Written by Salary.com Staff
September 25, 2023
In today's connected world, social media plays a huge role in the hiring process. Simply applying to job listings and waiting for a callback isn't going to cut it. According to a survey by Jobvite, 92% of recruiters use social media in their hiring process. If you want to land your dream job, you need to leverage your social media resume skills.
Using platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, you can raise your visibility, connect with key players in your industry, and even get recommended for positions that aren't publicly listed yet. The key is crafting a social media strategy tailored to your career goals. With the right approach, developing social media resume skills can be your secret weapon for finding and landing the perfect job.
To strengthen your social media resume skills, you need to make sure your profiles are optimized to highlight your relevant experience, skills, and accomplishments.
Profile Summary
When optimizing your social media profile summaries, make sure to focus on your career goals and the skills and competencies you can provide to a company. Briefly mention the positions you're interested in and your most relevant qualifications and experience.
Skills and Endorsements
Be sure to list key skills, areas of expertise, and job-related interests on your social media profiles. Then you may ask former colleagues and managers to endorse you for those skills and provide a short recommendation. Their endorsements and recommendations add credibility.
Achievements and Milestones
Highlight key career achievements, promotions, awards, publications, or other major milestones on your social media profiles. Provide details on your role and its impact. Use photos when possible. Milestones and achievements help demonstrate your potential for success.
Social media resume skills are now more important than ever. With an optimized social media presence and active engagement, you'll increase your chances of finding new opportunities. The key is simply being discoverable and memorable.
With social media integrated into nearly every aspect of our lives, it's no surprise that it has become an important tool for job seekers. That said, social media resume skills are considered a must. According to LinkedIn, 122 million people received an interview through a connection on LinkedIn, and 35.5 million were hired by a connection.
LinkedIn is Key
For professional networking and job hunting, LinkedIn reigns supreme. Over 70% of people on LinkedIn use it for career opportunities, and it has the highest success rates for finding jobs through social media.
Here are some tips to leverage LinkedIn:
Aside from LinkedIn, promoting yourself on other major social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram is key to landing your dream job. Employers are increasingly using social media to source and vet candidates. Exhibiting your social media resume skills on these channels allows you to raise your visibility and connect directly with recruiters.
Use Twitter to raise your professional profile, network, and stay on top of trends in your industry. Follow and engage with industry leaders, news outlets, and companies you admire. Tweet about conferences you’ve attended or projects you’ve worked on.
Facebook & Instagram
While less professional in nature, Facebook and Instagram are still useful for job seekers. On Facebook, join industry-related groups and follow companies you’re interested in. Post updates when you achieve a career milestone or land a new role. On Instagram, follow industry influencers and companies and build a cohesive feed to showcase your experience and interests.
When it comes to building your social media resume skills, there are a few dos and don’ts to keep in mind.
Do:
Engage with Industry Leaders
Connect with people currently in roles you aspire to. Comment on their posts, share their updates, and join the conversations they start. This helps raise your visibility and build valuable relationships.
Showcase Your Work
Use sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Medium to share samples of your work. Post about key accomplishments and projects, share presentations you’ve given, or start your own blog. Help people understand your experience, skills, and value.
Be Consistent
Post updates, share content, and engage with your network regularly. Maintain an active presence to stay on people’s radar.
Don’t:
Share Too Much Personal Information
Don’t overshare personal details, opinions, or photos. Your social profiles must maintain an appropriate level of professionalism for career networking.
Spam
Don’t send connection requests to everyone. Focus on building mutually beneficial relationships within your industry.
By leveraging your social media resume skills, you can definitely land that dream job. To use social media effectively for job search, make sure to highlight skills and experience, emphasize milestones and achievements, and network with people in your field. Avoid posting unprofessional or inappropriate content, sharing personal information, and spamming people.
Before you know it, you'll be turning down job offers left and right and negotiating the salary and benefits package of your choosing. The future is yours to shape. Get yourself out there and have the career of your dreams!
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