Finding Your Dream Job Via Social Media – Simples!

by Natalie @BubbleJobs

They used to say that finding a job was not necessarily about what you know, but instead who you know. Well, that has definitely changed. Finding a job is now definitely about what you know about Social Media and how you can use it to your advantage when finding a job.

Most people have a Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn account for their personal use, but don’t use it to its full potential when it comes to changing career or looking for a new, better paid job in your current field. So, below is a little bit of guidance for finding your dream job using Social Media.

Twitter – Follow the Bubble Jobs Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/bubblejobs or @BubbleJobs) if you are looking for a job in the digital or online industry. We regularly add new positions and you can now search for positions available across Europe and Australia, as well as right here in the UK.

Become more acquainted with using the search function on Twitter with hash (#) tags. So, if you are looking for Social Media jobs, you would search for ‘#SocialMedia #jobs’. This will bring up all the jobs in Social Media that have been posted using those hash tags. This allows you to narrow your search considerably, as without the use of hash tags you may find that you get every tweet about Social Media, including blog posts and people complaining that they don’t understand Social Media. Equally, by using a hash tag such as, ‘#Hireme’, potential employers are made aware that you are on the lookout for a new position and therefore, they may contact you if they have positions that might suit your skills and experience.

Ensure that your biography on your Twitter account details the skills you have that may be of interest to a potential employer and that if you have a personal website, you link to it on your Twitter account. Ensure that your website showcases your skills and relevant experience, as this is something that potential employers will look at.

Many people have taken to writing in their bio if they are currently seeking a vacancy. This allows you to be found by potential employers. If you put something like ‘Seeking vacancy in #SEO’, those recruiting for SEO Executives will be able to identify you as a potential candidate quickly.

LinkedIn – This is marketed as being the Social Media site for professionals. Professionals regularly make use of LinkedIn when looking for career advancement opportunities because they are able to add their latest CV, which can be viewed by many people. So, make sure that your CV is completely up-to-date. Also, ensure that your CV is relevant to the type of position you would like to move onto. If you are a Digital Designer, ensure that you demonstrate some of your design flair through your CV, not only will it show what you are capable of, but it will also set you apart from other candidates (and make it a bit more interesting to read).

By filling out all the parts of your LinkedIn profile, including sections like ‘skills’, you make yourself searchable to potential employers and recruiters. One example of this is that I have put in my LinkedIn profile that I can speak German fluently. Within days of adding this as one of my ‘skills’ I was contacted regarding three different jobs requiring a German speaker. Score! So, if you want to be found, make sure you write all your relevant skills down, because you never know what the employer or recruiter may be looking for. Tick their boxes!

Add an image of yourself that alludes to professionalism. Firstly, failing to put an image altogether can put potential employers off contacting you, even if you seem ideal for the position that they are trying to fill. This is because it dehumanises the profile. Secondly, do not put an image of your latest all-night bender on LinkedIn. This is not likely to garner any respect from the rest of your LinkedIn professional network and does not appeal to employers.

Get a colleague, or your boss, to recommend you on LinkedIn. This is basically like a reference, but instead of the potential employer doing all the legwork to get hold of a reference for you like they usually do, they can see a reference immediately before even contacting you about the position. This will give them a bit of insight into the type of person you are and how you work without ever actually speaking to you or meeting you.

Facebook – Looking for a job on Facebook is all about seeking out the right kind of recruitment agencies or job boards. (You can find ours at www.facebook.com/bubblejobs) This is because they will be posting information about their latest vacancies on Facebook and by hitting the ‘like’ button on their page you are able to receive those vacancies in your news feed as they are posted. However, beware of some Facebook pages that add new vacancies to their fan page all day every day, as this will clog up your news feed (Annoying, or what?!).

Like with LinkedIn, it is probably not the best plan to have an image of you vomiting after a long night out or running around without a skirt on (I sound like I’m speaking from experience, but I’m not). Particularly if you have your Facebook page ‘locked down’ and all that is shown is your image and name. Not really the best way to represent yourself to a potential new employer scoping out your Facebook page, is it?!

So, now you have had my trade secrets (that are not so secret, if you are in the know) you are ready to find yourself your dream job using Social Media, but if you are still finding it difficult to find exactly what you are looking for, you are more than welcome to contact me on Twitter (@Bubblejobs), Facebook (www.facebook.com/bubblejobs) or even via LinkedIn (search ‘Digital Jobs – Bubble Jobs).