5 Tips for Using Social Media for Job Searching

Online reputation management is becoming increasingly important for individuals and the rise of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is creating opportunities and problems for those wishing to use the internet for job searching.

Below are five tips to managing your personal reputation:

Advertise Yourself – Previously people used paper CV’s to apply for jobs by posting them to companies advertising vacancies. It is much more common now for companies to advertise positions online and find individuals online using social media profiles. This has made it even more important to always portray a positive online image of yourself in case potential employers view your profile.

Social media profiles allow you to advertise your skills and experience online and some even allow you to post a resume online such as LinkedIn. People have gone to further extremes by trying to grab the attention of potential employers by creating video CV’s and posting it on video sharing sites such as YouTube. Many people advertise themselves by creating personal websites highlighting their skills, experience and aspirations.

Network With People – Social media sites have a great potential for networking with influential people making it easier to get your foot in the door. Social media can be used to broadcast the type of work you’re looking for and some of your connections may have related connections. LinkedIn allows you to join professional groups and connect with business professionals within the same field.

Check Online Job Boards – Many social media sites have online job boards and pages offering listing of job vacancies making it more important to publicise your profile online and making it easier to look for work. Many social media sites also offer specific job boards which allow you to keep up to date with the latest job opportunities.

Create Professional Profiles – The larger your social media presence is online the greater your online presence will be which can create job opportunities. Key sites include Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. However other sites include Instagram, Foursquare, Klout and Google +.

Develop A Blog – A blog is a perfect place to showcase your knowledge of specific industries and provide a landing page for all your social media profiles and pages combined.