Billions of people around the world connect and communicate via social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Some social media websites are geared towards the professional and allow you to showcase your skills and qualifications, whilst others sites are for fun and staying connected with family and friends.
You shouldn’t underestimate the importance of social media when it comes to job hunting. There are lots of ways you can use social media to your advantage, meet new people, network and create new opportunities.
Do employers use social media?
Social media has become an important part of the recruitment process.
Around 70% of employers now use social media to help with their recruitment process, as it provides additional information to a CV. If you don’t have a social media presence showcasing your skills, then you could very well be thrown onto the ‘no’ pile even though you’re highly qualified.
“According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process, and about 43 percent of employers use social media to check on current employees.” ~ Business News Daily
Most employers expect you to provide links to your media accounts, like LinkedIn. They don’t like to have to snoop around the internet to find out more about you, and instead you should always provide as many links as possible to professional websites that are tried and trusted to help you with your application.
What are the advantages to networking?
Networking can help ensure you’re first to hear about new opportunities.
Social networking allows you to connect to lots of people that otherwise you would have never come into contact with. Employers will often search through the right channels to locate potential candidates before you’ve even had the chance to send your CV!
Through posting and sharing you can keep up to date with your chosen career as well as see what your friends and colleagues are up to. New opportunities are always floating around the internet, and the only way you’re ever going to see them is by signing up and creating a great profile for all to see.
There are a huge amount of positions which are filled through word of mouth and recommendations. Try to think back at how many times you heard someone got a job in your team because they were recommended by a colleague. You may have even recommended someone yourself to your manager, and the following day they are at your office ready for an interview.
If an employer can cut out the lengthy process of writing a job advert, reading a huge bunch of applications, and conducting numerous interviews – they will! It saves a lot of time and money, and means they can have someone fill a position quickly with little fuss.
How will social networking help me?
Social networking is an opportunity to advertise your availability and skills.
Before the world of social networking you were only really able to showcase your skills via a CV. This would be sent to the employer either by email or post, and would be your only contact with an employer until the interview.
With the introduction of social media and social networking, job seekers now have many more opportunities to advertise their skills, qualifications and experience to potential employers. The reach that is now available to us all is huge, and hundreds if not thousands of people can see what we have to offer, and share in their experiences and opportunities.
Not only are you able to advertise your skills to hundreds of people, but you’ll also be able to quickly see and act upon new ventures as and when they appear. Staying active and on top of your social and professional network is a must in today’s competitive job market if you want to stay ahead of the competition.