Exploit the Power of Social Media in Your Job Search

Source: Ezine Articles

Social media is the surest way of staying updated with the latest gossip and events in town. But did you know through its networking properties you take a first step towards landing a new job?

Have a look at 3 powerful strategic steps you must keep in mind while you job search in context of social media.

1. “Connect” with LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is now a potential hub for all employers to dig out the right candidates for them. What you need to do first is, showcase your profile with work history, achievements and a nice profile picture. Connect with people working in the same industry you would like to work in using your existing contacts.

You can also join related groups on LinkedIn and follow companies you are more inclined to work with. LinkedIn helps you to keep updated with all company updates and job opportunities before they hit the popular job portals.

The company LinkedIn page gives a clear insight to many company details. You can easily search the hiring manager profile and get an idea of the educational background and other interests. It’s always better to know your “enemy” before the battle.

It may help you to find out any commonalities giving you a chance to say “Oh… You too!” and make the hiring manager more interested in you.

2. “Tweet” your Industry Knowledge.
Twitter allows you to connect and follow the industry experts who you do not know personally or not even have any mutual contacts, but just based on common interests.

You can make industry-relevant tweets and show your awareness and skills about the industry trends while engage and attract other industry experts by re-tweeting and regular comments. Also, you can network with other job-seekers searching job in the same industry as you.

A company’s twitter profile also gives you an idea of the company’s following and how well-connected it is with the audience. You can always get the best job search advice from experts on regular basis without the need to surf different websites and subscribing emails.
Your tweets may help you reach out a larger number of people and let them know that you are searching a job and ask for references.

3. “Like” to Network on Facebook.
Facebook is part of our daily life now. But we often ignore the platform when it comes to job hunt. Obviously, people who know you personally will be more inclined to help in your job search and not the ones you know out of common interest.

For this you must let people know that you are searching a job through status updates and convey your aspirations. Writing “notes” and tagging your friends will help people notice, as “notes” tends to stay longer on any person’s profile than status updates. The more they see, the more they remember you.

“Like” company pages you are interested to work in, to keep abreast of the latest updates and posts. You should comment on the posts and show your knowledge and skills to get noticed. You can also post informative links or write ups on the company page.