Three Keys to Leveraging Social Media for Job Success

Why Social Media is Important to Landing a Great Job

The labor market and job search landscape have changed radically over the last five years. The entire process has become more dynamic and interactive. In order to find a job and further your career, it’s helpful if you understand that:

• Close to 90% of recruiters (at companies and recruiting firms) find LinkedIn to be the most effective when vetting a candidate, according to a 2016 survey by Jobvite.

• Mobile recruitment has become a ubiquitous part of the process, from posting job listings, researching job candidates and forwarding resumes.

• In many industries and fields, such as financial services and human resources, the hiring decision-making process is increasingly automated (Automated Tracking Systems- ATS), data- and algorithm-driven.

• A cutting-edge and consistent social media presences across all platforms is an essential job search approach to conquer these changes. This blog helps you create a compelling social media presence to be found and to find people with whom you can build relationships and learn about leads.

Create a vibrant online presence in order to be found

• Comb through ads on job boards, such as Indeed.com to identify the keywords         most critical to your search by using different job titles. Most of the words will fall   into 3 groups: required job skills, e.g. knowledge of medical devices, transferable skills (communications) and personality attributes such as team-player or problem-solver.
• Incorporate these keywords into your resume and LinkedIn profile by demonstrating how you used these skills to accomplish powerful results.
• For resumes, highlight keywords in the job title you use, your summary and in your most recent job(s).
• For LinkedIn, use keywords in 4 places: title, summary, past jobs and skills sections.
• Fill out as much of the LinkedIn profile as possible to attain All Stars status.
• Be sure to showcase your enthusiasm, communications skills, hard job skills and characterize yourself in ways that align with your target companies’ culture.

Expand and enhance your network

Aim for at least 4 new connections a month.

How do you find these people?

• Identify specific companies and job titles that match your job targets.
• Find & profile people who work and used to work at these companies.
• Connect with current and former co-workers, people you meet at networking, people in professional associations., and select social contacts.
• Participate in online networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and consider blogging.
• Join relevant professional online and networking groups. Go to in-person job networking and professional associations.
• Draft a personalized message:

Draft a personalize message:

• You could say something like this: Hi Jennifer, I currently work at PNC Bank as a Branch Manager who has an excellent grasp of digital marketing.  While I browsed LinkedIn, I came across your profile with your expertise in content marketing, websites and social media. How did you make the transition from fund-raising? I’d like to connect.

Deepen existing relationships

• Congratulate connections on promotions and engage in a dialogue about one of their posts.
• Share relevant events and articles of interest.
• Endorse and recommend contacts.
• Follow up online connections with short phone and in-person chats

 Consider using the most effective ways of marketing yourself

• Network, network, network—80% of jobs are found through networking. Use all the online and in-person forums to develop relationships with people. Spend the majority of your job search on networking and the least time on answering ads, which can be a black hole of no responses.
• You may want to approach potential employers as a consultant, project manager or outsourced employee to gain experience and credibility, without the employer incurring the risks and expenses of hiring a permanent employee.
• Gain specific career and industrial expertise by freelancing, interning, and volunteering. Perhaps take an online certificate course.
• Create a video resume and attach it to your LinkedIn profile.
• Consider outsourcing your job search to a career counselor/job search consultant, especially if you are currently working. The return on your investment can be substantial when you leverage your time and money to accelerate the search for a better job, compensation and more satisfaction.

CONTACT US TODAY AT jscherer@21stcenturycareer.com or 973-544-8296 to schedule your complimentary Discovery Session to learn more about creating and cultivating a dynamic online presence. Learn how to catapult your career and jump start your job search by engaging us to land you a great job.