On the Job
Social media is now a major player in recruitment. It can be a powerful job-hunting and networking tool that will help you take the next step in your career. The Highfliers’ The Graduate Market 2021 report concluded that a significant amount of UK employers are increasingly using social media as a way of finding talent.
At Boardrm, we are you career partner for life, so we are here to show you how you can use social media to boost your employability.
The easiest and fastest way to use social media and your online presence to boost your recruitment chances is to create a designated space for all your career achievements. This could be a portfolio, a tailored blog or a social media page created specifically to showcase your work. This can be a powerful tool to show your work and to allow employers to contact you directly and start building your reputation. You can also share that link with friends and on your personal social media accounts to get some attention. What this page looks like is completely up to you and will be different depending on your industry.
By following other professionals and employers, getting involved in discussions and slowly building up a relationship, you’ll come across as a credible professional who they might consider working with one day. In most platforms, other people can see the posts you like, comment or share which is an opportunity to start building your personal brand. Doing your research before engaging in debates is also very relevant to make sure you write to impress. All your comments and engagements should be articulate, considerate of others (avoid any type of rudeness), well thought out and written in perfect English.
In addition to this, social media is a great opportunity for learning. When you follow and connect with influential people in your industry, take the opportunity to learn as much as you can from the either by being exposed to news, seeking advice, guidance and inspiration. Feel free to interact, ask questions and find posts/ articles that inspire you.
Aligned with what was mentioned before, following and networking with recruiters is a fantastic opportunity to get one foot in the door. Being more common on LinkedIn, most recruiters will accept most requests as you will represent prospective talent. By growing your network and starting to interact with professionals, you can get your name and your expertise out there as well.
Building and maintaining a professional social media presence will go a long way. The first thing to mention is your LinkedIn, as this platform is the most appropriate for careers. Make sure your photo is professional-looking and delete any posts you don’t want your employer to see.
If you’re looking for a role, let your network and followers know. This will become more significant to your professional contacts but even people who don’t work in the same industry as you or that don’t qualify as “professional contacts” may be able to refer you to a vacancy or other professionals.
Along side with this is using the right words and information. You can use your bios (mostly in Twitter and LinkedIn) to mention your qualifications, key skills or job title as this will help you with SEO and keywords making it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to find you. By considering this and including the right pieces of information, you can make a significant change on who sees your profile.
It’s probably the number one social media faux pas: the careless tweet. Don’t make the same mistake of making ill-advised or controversial comments about things you know little about, thereby damaging your reputation and credibility. It’s super important to express your opinion but it’s also important to be careful about how.
Following the previous point, it’s general rule for most employers or potential employers to look at your social media at some stage in the recruitment process. If you are unsure of what is public and what Google will bring up, open your browser in incognito and Google yourself. Everything that doesn’t look normal or minimally put together - delete. The photos you have on your socials don’t need to be all professional and “workplace friendly” but it’s important to understand what is acceptable and what is too much.
Regarding platforms where you have more personal information, for example Facebook and Instagram, the best tip is to have everything private and not to post anything public unless you are okay with your employer to see it.
What Not to Do on social media
Social media is a great way to connect with others, stay in touch with your network, and find out about job opportunities. However, there are things that can damage your reputation and make you seem unsuitable for a new job. Here’s some extra tips:
