With many people updating their Facebook status every time they go to the toilet, tweeting pictures of everything they eat and checking in every time they change location, the younger generation ar
With many people updating their Facebook status every time they go to the toilet, tweeting pictures of everything they eat and checking in every time they change location, the younger generation are often ridiculed for their obsessive use of social media.
However, social media has become a platform for job hunters to find a job and without any experience with social media sites, a job application is severely lacking.
More and more people are finding jobs by tweeting, facebooking and ‘linkedin-ing’. The majority of job hunters now have profiles on Linkedin and lots of people use Twitter and Facebook to search for jobs. Recruiters also use social media; many of them search sites like Linkedin to find suitable candidates to fill their job opportunities.
Companies also use social media to recruit people; lots now have their own Twitter and Facebook pages, which they can use to promote graduate schemes and any upcoming vacancies.
You must be careful of what appears on your social media sites if you are looking for work. Pictures of you dressed as a monkey, doing karaoke and spilling your drink everywhere with a Facebook status claiming how “DRUUUUUUINKK” you are is hardly going to impress recruiters. Some employers do check potential candidates’ Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin pages and can be put off by what they see.
Try and hide anything on your page that could lead to you being perceived in a negative light. So yes, that photo of you with your shirt unbuttoned half way down and those drunken eyes posing seductively at the camera should be de-tagged. Also check your privacy settings and make your profile as private as possible, so if potential employers do search you there is not much for them to see.
The amount of friends, followers, and your influence on social media sites are beginning to become as important as the qualifications you have gained. It seems in this day and age you need to be social media savvy to get by.
Some people like having 2 different pages on social media sites, for example a ‘social’ Twitter to keep up to date and chat with friends and then a ‘professional’ one to use for work relations.
Social media doesn’t just help people find jobs; it has now become a job, with companies paying people to take on roles like ‘social media manager’. Getting paid to Tweet and update a Facebook status doesn’t sound bad to me!
Social media is all about creating a positive online presence. The way you use sites like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin could affect future job prospects, so think about how you come across on social media sites; try to make yourself stand out from the social media crowd and #KeepOnTweeting.
