10 Top Tips for Social Job Seekers

By Jobhop

These days, recruiters and employers see you before they

see you.

That's right...

Many employers are using Social Media as a screening tool to determine your fit for the role. So your online activity

could be the reason you get, or don't get the job!

So how do you maximise your online presence so that it makes and not breaks your career?

Follow these top tips:

Add new skills to your profileAdd relevant skills to your profile so recruiters looking for candidates with your background can find you.

1. Add new skills to your profile

Add relevant skills to your profile so recruiters looking for candidates with your background can find you.

2. Target companies

You will be hard-pressed to find a company that doesn’t at least have a Twitter or Facebook account. Follow the accounts of the companies where you’re applying so you can get an idea of what’s important to them and what their ‘personality’ is like.

You will be hard-pressed to find a company that doesn't at least have a Twitter or Facebook account. Follow

the accounts of the companies where you're applying so you can get an idea of what's important to them and what

their personality is like.Also look at the organisations which

might make a good employer and hone in on them.

3. Be careful what you say

You need to present the best image of yourself online. Whether you're tweeting, blogging or updating your Facebook status, it is very important that you maintain your reputation and professional credibility. The last thing you want to do is to destroy all your hard work by making a careless Tweet. What you do on Social Media is there to stay - so think before you post, tweet, share or blog!

4. Activate your privacy settings

You need to make sure you're effectively managing the

information that's available about you online by ensuring

that your personal information on Facebook is private.

Use the Privacy Settings menu to change what's visible to others

and ensure that its set to Friends and not Everyone. This way, if an

employer searches you, they wont be able to see the details of

your profile and delve into your personal life.

5. Follow industry news

You wont find just one social media network that works best for all job seekers but the important thing is to know which platforms are most used by your industry. Find out the latest happenings by following industry blogs, signing up to newsletters and joining industry groups on LinkedIn. This will help you stay up to date with the latest industry information and will also provide you with the opportunity to make connections which could result in possible job leads.

6. Start your own blog

Blogging can be a great way to demonstrate your

knowledge and passion to a potential employer.

You never know - your blog could be reposted

and it may catch the eye of a recruiter or hiring

manager.

7. Engage in online conversations

Participating in discussion forums and online conversations will help you to establish yourself as an expert in a particular field. It also demonstrates that you are serious about contributing to your industry if you're sharing content, answering questions and forwarding links.

8. Add a professional profile picture

In whatever industry or profession you work in, it is

now almost inevitable that a potential employer will

check your online profiles. Make sure that your picture is appropriate for employers to see. Doing so puts a face

to a name and helps to project a friendly and approachable image.

9. Find hidden vacancies

Many jobs can be landed before they're even advertised if you're able

to get in quickly. Look into internal recruitment and also seek out word-

of-mouth advice as a good way of getting your foot in the door before

anyone else.

10. Remain positive

Everyone gets knockbacks when

looking for work so don't take it

personally if you're rejected or

don't even get a response because

its usually not because of

anything you have done wrong.

As long as you're conscious about what you put online, you're on the right track!

Good luck with your job search!

If you have any questions, don't be shy! Head over to our Twitter or Facebook @Jobhop and drop

us a message!