Businesses grow by building their brands on social media. They establish connections and relationships with people who then come to know them as trustworthy and honest and want to do business with them.Power of Social Media to Get the Job You Want

Power of Social Media to Get the Job You Want

People can develop a personal brand on social media too. They can develop a persona that others find bright, enjoyable, capable, and more or just the opposite. And this persona is precisely what potential employers will probably see if they are considering you for a position. Here are just a few statistics from a recent study by the Society for Human Resources Management:

  • 65 % of employment decisions makers used at least one social media platform in their hiring processes
  • Employment decision makers feel it is important for candidates to have social media account and favored, in this order, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and a blog.

It only makes sense that you should use social media to act in your favor when you are job hunting – in fact, it is one of the most powerful tools you have. Your resume may outline your education, background, and experience, but your social media persona gives a potential employer far more insight into who you really are.Power of Social Media to Get the Job You Want

Here are ten ways to incorporate social media into building a personal brand that employers will find compelling.

Complete Profiles

Be certain that your social media profiles are complete. Information should be honest, accurate, and up-to-date. Profiles that are not complete lead readers to believe that you are either lazy or perhaps hiding something.Power of Social Media to Get the Job You Want

Be Certain Your Profiles Match

A profile you post on one platform should never be inconsistent with any other profile. And this holds true for the resume you post on LinkedIn or any other niche social media site. Begin with an amazing resume. To get that, you may want to use the services of resumes. expert to craft the document you will post. Then, build your personal profiles on your social media channels to enhance the objective information on that document with insights into who you are as a person. This will give a potential employer a much more complete picture of you and allow him/her to determine if you are a good “cultural” fit for the organization.Power of Social Media to Get the Job You Want

A Profile Picture

It is considered gauche and inappropriate to include a photograph on your resume. But make no mistake about it – employers do look at social media profile pictures. It would not hurt to use a professional photographer to take a good headshot photo for your LinkedIn profile, and more casual but “classy” photos for your Facebook, Twitter, ad other accounts. You don’t want to establish yourself as a “stiff” person, but you do want to be socially appropriate.

Show Personality but in Good Ways

Employers read your posts and view all of your pictures that you publicly publish. Most of them enjoy humor, inspiration, and entertainment, so long as it is in good taste. Posting derogatory comments or jokes about other races, cultures, religions, etc. is a huge “no-no,” and you should avoid posting political messages. After all, you have no idea of the political views of a hiring manager viewing your posts and tweets. They may want to be objective but often are not.Power of Social Media to Get the Job You Want

Be social – that’s why it’s called social media. Share other posts, comment on the posts of others. Show that you are friendly, outgoing and caring.

English Usage

Except for LinkedIn and other professional social media sites, you are not expected to write like an academic. It is fine to use casual language and even incomplete sentences at times. Just do not get carried away with slang terms that might offend. And do watch your spelling and grammar when you do write. You can still be casual and grammatically correct.Power of Social Media to Get the Job You Want

Join Groups and Check in Everyday

Facebook and LinkedIn both have groups that will relate to your career. Join those groups, participate in discussions, and establish relationships with others in your field. Networking is a major method of matching candidates and positions today. The more contacts you have in your field, the more likely it is that you will be told about openings. Making connections – as many as you can – can open a lot of doors.

Use Keywords

Your resume should include keywords that are specific to your career niche. But you should also include them in your profiles whenever you can. Hiring managers do use digital scanners to look for these.

Blog

You may not be prolific enough to have your own blog related to your career niche. But you can guest post on other blogs; you can post on LinkedIn Pulse. You can link to these posts on your other social media accounts too. Be certain that you have the knowledge and expertise on the topic you choose; be engaging; and, by all means, thoroughly edit any blog post before publishing it.

Use a Professional and Simple Email Address

Lots of job candidates have more than two email addresses – one for friends and family that may have a “cute” or funny name, and one for professional purposes that uses their name in some form.Power of Social Media to Get the Job You Want

Social media is all about connections and relationships. That why businesses use it so much. They promote themselves as more than just a boring company trying to drum up sales. You should do the same thing. Show your serious, professional side on those platforms where it best fits; show your personal side on other platforms. In this way, employers will see a well-rounded individual who is career minded but also a “real” human as well.

About the Author: Janet Anthony is a blogger from Kansas City who has been writing professionally for five years now. She mostly writes about blogging, digital marketing, and SEO. Her motto is “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows”. Find Janet here: twitter