6 Ways Social Media can Get You a Job

Posting too much personal information on social media may not be good your career. It can give an opportunity to your employer to form a negative judgement about you and thus, keep you from getting the job of your dreams. But, when done right you can also leverage social media and use it to hunt down a better job for yourself.

Here is how you should do it:

Highlight your professional self on social media

Facebook and twitter aren’t that great when it comes to showcasing your professional self to people. You should get on to the professional networking site – LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is undoubtedly a great tool to showcase your professional aspect as well as network with other professionals.

It is important to keep your Facebook profile clean and professional highlighting your work and experience. And make sure your Saturday night party pictures are not visible to everyone.

Your “Likes” and “Interests” also say a lot about you, so make sure you like relevant pages and are engaging with them. Twitter on the other hand can showcase your personal and professional self simultaneously depending upon what and how you tweet. It is alright to be unprofessional on twitter with a random handle but when you are professional make sure your tweets say it all.

Talk about relevant subject, follow industry experts and engage in conversation with them. Follow organizations that interest you and stay updated with their activities, in case you are planning to apply for them.

Research well

With lot many professional networks and relevant forums present, it gives you a better chance for your to research all about the organization that you are going to apply for.

Like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Follow their blogs and at other relevant forums where the organizations participate to share their content and posts. LinkedIn helps you to do this with ease. Join the organization's page or group. Participate and share content pertaining to the subject of discussion.

Do research about the organization’s Pplicies and work culture, talk to people who are already into that organization. So when you go for your interview, you are on top of all the activities of the organization.

Connect with Right People/Organization

Wouldn’t that be great if the HR Executive or CEO of the firm which you are thinking to apply is already in your network? Becoming friends with any company that you are looking to work for or already working for is another smart use of social media.

This not only shows your interest in a particular company or field, but it will also help to show a commitment to the company or stream of work as well. Follow or 'like' the companies you have applied at and comment on posts or re-tweet them.

Make sure you share relevant posts, discuss and share your knowledge about the subject you are planning to apply.

Use more than one social media platform

There are many different social networking platforms then why not be present on them. Although Facebook may be the most popular social network, developing a presence on other networks is important, such as LinkedIn and About.me show a level of professionalism and seriousness about your career.

Create your own Blog/Website. Maintain your online resume and Portfolio on different platforms, thus giving your potential employers a chance to see more about you and your work. But again just being a part of those platforms, however, is not enough to develop your online identity.

Sharing and updating at regular intervals in also important as being on it.

Don't try to hide anything

Don’t be secretive. At the end of the day you don’t completely want to showcase all the rosy stuff. If there are all the good things about you then probably you might be hiding something.

Be what you are, don’t hide real self. Just make sure that you don’t overdo. It's good to keep a certain level of privacy on social media, but overdoing privacy settings can also be a potential red flag against users.

The only reason employers will look for your social networking profile, is because they can have a better idea about you – personal and professional self.

Keep your Eyes Open

Don’t overlook any opportunity that may come across in any form. Be it a question, advice, Discussions etc. make sure you participate in conversations that can fetch you eye balls.

Of course, all of these tips will come to naught if you don’t also stick to what’s tried and true—being on time, following up, asking good questions. But using social media can help you stand out.

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