How to Effectively Use Social Media to Get a Job

If you're actively looking for a job, check out these tips on how to successfully use social media to get a job! Some steps are easier than you think!

Whether you’re planning on going to college right after high school or you’re planning to jump right into the job hunt, you may want to double-check what your last few social media posts were. If you ask around to different employers or job recruiters how social media plays a role in the hiring process, you may be surprised to hear how important it actually is. If you just reached for your phone to do a quick run-through of your current feed and don’t even want to show your grandma, then you may want to click on ‘settings’ and turn your profile to private. But, if you use social media the right way, it could end up helping you land your dream job. Keep reading to find out how you can effectively use social media to get a job!

1. Be active on relevant social media sites

Sites like Pinterest and Tumbler may not determine whether or not you get the job, but Facebook and Twitter might. If you want to get an employer’s attention through social media, then you’ll want to spend time on the sites that they’re active on. Posts statuses or photos that’ll give an employer a glimpse of who you are and how well you present yourself on the Internet, if they come across your profile. You’ll want to follow or ‘like’ company profiles so you can find out about any important updates and when they’re hiring.

LinkedIn is an obvious and important site that every job seeker should be active on. Just make sure you keep your profile up-to-date with all of your professional and academic accomplishments, and connect with companies and other professionals in your field.

2. Make a plan

When you’re job hunting and decide to turn to social media for assistance, it’s important to have some sort of plan. Having a social media game plan for job searching can be as simple as designating certain days to updating your profiles, joining Facebook groups, connecting with potential employers and so on. If you decide to do these things all at once, things could get overwhelming and you could end up wasting hours of your day on social media.

3. Actively search for job ads

When most college students look for jobs, they turn to sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, or Simply Hired for access to thousands of job postings. Another way to improve your chances of landing a job from social media is to constantly check company Twitter feeds, Facebook pages and LinkedIn groups. If you don’t have a specific company in mind, then try joining a Facebook group created by locals in your area; there’ll almost always be job postings there. This is one of the most important reasons for using social media to get a job!

4. Connect with the right people

Your chances of connecting and actually falling into conversation with the CEO of a big company are slim to none. Instead, try connecting with professionals in lower positions (like executive assistants or associates) that are easier to contact and more likely to remember your name. If you know a company that you’d like to work for but have no clue who you should contact, try searching for the company on LinkedIn and connect with someone who works there. Networking is key to finding a job through social media.

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5. Keep your profiles clean enough to show your grandma

Before starting your job search, you should double-check your latest posts or tagged photos. Delete any that are questionable or could potentially hurt your chances of landing a job, or even an interview. The best way to know if something’s appropriate is to ask yourself if it’s PG enough to show your grandma. If you’d be too ashamed or embarrassed to show her, then chances are you wouldn’t want a future employer to see it either.

6. Make sure your contact info is easy to find

Access to your contact information on social media can be tricky if all of your profiles are on private. Having contact information available doesn’t necessarily mean leaving a phone number; it could be as harmless as leaving your email address or a link to your LinkedIn page where they can message you there. This is vital when using social media to get a job!