5 ways to use social media to your advantage while in the job market
The art of searching and applying for jobs is constantly changing and nowadays there are multiple places where positions are being advertised. Relying solely on online jobs boards such as Seek, Indeed, Jora etc can be restricting, as many businesses are now choosing to advertise positions on social media. Are you using social media to your advantage? Whether you like it or not, social media is firmly entrenched in all aspects of our lives and understanding how you can make it work for you when looking for a new job can add another dimension to your job search.
So where and how can you get started? Here are our top 5 tips for enhancing your job search using social media:
- Search for and join jobs groups for your local area on Facebook, such as Ballarat Jobs Vacant/Wanted. Once your request to join has been approved you will be free to comment on other people’s posts or put up your own post. When interacting in these groups ensure you are commenting and communicating in a professional manner. Employers often post details of positions vacant and invite people to get in touch in various ways. Ensure you follow the employer’s instructions on how to apply for the position. If they ask you to “PM for more details” (for those not that social media savvy PM stands for private message) ensure that you send a private message advising of your interest in the role and we encourage you to show your interest by asking for more information.
- Both LinkedIn and Facebook have their own job boards that you can search by industry and location. You can also set up job alerts so you will never miss a position matching your requirements.
- Be proactive. Social Media is great for gathering information about potential businesses of interest to you. What are they posting about? Have they advertised positions on social media previously? Just remember that if you are using social media to suss out companies, chances are, once you submit an application they’ll probably suss you out on social media. What does your profile say about you to prospective employers?
- Clean up your personal profile. If you are commenting on positions advertised on social media or posts within job groups, employers are one quick click away from your profile. Make no mistake, they are assessing the content they can see about you. We recommend you change your security settings to private or delete anything that may be viewed as inappropriate, abusive or discriminatory.
- Build your network. A great way to uncover more job opportunities is to share details of the type of job you are looking for with your personal friends on Facebook and connections on LinkedIn. Your friends or connections can then also be advocating on your behalf and updating you on any positions they hear about within the local market.
Searching for employment can be a full time job in itself and the broader you can cast the net in searching for opportunities the better. Social Media is just another way to cast the net a little broader to help you find your ideal job. Good luck!
Jo has over 20 years experience as a recruiter and has a passion for helping her clients recruit and engage the talent they require to meet their workforce goals and objectives. Her enthusiasm, structured approach and eye for detail have held her in high regard and ensured she has successfully delivered and supported businesses with their recruitment and human resource needs. Jo has delivered career coaching, career transition and outplacement programs to employees across Ballarat and has successfully coached, mentored and supported them in to new employment opportunities. Taking great satisfaction from supporting people through these challenge periods of their careers, Jo has a natural ability to identify skills and expertise in people and align those skills with potential employers.
