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Last Updated on February 8, 2025
The world continues to evolve, and the rules dictating employment have changed. Employers have changed how they find and screen potential employees in the last decade. Ten to fifteen years ago, a phone number was the standard contact information a company required from applicants. These days, your e-mail address is your main point of contact. Employers not only communicate with candidates via the Internet but also use it to research all job candidates. According to careerbuilder.com, 70 percent of employers have hired or rejected a potential candidate because of their social network profiles.
Social media isn’t just for sharing memes—it’s a game-changer for your career. Build a professional brand, connect with key people, and make your dream job come to you. Start networking smarter today. #NetworkingTipsClick To TweetWhat This Article Covers
- The Importance of Professional Profiles: Learn how to create and maintain professional social media profiles, especially on LinkedIn, to make a positive impression on potential employers.
- Building Industry Connections: Discover how connecting with professionals in your field can help you stay updated on trends, find opportunities, and grow
your network . - Leveraging Social Media Activity: Understand the benefits of actively sharing, commenting, and engaging on social platforms to establish your expertise and personal brand.
- Promoting Yourself Strategically: Find out how to showcase your work, accomplishments, and career goals to attract attention from employers.
- Maintaining a Professional Online Presence: Learn why it’s important to be cautious about what you share and how to avoid posting content that could harm your career prospects.
- Managing Privacy Settings: Explore the benefits of setting personal accounts to private while keeping professional platforms like LinkedIn visible to potential employers.
- Networking Through Personal Contacts: Uncover ways to utilize friends and followers on social media to gain referrals and opportunities at companies of interest.
- Using Social Platforms for Branding: Get insights into how LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms can be effectively used to boost your
job search and connect withhiring managers.
Learn how to integrate social networking into every aspect of your job search and then leverage your social media presence for ongoing professional success.
Social Networking Tips
- Start with a professional profile. Make sure your social media profiles are professional and up-to-date. This includes your LinkedIn profile, which is a must-have for any professional.
- Connect with people in your field. Use social media to connect with people in your field. This will help you stay up-to-date on industry trends, find job opportunities, and build relationships with potential employers and colleagues.
- Be active on social media. Share interesting articles and blog posts, comment on other people’s posts, and participate in relevant conversations. This will help you to build your reputation as an expert in your field.
- Use social media to promote yourself. Share your work, your accomplishments, and your goals. This will help you attract potential employers’ attention and build your personal brand.
- Be careful what you share. Remember that anyone, including potential employers, can see anything you post on social media. Be careful about what you share, and make sure you are always professional.
Discover the biggest social media trends shaping businesses. Identify the content that brings in the most engagement and revenue.
Keep Your Profile Tame
Companies continuously strive for efficiency and profitability, which includes
Private or Public?
If you prefer not to censor your profiles, consider setting them private. LinkedIn, however, should remain public, allowing employers to view your resume and contact you. Twitter and Facebook, being more personal than professional networking sites, can be private, limiting access to friends and followers. If you opt not to do this, be mindful that employers can see your content, so maintain a professional tone in your posts and tweets.
Social media is a powerful, mandatory tool for the job world, and career expert Miriam Salpeter illustrates its fullest potential with this one-stop resource.
Networking Through Friends
Many people have hundreds of friends on Facebook and thousands of followers on Twitter. These are valuable resources when searching for a job. Look through your list of social networking contacts and see if anyone works at a company that interests you. If you find someone who does, send them a message asking to help get you a foot in the door. These people are your friends and should be interested in aiding you in your
Using Relevant Social Networking to Brand Yourself
Not all social networking sites are equal when getting your name out there for a job. Facebook is primarily a way to lose a job rather than find one, as employers generally use Facebook to find out whether or not to hire the individual. LinkedIn, however, bills itself as the ‘world’s largest professional network’ and lives up to the name.
Creating a profile on the website is akin to a resume, with your employment history and references included. Simply making a profile and waiting for employers to find you is insufficient. LinkedIn’s best feature is its jobs section, where employers post openings. Actively search this section daily and apply to all jobs that interest you. However, ensure that your skill sets match the job, as a mismatch looks very unprofessional.
Another good tool for finding employment through social networking is Twitter, believe it or not. Twitter allows you to bypass the red tape behind the
Get your profile to show up at the TOP of the LinkedIn search results, so prospects find YOU and not your competitors
Summary
In today’s digital age, traditional job-hunting methods are rapidly evolving. By harnessing the power of social networking, you can expand your reach and position yourself at the forefront of opportunities. Remember, it’s not just about seeking a job; it’s also about making the job come to you. These four social networking strategies are designed to amplify your presence, cultivate valuable connections, and pave the way for success. Embrace them wholeheartedly and watch as doors you never even knew existed begin to open for you.
Want a new job or career? Need to demonstrate more value to customers or employers? Use today's hottest social media platforms to build the powerful personal brand that gets you what you want!
Joey Trebif is the pen name of Mark Fiebert, a former finance executive who hired and managed dozens of professionals during his 30-plus-year career. He now shares expert job search, resume, and career advice on CareerAlley.com.
