Welcome to Recruiter Q&A, where we pose employment-related questions to the experts and share their answers! Have a question you’d like to ask? Leave it in the comments, and you might just see it in the next installment of Recruiter Q&A!
Today’s Question: What should job seekers know about using social media to land jobs?
1. Self-Promote – Strategically
Social media should be a strategic platform for self-promotion. Before I interview someone, I try to understand who they are online. I look at how they take care of their reputation online. That’s just as important as the reputation of the brand you will represent if I hire you.
Sadly, people are not often careful with their reputations. It seems that even young people who claim to be social media professionals don’t really understand that your actions on the Internet are like peeing your pants in school – no one ever forgets.
Use an IFTTT.com recipe to track hashtags related to job leads. This one, for example, will put the information from tweet into a Google Sheet for later viewing and applying.
Some of the popular hashtags for job listings that you might want to track:
Make sure your profiles tell a consistent story. When you try to be a cool partier on Facebook/Instagram and very buttoned up on LinkedIn, it may raise questions as to who you really are. Authenticity is key, personally and professionally.
Start by deciding on your desired industry; then, go where the right people are.
You do not need to be active on every social media platform – just the one or two that make the most sense for you and your industry.
Once you’ve found these places, spend your time providing value and creating a personal brand in the space. The more value you provide to others, the more valuable you become. Walking into a job interview with a pre-built customer base will put you at the top of any recruiter’s list.
Don’t limit yourself to just sharing articles that are useful in your field. Reach out to people who have questions or problems and try to help them. Even if the person you help isn’t hiring, others will take notice of your efforts, and you’ll build a reputation for being knowledgable in your field.
The most important part of Twitter is the search function. It’s a search engine to rival Google. I use search.twitter.com. First, check the search operators for guidance, then hit the advanced search button.
You can add exact words and phrases to your job search, like “digital marketing.” You can eliminate words like “sales.” You can add exact locations and dates. If you’re not utilizing Twitter search, you’re missing lots of opportunities.
Find out who the hiring managers are at your target companies and start following them on LinkedIn and Twitter. Communicate with them. Pay attention to the conversations they are having on social media, research the issues they bring up, and determine how you can potentially help them.
There’s a big misconception on the part of job seekers that showing off your personality on social media is a problem in and of itself. That’s not true. You can be direct, opinionated, and even a little brash. What you want to avoid is the extreme behaviors. Don’t be unreasonable, offensive, and/or closed-minded.
Being able to toe that line between being yourself and going overboard is the difference between sharing content that affects readers’ opinions and thoughts and just mouthing off on social media.
Want to stand out from the crowd? One brilliant idea that is totally underutilized is creating a Facebook ad campaign and targeting companies within your industry of choice. Those employers who click your ads will be taken to a customized landing page where you highlight all of your assets – just as you would on a resume.
This will cost you some money upfront, but it’s highly likely to pay off and win you a few extra interviews.
