Smart steps to use the social media to find a job - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Smart steps to use the social media to find a job Successfully applying for vacancies in advertisements can be challenging when we are one of many applicants. We face hectic competition without knowing anything about the other candidates applying. Some employers only want answers to specific questions, or ask us to complete a form. If only we could reach out to them directly on social media so we could tell them more about us. Well we could by following the right protocols. Reaching this point is a two-part process. First we align our social media profiles to match the type of job we want. Then we track the decision makers down on social media and make sure they notice us when we apply. Step 1: Professionalize Your Social Media Profiles Make a compelling life story out of your qualifications and career. Don’t clog this with fluffy details. You want them to read it through before they burn their attention span. LinkedIn is the right place to start. However, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter also have cool spots to illustrate your value to employers. Don’t be the wallflower at the party. Move around the virtual room and network, network, network. Join interest groups on Facebook and start chatting with employers in your industry. LinkedIn has a cool search page to find interest groups relating to your sphere of interest. Be alive. Post original, engaging stuff there at least once a week. Follow companies in your profession on Twitter and LinkedIn. They may not know that you exist but could be looking for someone just like you. Subscribe to their feeds about business development. Study the profiles of their latest hires. If there’s a match join their conversations. Somebody somewhere will be interested in knowing more about you. Become a sought-after resource by re-defining your media profiles. You want to dovetail with the values of the companies you ache to work for. Become the helpful person they would love employing, by adding value while commenting on their posts. You can accumulate a pile of social capital by providing valuable links on Facebook and Twitter. Trawl your interest groups on LinkedIn. Jump at opportunities to answer questions and share concerns. Asking for Work Is Out of Bounds. Aim to stay high in people’s minds looking for somebody like you. However you could trash your caring social media profile if you ask for something for yourself. Concentrate on being the smart, intelligent candidate you know you are instead. Imagine you are rooting for a promotion where you work. Tweet thoughts that bring out the person you know you really are. Step 2: Now Go Out There and Land the Job You should be well ahead at this point because you know more about potential employers than most other people in your industry. Leave the social media for a moment to research the companies on your shortlist. Investigate the Companies Worth Hiring You Let’s pause for a moment at this hugely important point. No employer will change to suit you, although over time you may tweak their thinking. Therefore focus your attention in places where you will be comfortable in the culture. If they have a Wikipedia page that’s great start because a team of editors makes sure what they say is true. You could score highly by referring to an employer’s history and financial performance when they ask you why you want the job. Visit their website next to discover the public face they show their customers. It doesn’t matter if you only find two or three companies worthy of employing you. In fact, this should sharpen your aim and you can snipe with more precision. Figure Out Who the Decision Makers Are Dig deep down into company data to discover relevant names in their recruitment structures, Trawl through their job posts, blog articles, and social pages. If you persist, you are sure to find names and perhaps more. Create mini profiles of these people, including photos so you feel you know them better. Now link to their social media pages and start chatting with them informally. Don’t ever tell them you are looking for a job because that’s a sign of weakness. Recruiters are curious people. They will visit your pages if they find you interesting. This chapter is a ‘never-ending story’. You may not be that important yet for them to follow you. Therefore you have to keep popping up with a friendly face and genuinely useful, valuable insights. Now Trawl for Jobs You Desire on Social Media Maya Angelou was an American poet, singer and social activist who made huge waves in her sphere. She famously said “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style”. I don’t just want you to land any old job on social media and favourite me because my method works. I want to help you find a job at a market-related salary you desire with all your heart. When that passion shines, you make it easier to reach the first interview. If the passion stays with you, you could make it to the job. So here’s what you have to do, Put your job searches aside on Simply Hired, CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, and the rest of them. They are great sites but they flood you with so many possibilities you burn yourself out and it shows in your proposals. Instead I want you to comb through company Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, and Linked-In groups on your short list. You will find quality jobs there, I guarantee that. Moreover these should relate to your career interests, and you will have less competition than on job boards. This means you have a far better chance of standing out and being noticed. You also have a better chance of getting to an interview. When you reach that point you have the advantage of career oriented social media pages that prove you really are worth considering. Genuine employers are after people they can see are truly interested in what they do.