How to use social media to find a job

Social media offers great opportunities to develop your employability and many employers are now using it to find new recruits. Social media could play an important role in helping you find a job, therefore it’s essential you know how to use it to your advantage.

Creating a professional profile online

In addition to having a more traditional CV, you can also develop a professional profile online, which demonstrates your skills and experiences to potential recruiters. LinkedIn™, dubbed ‘Facebook for professionals, is one of the more common ways to do this, but there are lots of others such as Twitter, Blogging, Google+ or Facebook.

If you wish to develop a creative portfolio of your work, you could consider platforms such as Pinterest, Instagram or Behance. Some countries like China offer popular alternatives such as Sina Weibo (the equivalent to Twitter) or Renren (similar to Facebook).

Here are some things to consider:

• Is your online profile accurate and up-to-date?
• What are your privacy settings?
• What do you ‘like’ and who do you follow on social media? What groups are you a member of? What does this say about you?
• What photographs exist of you online? What’s your profile picture like? What impression might others form of you?
• What interests have you highlighted? What impression does this give?
• What comments or opinions do you share via social media?
• What do you and your friends say about each other?
• What skills, competencies and experiences do you share online? Do you ‘showcase’ your talents?
• Who are you connected to professionally via social media? (e.g. employers, professional groups, individuals who work in the sort of job that interests you, job agencies, career experts, etc.)

If you’d like to learn more about succeeding at writing applications, check out the full online course from The University of Sheffield, below.