5 Best Ways a Jobseeker Can Make Use of Social Media

SEE ALSO: How To Use LinkedIn To Recruit Your Next Employee

Image Credit: Link Humans UK

Importance of Social Media in the Job Market
There was a time when the two words—social and media had different connotations. But, gradually with the emergence of the Internet the entire concept of social media underwent a sea change. Today, an individual’s presence in the virtual is no longer a matter of choice but a necessity; whether it is about social networking with friends or applying for jobs, or even setting up a business – social media is the way of the world.

So as an individual, how do you go about making the best use of social media especially when it comes to job applications or even promoting business; social media has a huge role to play. An individual’s online behavior is of significance and companies are known to check prospective employers Facebook and LinkedIn Profiles. In an economic downturn phase, it is extremely crucial for individuals to be active on the social media circuit. Not only so, but also he or she should be able to make sure that head hunters and prospective employers notice him or her through an active presence in the virtual world. Some of the ways an individual can make the best use of social media are explained in the subsequent paragraphs.

Analyzing Job Opportunities
As a candidate if you would like to clout the power of social media, you must be keen on scouting job opportunities. Firstly, analyze the available opportunities that suit your current profile or something that you are looking for. Understand the requirement of the organization. After a proper analysis, candidates can actually tweak individuals they follow in order to gather a better insight into the job profile or the role that the organization has to play.

Creating an Online Profile and Being Active on It
Make sure you have created profiles on the important social networking platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. However, just creating it and keeping quite will not help. You must be active on each one of these, especially professional networking sites like LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn profile should carry genuine and authentic information about your educational qualifications and of course your professional work experience. Do mention your achievements in both the fields. The information that you put should be presented in crisp and a properly structured manner and keep updating it at regular intervals. Always attach a professional photograph.

Start Blogging
In an era of digital media, the best way to make your presence felt in the digital media is to start blogging and then trying to popularize it through various social media sites can turn out to be fruitful. Do not worry about the theme of the blog much. It could be on anything; in case your blog is related to your job in some way or the other, it can actually showcase your qualities as a leader. But, understand that it is very important to remain active on your blogs. Upload and update it on a daily basis so that you end up acquiring a trail of followers. The number of followers you have, it shows your popularity; but ensure that while commenting you add value to the conversation and not end up posting a comment just for the sake of it. Most importantly, try and integrate your blog with all other social media platforms.

Inculcate Active Networking Qualities
This is of utmost importance in an era of social networking. Do not harbor any qualms about approaching any professional through social media. Try and network with the headhunters and also organizations through the online media. Make accurate use of your existing profile on these websites so that you are able to connect with the right person; try and indulge in more pro-active conversations so that you are able to gather more information pertaining to the current job market; always remember to make your aspirations very clear and do share your opinion. Experts opine that in a tight-necked competitive market it’s very important to be well-networked and make you visible on job platforms that are relevant. But, understand with whom you connect has a lot to do. Just connecting with random individuals will not help much. Connecting with the right kind of people and then indulging in proper conversations make a lot of difference.

Showcase your Work
Gone are those days when individuals blowing their own trumpets would not get much attention. Today, you need to display your work and achievements in the correct way so that prospective employers notice you. Recommendations from co-workers and seniors are bound to make a difference. The more recommendations you have, the chances are higher for you to land up with the right kind of job.

Online behavior is of immense importance these days. It has got a lot more than mere networking. Therefore, understand and make use of social media intelligently. If you are able to strike the cord right, you are bound to end up with some of the best opportunities.

Let us know your views on this article or leave anything you want to share with us by leaving your comments below.