Are You Missing A Trick? 5 Tips On Utilizing Social Media Platforms To Reach Employers Or Prospective Clients
More than half of the world’s population has a presence on social media, with that percentage topping out at more than 80 percent in North America alone. With that said, social media plays a big role in our lives, and that includes our professional lives. Social media can be a hindrance to your job search, but it can also be a major help. Here are five tips for utilizing social media platforms to reach employers or prospective clients.
Keep a Clean Profile
Many of us know that LinkedIn is the go-to website for those who are looking for jobs or want to establish networking connections, and people take it very seriously. While you could have all of the experience in the world, it’s probably not going to get noticed unless you’re allowing yourself to stand out via your profile. With that said, tidy up your profile on LinkedIn, showing off your list of accomplishments, skills, and job history.
This will allow any recruiters or clients to see your work without you even needing to send them a resume. Think of your LinkedIn profile as your CV that’s open for others to see. Even if you don’t have deep experience, you can still show off some of the skills you’ve acquired over the years. As for other social media platforms, try to keep things professional. A good rule of thumb is, “If I wouldn’t post it on LinkedIn, I shouldn’t post it on (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).”
Get Engaged
When we say get engaged, we don’t mean that you have to start wedding planning, you just have to start taking part in online conversations. Sites like LinkedIn will have plenty of opportunities for you to discuss job-related topics on other posts while also creating your own that can be seen throughout your network or even to the general public. Getting involved in these discussions is a great way to get your name out there, and they can act like pre-interview questions for recruiters.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should start getting into arguments with strangers online as you might on Reddit. If you’re able to have a discussion where you keep it professional even while disagreeing with someone on a topic, that is going to be a good look for the way you present yourself online, which tends to translate in person. Look for more active discussions, too, as that will bring more eyeballs to your profile.
Avoid Desperation
When the money is getting tight and you haven’t gotten any bites back from the applications and resumes that you’ve already sent out, it can be easy (and perfectly natural) to go into desperation mode. When this happens, you’re likely to see a lot of people post on social media about how they need a job right now and are practically begging for anyone to hire them. While it can get a lot of attention, it might not be the attention that they want.
The more that you engage with recruiters and other posters online is a great way to get your name out there, but you don’t want to comment something like “Hello hire me” every time that your dream company posts a status update. There are many ways to get attention on social media, but employers tend to look down on those who frequently ask for the job when they probably don’t have the right qualifications.
Follow the Trends
Every social media platform out there is going to have a section where you can see what’s trending and why. The best way that you can get eyes on your profile and establish a presence that will get the attention of potential employers is by following these trends. Businesses always want to know what’s trending, too, and social media teams are frequently scouring the latest hashtags and searches so they can get engaged.
Whenever you post a new update, try to include a trending hashtag, but make sure to do it tastefully. You’ll want to avoid using a hashtag that’s blatantly criticizing a particular company because that could get you landed on a recruiting blacklist. Also, try to stick to hashtags that are relevant as companies don’t really need to know your opinion about the latest single release or celebrity breakup.
Delete What’s Not Used
Have you gotten to the point in your life where the only social media platform that you’re using on a daily basis is LinkedIn? If that’s the case, there are a couple of options that you should consider. The first option is to make all of the other social media profiles that you have private that way potential employers can’t go through your entire history. This is the method that most use when they want to hang on to their Facebook or Twitter accounts “just in case.”
The other method, of course, is to wipe those profiles from the internet completely. If you haven’t touched your Facebook profile in years and the most recent picture is of you at a college party looking a little “under the weather,” then it might be time to delete the profile. While having just a LinkedIn profile doesn’t tell your complete story, it tells the one that you want employers to see.
