With the advent of social recruiting, the rules for job applicants have changed – social media knowledge is the new must-have skill for savvy job hunters to build their online brand. It’s no longer enough to rely on a targeted résumé and cover letter to open doors to that all-important interview. Research indicates that over 50% of Australian employers now search job candidates’ social media presence and over 80% of recruiters source candidates through online profiles, blogs and online communities, so it’s never been more important to integrate your résumé and cover letter with a competitive and professional online brand. Currently, the “Big Three” of social media – LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook – are the platforms with the biggest potential to make or break your brand as a must-have candidate, so here are some tips to use them to your advantage.
1. Separate your professional and private Facebook accounts
This sound obvious, but it’s surprising how many people forget that everything they post online publicly is accessible to just about anyone, for a very long time. Do you really want a prospective employer, or even worse, your current boss, reading your latest Facebook post about how you partied so hard over the weekend, you’re going to sleep in today instead of going in to work? Interview opportunities have been lost for less, so keep your personal profile private while you’re job hunting.
2. Optimise your LinkedIn profile
When you search for your job title, profession or industry on LinkedIn, where does your profile rank in the results? If you’re looking to be headhunted, you can’t afford to be back on page 17, while your competitors on page 1 are getting all the benefits of optimising their profile. Think about keywords that recruiters in your field will be searching for and make sure you include them in your profile; particularly in the title, job titles and summary sections. Add recommendations, target your experience to your profession/industry or job of interest and be a proactive LinkedIn user to get the best possible results. Join groups, participate in discussions, answer questions – all are strong strategies to build your brand and help you attract the attention of recruiters and prospective employers.
3. Tweet discerningly
You can lose the chance of an interview in 140 characters or less by tweeting offensive, political or controversial tweets. People will notice them and they can be retweeted to a very wide audience. Consider your jobsearch brand carefully before tweeting; and while you’re job hunting, only publicly tweet ideas and comments that reinforce your positioning as a must-have, professional candidate.
4. Network, network, network
Just as face to face networking is an important part of your jobsearch strategy, so is online networking. On Twitter, follow hiring managers and employees of your organisations of choice; on Facebook visit and like company pages and on LinkedIn introduce yourself or seek introductions to hiring managers and employees of organisations you’re interested in, to open career doors.
5. Become a blogger
You don’t have to be a professional writer to use blogging as a social media strategy to build your jobsearch brand and presence; you just need to know your topic and blog regularly. Setting up a blog in your area of expertise is easy, and it’s free if you use platforms such as WordPress or Blogger. Blog regularly on your areas of expertise and link your posts to your Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, to brand yourself an expert in your particular field and enhance your online profile at the same time.
6. Integrate your traditional and social media jobsearch material
It’s important to present a consistent and focused brand to position yourself in the best way possible as a leading applicant. Because employers and recruiters could visit any or all of your social media accounts, be congruent in the way you present yourself online across all of them. And don’t forget that your traditional jobsearch collateral – your résumé and cover letter – will need to reflect your online brand, so include your LinkedIn and Twitter URLs on your résumé, as well as ensuring that there are no contradictions between your online profiles and your paper-based material.
7. Not strictly social media but….
Email addresses – handle with care! I can’t stress strongly enough the dangers of using a funny or suggestive email address on your jobsearch material – I’ve read too many résumés that lose credibility because of unprofessional email addresses. Your email address is an important part of your jobsearch brand, so please give it as much attention as you would give any other part of your jobsearch material – the best idea is to use your name, or an address that is as similar to your name as possible.
Social media is a great tool for savvy job hunters; so use it wisely, and you’ll reap the benefits in the form of higher social media rankings, enhanced professional networks and a reputation as an expert in your field, to attract the attention of recruiters and prospective employers alike.
