Using Social Media to land a job #SocialRecruiting
As a recruitment agency we utilise the advantages of Social Media - this blog outlines how to land a job using social...
What is Social Recruiting?
More and more people are jumping aboard the social media bandwagon and anyone who hasn’t is falling behind. In terms of social recruiting, recruitment agencies use LinkedIn to head-hunt candidates, advertise their jobs on Twitter and build their brand awareness.
Job boards are also getting involved in Social Media. Most jobs posted on job boards are then spread onto social media to attract more applications.
This is fantastic news for job seekers as vacancies are more readily available, but why stop there, why wait for jobs to fall at your feet? There are a number of steps you can take to find your ideal job and become attractive to companies and recruiters.
How to take advantage of social recruiting
With over 1 billion users it is difficult to be heard through the social media noise - you need to be strategic when utilising social media to job hunt.
Linkedin
LinkedIn is the most significant social media platform to use when looking for a new job as it is essentially a professional network – a social network for business.
Almost every recruiter is on LinkedIn and uses it heavily throughout the day, it’s how they do most of their head hunting. So, to ensure you are found by the right recruiters and put forward for the most lucrative jobs you need to build your personal brand presence.
Build your LinkedIn profile to stand out from the crowd by writing a top-class description of yourself, outlining your core skills, your past experience and exactly what you’re looking for. Also, try to get recommendations from past employers and colleagues as reference to your character and abilities and ensure you update your status informing connections of your availability and what you’re looking for.
It’s always worthwhile to upload your CV so recruiters can find out more information about you before they get in contact, but please remember, only upload your CV if you are currently unemployed.
Once you have built an attractive profile you need to get out there and announce to people in your industry you’re ready for a new job and LinkedIn is great for this. There are countless groups on LinkedIn which are invaluable to building your professional network. For example, if you are a building ‘control’ surveyor join UK Building Control Surveying Network and announce you’re searching for a new position and invite members to check out your profile – you’ll be amazed at the response you can receive.
Twitter
Twitter is a useful way to automatically connect with many professionals in your industry, as already discussed most companies are now on Twitter. Follow companies you are interested in and recruiters in the field to build your presence which will ensure you receive updates to the latest jobs in your chosen sector.
It is important to remember that Twitter limits you to 140 characters to create your bio so it is crucial to articulate you are seeking work. If you want recruiters to take notice of you then make your bio catchy and distinctive and don’t forget to mention your line of work.
Twitter is a very busy social media platform and you need to create intelligent updates to stand out from the crowd. Be sure to update your followers about your job search and reach out to people by telling them who you are and what you want: ‘I’m a project manager with 15 years experience, looking for a role with a main contractor in South West, can anyone help? #constructionjobs’
The main thing to remember when it comes to social recruiting is you can’t sit around waiting to be found, you need to be pro-active and spread the message to the right people.
Most of us have networked at some stage in order to find a new job, using social media is exactly the same process, but instant – go on, give internet networking a try today.
Good luck with the job search.