The Roles of Social Media in Your Job Search
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Fiverr. You know what these names have in common. All of them belong to the same group – social media apps. You may even know some others we did not mention. They have become common words in our vocabulary today and most people shudder and cringe at the thought of living in a world without the internet or social media. With social media apps, you can upload, download, share and save memories of yourself and your friends. You can connect with acquaintances, regain contact with long-lost friends or have a conversation with a family member who is a continent away from you. You can even have a glimpse into your favorite celebrity’s life. But social media has evolved to much more than posting cute pictures and hoping for likes. Businesses, companies, and organizations have utilized all available channels in a bid to build their brands. They are connecting with their customers on social media, listening to their reviews and complaints, engaging them in polls, and advertising their brand to them. Social media is a wonderful avenue to create a relationship with a client base and in the long run, increase it.
As an active job seeker, you might think, “I do not have a company yet. All I need is just a job. Will spending time on my phone scrolling through Instagram or any other social media app help me land a job?” Yes! How? Social media plays a huge role in a job seeker’s life. If utilized effectively, it may even make your search easier. We are sure you really want to find out how. Well, you are in luck. This article has spilled all the advantages of social media and how it can assist you in your job search. Dig in!
- Social Media Gives you Job Alerts: The first step in finding a job is knowing where to look for one. You can not really walk from one company to another asking if they have a vacant spot. That would be too stressful and may not even yield the expected results. This is where social media comes in. Many companies are active on social media and have handles everyone can follow. While they post engaging content for their customers, they also use those platforms to announce when they are recruiting or looking to hire someone for a specific role. Some social media apps also offer an option where employers can advertise their job openings while others like LinkedIn match you to a job opening based on your profile and preferences. You can also use the search or hashtag option to find current openings where you live or in a location you prefer. From the comfort of your home, you can follow companies you like and be the first to know when they are hiring.
- Social Media is a Great Way to Build a Professional Network: The easiest way to connect today is, you guessed right, social media. People are boldly putting what they do and where they work on their profiles. That way, you can meet like-minded people and connect with them – people in the same industry as you, experts in your field, career coaches, or people you view as mentors. You can even initiate a private conversation with them. You need a strong professional network in order to land a job or advance your career.
- Social Media Helps You Build A Personal Brand: When you are searching for a job and need help with branding, social media is the best place to start. Branding involves promoting yourself to the public, and social media provides you a free platform to create the needed awareness. How can you do this? Update your profile. List your interests, where you have worked, are presently working, and hope to work. You can even add a professional picture of yourself. Employers, hiring managers, or recruiters like every other person, are impressed by what they see. Your time as a job seeker is not the time to be modest. List all the skills you have. To make your job search successful, you need to present yourself as an in-demand brand. Using social media during a job search is a way of posting your CV or resume in a place where the public, made up of prospective employers, can access it. That makes you visible and increases your chances of being contacted by employers or recruiters. If you are interested in starting a freelancing career, having a social media account where you advertise your work is an effective way of promoting your brand and sourcing for more clients. There are also specific social media apps like Fiverr and UpWork that are meeting hubs for people who offer and buy freelance services like content writing, editing, or proofreading.
- Social Media Gives you Information about a Company: Before you attend an interview or even before you apply for a job, you need all the intel you can get about the company. With a good number of companies and organizations on social media, you know where to start. When a company has a good social media following, mentions, and reviews from customers, it is a sign that the establishment is legitimate. Scrolling through their social media pages can tell you about the goods or services they offer, company values and culture, or even what a typical day looks like at work. There could even be an “About Us” segment where you can get firsthand information. Social media makes it easy to research a company before joining. The intel you gather can pique your interest or dissuade you from applying. Either way, the content of a company’s social media can influence your decision during a job search.
Final Thoughts
To make your job search easy and effective, you need to utilize all available channels. The roles social media play cannot be overstated. With your social media accounts, you kill two birds with one stone – entertain yourself and find a viable means of employment. This could mean invariably mean that being an active job seeker equals being an active social media user.
