If you want your next Facebook check-in to be “Soaking up the sun in the Bahamas”, it’s probably time you got your career moving. Even if you’re already in a job you love, there’s always space to progress. And if you’re not exactly where you want to be, then there’s something right under your nose which could help you land your dream job!
It’s called social media, and it’s likely that you already spend most of your day scrolling through it. So, while you’re socialising, why not use your online persona to boost your employability, too?
Last year, a staggering 92% of employers admitted to using social media when it came to recruitment. Be it to find potential candidates in the first place, or to have a sneaky peek into the lives of applicants, your future boss is highly likely to have seen that picture of you in a Tesco trolley wearing a sombrero.
Employers have a clear idea of what they like to see online. A 2012 survey showed that the top turn-offs for those recruiting included profanity, poor grammar and spelling, alcohol consumption and religious posts. They most favoured career boosting posts, such as mentions of volunteering – so dust off your halo!
The truth is; that nowadays, whether you like it or not, your CV is no longer just your name typed in a boring font on a page. So, next time you’re uploading the photo album from Jenny’s hen party, perhaps think twice about who’s going to be snooping through.
Social media can also be a great way to get noticed, however. For each industry, there are various Twitter accounts which broadcast new job openings, as well as useful hints and tips for getting into the industry. Even if you’re not currently on the lookout, being in the loop about your industry is key to unlocking the potential of your career. If you’ve succeeded in a project or your work has been published online, tweet about it! You never know which industry big wig could be watching. It’s also important to follow any companies for which you’d like to work. Following their Tweets and Liking their Facebook page is key to showing your interest in the company.
To improve your online clout, don’t be afraid to get involved! Using hashtags and industry-specific terms will allow you to interact with like-minded people, as well as listing you within your professional sphere. Thought provoking and industry-specific tweets often attract re-tweets, which are also great for getting noticed.
As well as all this, it’s a good idea to have an online CV profile with a site such as LinkedIn. This allows you to make connections on a purely professional basis, whilst being easy to update and share. And it works! A recent survey showed that 89% of employers have hired through the website. Including a link to a profile such as this in your e-mail signature line shows efficiency, as well as giving the impression that you have nothing to hide. If you wish to spread your online profiles across various websites, such as novoresume and VisualCV, go ahead. But remember, you should update each one consistently. Any profiles which remain dormant should be deleted, as they give the impression of laziness and failure to follow-through.
In all, the key to finding your dream job is beaming up at you from the screen in your hands. Being shrewd with how you use social media can often get you noticed far quicker than clocking-up hours doing the coffee run. We’re not saying you can’t tweet your photo of cocktails with the girls, but perhaps fiddle with your privacy settings first (and put in some hours at the local charity shop…)
