Career Corner: Using Social Media in the Job Search
For some college students, job searching and social media may not seem like they go hand in hand. But for many students, social media provides a direct line of communication in a world where connections are one of the best ways to find a job. As social media becomes a new form of a resume, it is important for students to utilize websites in a more professional way.
Here’s a brief summary of major social-media websites and how they can help a job search.
www.LinkedIn.com
LinkedIn is like having a website where you can highlight accomplishments, work history, skill set, and much more. Other professionals can find potential employees through the site if they have lost phone numbers or e-mail addresses. Companies can also locate those interested in being hired for contract or full-time work. It allows students to connect to people they know, as well as professionals in their fields of interest. By using LinkedIn, a student can:
- Include recommendations from others in his or her profile, adding credibility to a resume and demonstrating professionalism within a particular industry.
- Search for job opportunities. Aside from the job-postings section, a student can join groups and participate in discussions. Many employers will post opportunities within the discussion sections of various groups. Additional job postings for current students or recent graduates can be viewed as well.
- Ask for advice from professionals using LinkedIn Answers.
- Prepare for interviews. To help an interview go smoothly, a student can use LinkedIn to research companies and the people he or she will be meeting.
www.Twitter.com
Twitter can be used for building an online presence, keeping current on news, joining conversations, making connections, and learning about job opportunities. A Twitter name should be a person’s real name to ensure search engine results. Using Twitter, a student can:
- Follow people, recruiters, and companies of interest to learn about news and opportunities (i.e.:@socialmediajob).
- Build an online presence by using hashtags(#) to contribute to conversations, mention other Twitter users, and re-tweet information.
- Check out the Twitter tool Twellow, which searches people’s bios and URLs on their bios. A quick search will find a company a student would love to work for, as well as people from that company who are on Twitter.
- Reach out to people to network and ask for advice.
www.Facebook.com
Although Facebook is primarily a personal rather than a professional site, it can be an effective networking tool. It may be helpful to have a conversation with your student about his or her Facebook usage and privacy settings as more employers are using Facebook as a way to view potential hires. A student can:
- Follow companies of interest to learn about announcements, recent news, and job opportunities.
- Use the status update to inform friends that he or she is looking for a job by posting an update on an interview or an event. A student who has a blog can share a new post.
- Post a note explaining what he or she is looking for in a future career. A note tends to stay on people’s screens longer than a status update, and provides the opportunity for including a longer message.