If you鈥檙e job searching, we鈥檝e got good news: Employers are waging a war for talent,
which means the odds are in your favor. A savvy social media strategy can help you
land that dream position. From reading our other posts, you already know how to use
your online presence to leverage your career and network with professionals. Now we鈥檒l
show you how to find job openings with social media.
Showcase Your Talents
Think of your social media presence as an online portfolio, showcasing your industry expertise, your winning personality, and your valuable experiences. You want recruiters to see at a glance why you鈥檙e right for that dream job. Make your r茅sum茅 easy to access so potential employers can 鈥渓ook at your qualifications and talk about fit before they ever even reach out to you,鈥� explains Artemio Ramirez Jr., professor and assistant director of USF's Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications.
Here鈥檚 an easy step you can take today. Leverage your LinkedIn鈥檚 recommendation feature and skills and endorsements section:
- Just as you鈥檇 request a traditional letter of recommendation, ask a colleague to write you one for LinkedIn. This New York Times explains that some employers 鈥渢ake recommendations on LinkedIn almost as seriously as ones received in more traditional ways.鈥�
- Fill out a list of your skills (you can ) on your LinkedIn profile so that others can endorse them. Do the same for colleagues
if you feel confident verifying they have these abilities.
Start Networking
鈥淢ake sure that before you鈥檙e even on the market, you鈥檙e already networking,鈥� says Ramirez. He offers these tips:
- Don鈥檛 limit yourself to people in your industry. Network with professionals in related fields, and stay open to job possibilities outside your college major.
- Job leads often come from your 鈥渨eak ties鈥� rather than your 鈥渟trong ties.鈥� Use your social presence to connect with those friends-of-friends-of-friends who may have interesting professions.
If the idea of networking makes you nervous, remember that it鈥檚 really just about
building relationships. As this Forbes explains, good brand builders give back to their community: 鈥淭hey contribute to discussions,
provide great advice, and genuinely help others as much as they can.鈥� Brainstorm how
you can use social media to assist someone today. It鈥檒l earn you social currency for
when you need to ask them for job advice later.
Search for Hashtags
Follow organizations in your industry so you鈥檒l be the first to know when they post about new openings. If you don鈥檛 want to wait around for your dream company to tweet about an available position, you can also search for these job-related hashtags recommended by and :
- #JobListing
- #JobOpening
- #JobTips
- #JobHuntChat
- #Recruiting
- #Freelance
- #搁茅蝉耻尘茅
- #GraduateJobs
- #Hiring
- #Joinourteam
- Hashtags containing keywords related to your industry, location, or job title
Search for Postings
Does your alma mater offer a Handshake subscription for alumni? If so, you鈥檙e in luck. Describing itself as a 鈥渃areer community,鈥� Handshake lets you create a profile, connect with employers, talk to peers about their experiences, and search for positions.
Along with using job search sites like Indeed, you can also search for positions on LinkedIn. Just follow these steps outlined by : 鈥淯nder the jobs tab, type the keyword or job title and select a city. Once you鈥檝e received your results, you can filter them by when the job was posted or by experience level. One noteworthy feature allows you to filter your results based on jobs posted by companies where you have contacts or people in your network.鈥滷ind a job posting that interests you? 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing wrong with reaching out to someone at the organization,鈥� says Ramirez. When you conduct the informational interview, keep Ramirez鈥檚 tips in mind:
- Be curious, not self-promoting. 鈥淭his is not an opportunity to sell yourself. It鈥檚 an opportunity to gather information, and it looks much more professional if you focus on them.鈥�
- Learn more about the position: 鈥淎re there attributes that they鈥檙e looking for here?鈥�
- Learn more about the company: 鈥淚s the organization going through any major changes now?鈥�
- Determine whether you鈥檙e a good fit.
Investigate Career Paths
Maybe there鈥檚 a company you鈥檇 love to work for, but you鈥檙e not sure how to get in the door. It鈥檚 time to play Sherlock. Use LinkedIn to investigate the career paths for employees at the company. Is there anything that inspires you? Your investigation could lead you to earn a certificate, engage in a volunteer experience, or take an internship that gets you closer to that dream job.
You can also ask for advice from professionals whose paths align with your goals. 鈥淯se social media to dig into a project they recently completed or read that interesting article that they just posted,鈥� suggests this HubSpot . That information can help you spark a conversation.
If you determine that your career path should include additional certifications or professional development opportunities, we鈥檝e got your back. Contact us through our website or give us a call at 813-974-0950.
Still curious about how to use social media to further your career? Read our other posts on the topic: