides an accurate depiction of their personality and interests.
- People who are new to the workforce don’t have an employment history to show potential employers. Facebook gives these companies a new way to get to know young workers.
Facebook has the potential to become what could be called a "personal branding tool." Instead of having a private profile, try making yours public but use it strategically. Here are some ways to do that:
- Keep it clean! Make sure that your status updates, messages to friends and photos wouldn’t paint you in a bad light.
- Use your Facebook profile as a way to portray yourself positively. Link to a blog you write or contribute to, join applicable groups and link to interesting articles or sites.
- Watch your language. More than keeping it clean, keep it intelligent. Employers have been known to judge a potential employee based on the language they use on personal sites.
- Use your status to your advantage. If you are looking for a job, don’t be afraid to say so.
- Make use of your contacts. You can import all your contacts from your email accounts and send a message to your friends and acquaintances that may help you get a job.
- Use your Facebook Profile as an online resume. Include education, jobs and occupation, a summary of your qualifications and your career goals.
- Facebook enables you to tailor the information you make public. To protect yourself from identity theft, keep certain information like date of birth private.
Popular amongst a growing age range of tech-friendly folks, Twitter is a great way to stay up to date on the everyday goings on of your friends. What people don’t realize is that it also provides an efficient way to network and find a job. Below are just a few ways you can take advantage of this mobile social media.
- Hashtags (#) let you find out who is hiring. Searches with a hashtag, (e.g. #jobs, #hiring, #tweetmyjobs, etc.) will likely find people who have posted about available positions.
- Search Twitter using a description of the exact field for which you are looking. If you search for “customer representative,” you will find “tweets” that include this phrase and it may connect you to a potential position.
- You can also use Twilert, which enables you to input certain words you’re interested in. When they are included in a tweet, you will receive an email notification.
- Follow the right people. If you’re interested in a particular company, try to find someone from that company who is on Twitter and follow them.
- As with all social media, keep it clean. Make sure you post things you wouldn’t worry about a potential employer finding.
- Follow potential jobs on TwitHire. This is a free job listing service on Twitter whose goal is to help employers promote job opportunities.
- When meeting new people in a field you’re interested in, don’t be afraid to ask if you can follow them. Twitter is a great way for you to make a lasting and consistent impression on them.
While LinkedIn is, like Facebook and Twitter, another social media site, it has a more direct professional leaning. With over 41 million members in over 200 countries around the world and with executives from all Fortune 500 companies subscribing to LinkedIn, it is obviously a large and powerful network. When you are looking for a job, make sure to create a LinkedIn profile and take advantage of some of the following opportunities that this social media offers:
- LinkedIn should be used as your online resume. Include all your education, occupations and qualifications and update it consistently.
- Import all of your email contacts and set up your network of Connections. Over time, you will build up a large web of first, second and third degree Connections.
- You can ask for Recommendations from these Connections. This enables them to give short and positive descriptions of their experiences working with you.
- Use the Advanced Job Search to tailor your hunt to look for the particular job you want. Results will be shown for jobs posted on LinkedIn or on the Web in general. For results from either category, LinkedIn will show you any Connections you have in relation to each job posting.
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