Employers admit to using social media to market job opportunities. This is called social recruiting and according to staff.com, a grand total of ninety two percent of companies use social media of some form for recruitment purposes. As discussed in the article, “Why Social Media Can Kill Job Opportunities for You“, candidates are also being reviewed based on their behavior on social media. It is a practice that is questionable ethically however employers are doing it anyways.
This infographic shows that LinkedIn is the number one social media platform used for recruiting and should be closely paid attention to for employment opportunities. Here are a few tips on how to use the top three social media platforms used for recruitment.
– Post a complete profile. This helps potential employers see what skillsets the candidate has and what jobs they’ve had before.
– Link to former employers’ company pages on LinkedIn if possible
– Choose a professional looking photograph for the LinkedIn profile picture. If headshots are available, use them
– LinkedIn recommendation are good to have so potential employers can see what has been accomplished and if the candidate works well with others
– Skill sets can be endorsed, get them endorsed and try to cover the skills that are necessary for the field of employment
– Use network to connect with people that are connected to recruiters on Facebook
– Be involved in groups and lively discussions that have to do with field of employment
– Maintain a positive appearance on Facebook
– Be open about employment search and keep updating status on progress.
– Take advantage of the marketplace on Facebook. Some employers post job opportunities there.
– Connect with potential employers through their twitter account
– Follow areas of interest on twitter and participate in conversations
– Be diverse in tweeting habits from retweeting to being original in thought process
– Maintain an active profile even when job search is not important at the time.
– Talk about areas of interest and insert some personality based comments on twitter so potential employers can see what they might be getting into.
With a basic understanding of what each platform can be used for and how they are to be used, an individual looking for a job can kick start their job search efforts on social media. Using it wisely could help simplify the job search process and help push things along a bit faster.
