Are you looking for employment or gigs? Take a closer look at your social media profiles and learn to leverage their power to earn a steady job!
Intro:
An average internet user spends about two hours and 24 minutes online, according to this 2020 survey. The growth of social media users only increases by the day, and we’ve all embraced it as part of our lives.
The question is:
Are you leveraging the true power of social media?
If you spend a lot of time online, you might as well make good use of it.
Social media allows people to connect on a global scale. The best part is, these social connections are great for career growth.
Now, if you didn’t already know, there are innovative ways you can use social media to find your dream job.
Here are our top nine ways to use Facebook, Instagram, and more to land a brand new position:
1. Use Your Real Name
It’s common to use nicknames and popular references in your profile instead of your name. It’s a social media thing, and there’s nothing wrong with it.
But since you want to get more out of social media besides fun, use your real name.
To understand the power of having your name consistent across your profiles, think of someone with a real name on their blog and nicknames on their social handles.
Can you readily make a connection between the online handles and the person?
Use your real names as they appear on your professional profile. This is proof of authenticity, and you’ll be making it easy for someone to bring up your info with a quick search.
Remember, real profiles are professional and presentable.
Consider it as a part of personal branding.
2. Carry Yourself Well
Social media is like a mega-conference where everyone receives an invite, regardless of their position.
In other words, you never know who’s watching.
Be careful about what you post and share online. You don’t want to be a statistic of careers lost over social media recklessness. Worst case scenario is you end up going viral.
Now, whereas poor conduct online can get you fired, professionalism and decent conduct can get you hired. Employers these days even reach out to job seekers via their socials.
3. Don’t Sign Up for Every Platform
While you should have a good online presence, you don’t necessarily need to be on every social platform. It’s a waste of time and may give a negative impression to a prospective employer Googling you.
All you need is to focus your energy on two or three platforms. Besides, most businesses have a presence across many sites, which means you can still connect with your target company from where you are.
The idea is to select social sites that are likely to harbor employers in your field or area of interest.
Most businesses today will have a LinkedIn or Twitter profile.
But if you’re looking for opportunities likely offered by edgy millennials, Facebook or Instagram are probably your best bet.
You also want to focus on what works for you.
Ask yourself these questions when choosing platforms for professional use:
- Does the site make it easier to land gigs?
- Who are you targeting?
- Can you connect with people in your area of interest?
4. Set Up New Pages
Set up new social media pages and clean up your old pages. Remember, most hiring managers go through your online profiles before the interview.
Lots of people don’t have accounts on professional networking sites like LinkedIn or Indeed. If you’re one of them, it’s time to set one up now.
Ask for help when setting up your profile to make it more presentable and professional if you’re not sure how to do it yourself.
5. Answer Questions and Be Genuinely Helpful
Do you consider yourself an expert in a particular field?
You could put your knowledge out there by helping others find answers to questions within your area of expertise. This can be an excellent way of marketing yourself without being obvious.
When you establish yourself as an expert in your field, it’s easy for employers to approach you with job offers. Places like Twitter, Facebook, and especially Quora are perfect for getting yourself noticed this way.
Engage in meaningful conversations, especially on issues that involve your skills and interests.
Keep an eye out for debates and become an active contributor.
6. Follow Relevant Hashtags
There are trending hashtags that you should follow on social media. Hashtags like #hiring and many others are great for job seekers. You can find these common threads on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, to mention a few.
Hashtags link to similar posts.
Anyone sharing a job post using a hashtag will attract a larger audience. Following the hashtags keeps you in the loop on new job openings.
7. Create a Portfolio Website
People tend to ignore portfolio websites and how you can leverage social media to get the right people to check out your portfolio.
A portfolio site is like your online resume, a place where you can showcase your work and share links with potential employers.
The biggest advantage of having an online portfolio is having all your work in a single location. So, instead of sharing several links, you share only one.
Where does social media come in?
Once you’ve created a portfolio site, link back to it from your social pages and informative posts. This opens a door for possible headhunters to navigate right into your portfolio.
Most portfolio sites are free or offer free versions, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t have one.
Here are some of the best portfolio sites with free versions:
- Behance (designers, photographers)
- Muck Rack (freelancers)
- Dribble (designers, artists)
- Contently (freelancers)
- me (freelancers)
8. Update Your Privacy Settings
Remember the famous saying, “Show me your friends, and I’ll tell you who you are?” Well, you know your friends or at least the people you interact with best.
That’s your life.
But you don’t want it filtering into your professional pages.
Edit privacy settings to restrict posts and tags that don’t do you any favors. On sites like Facebook, your timeline says a lot about you because that’s where all your friends’ shenanigans wind up.
9. Stay Consistent
If you want to keep winning, stay consistent when you post on social media. Consistency is key to attracting and maintaining an active audience.
Try to maintain engagement on your posts and grow a following. The keyword here is “a following.”
The larger your circle is, the better your chances of the right people spotting you. Try to join relevant forums and pages and try to become a regular and valuable contributor.
Conclusion
Social media is a great asset when you use it correctly. Use social media to follow your dream company leaders and interact with them. It’ll also help you build your career and expose you to valuable skills.
Get out there, connect widely, and stay active.
Who knows?
Your next employer could be in your connections.
Adam Marshall is a freelance writer who specializes in all things apartment organization, real estate, and college advice. He currently works with Grove at Huntsville to help them with their online marketing.
