Job Hunting: Using Social Media

About a decade ago searching for a job was a pain, it was a long process of going into companies and businesses to fill out a written application when applying for a job. Some businesses still use the written applications, but now we can find most applications online. The use of social media is booming, people can find anything and do anything they desire with a number of social media outlets. Businesses are now realizing that their consumers are deeply involved with social media and have been using social media to advertise, interact, and even have the ability to look for jobs. 

  Twitter is a very popular social media outlet for many users. When looking for a job we can do so by using Twitter. Twitter's search bar allows the user to look up a job they are interested in, for example you can search a number of key terms like, "jobs" and "hiring". When searching these you can narrow your search down by typing in a specific job interest. The use of hashtags has been growing exponentially, we can use a hashtag to look up jobs for example: #Jobs, #Hiring. Twitter is a great way to network with people to connect with other people and companies. It is important to be professional when you tweet because companies will look at your social media.

Facebook has been the leading social media for some time now. There are some great tips when applying for a job that you can find using Facebook. Nowadays most companies have their own Facebook profile, users can search these pages and by liking them can receive daily updates about the company, and many will post links you can go to when looking for a job. Just like Twitter, it is important to stay professional when putting up posts and pictures. Facebook allows the users to share their work and education on their profile, companies will see this and can help or not help you get a job. A little while ago Facebook has added a "Professional Skills" and "About" part for your profile. This allows you to share your skills have you have and gives you the chance to show companies how much you know. 

LinkedIn is another popular social media especially for businesses and professionals, unlike Facebook where it is more social and fun for the users, but still capable when looking for a job. LinkedIn's gives a better source of networking with companies and businesses directly. This gives you the opportunity to connect with careers that users are interested in. LinkedIn is known for providing advice and connections but also has a "jobs board" that shows the available jobs in every field of work. While using LinkedIn users can post articles and information to boost their popularity in networking and will help the user get connected to job recruiters. It is said that the more professional and popular your account with LinkedIn is the more likely you will get an interview or get hired.

   

Social media has now become so universal that we as users can virtually do pretty much anything on them. Searching for a job is always a long and difficult process for many people. I believe the professional use of social media has given us the chance and opportunities we need do find a job. There are a number of other social media outlets to find jobs, but Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are the most popular. I know when I start to look for a potential job I will be using these three platforms. 

Source:   http://mashable.com/2014/03/13/job-hunt-social-media/