social media for job search

How I find best career for me using social media?

11 Smart Tips For Using Social Media To Find A Job—Even In This Economy (part 3)

Good news job-hunters, you are now just 4 tips away from knowing all there is to know about using social media to find a job in the fastest growing occupations (or any occupations, really).

In part 1 and part 2, we covered things like how to safely network on Facebook, find information on hiring managers, correctly hyperlink to your resume, strategically use Facebook lists,  what networks to use, how to let people know you are looking for a job and more.

So without further ado, let’s get started on numbers 8, 9, 10 and 11 now!

8.    Create The Connections You Need To Get The Job

The vast majority of job openings in the fastest growing occupations areas are never advertised; they’re filled by word of mouth. That’s why networking is the best way to find a job. Here is a great article on how to find a job by building relationships:

Lars Schmidt, head of talent acquisition & innovation at NPR recently commented, “You can imagine social media as a big virtual conference where you have an opportunity to start making connections.” Once you build connections this way you’ll never have to worry about getting a job in one of the fastest growing occupations without references.

If you are using social media to find a job and you have few target companies in mind, I recommend you to avail the service of  Evisors. Evisors offers job seekers the chance to get individually tailored résumé advice and interview preparation help directly from some 2,000 people who either work at target companies or have in the past.

9.    Use SEO Marketing To Get Google Love

When trying to find a job in the fastest growing occupations, you should use proper keywords in your resume. This will increase your chance of getting an interview call. You need to do some SEO/SEM on your profile so that you can be found in the top 3 positions in all search engines.

10.    Join Industry Chats On Twitter

When using social media to get a job, it is a good idea to look for chats that revolve around your industry, or better yet, the industry you want to work in. Joining online conversations helps you keep up-to-date on the industry, meet helpful contacts, and showcase your expertise in your field. You may also want to network with other job seekers through weekly conversations like #jobhuntchat or #careerchat

11.    Helpful Sites For Job Seekers

a.    Networking has long been the key to landing a job. But as social media plays an increasingly prominent role in how we communicate, the way we network is changing. Network roulette from Brazen Careerist brings you online speed networking and everything you need to create a social resume.

b.    Fistful of Talent  - You’ll learn things like how recruiters find candidates online, the kinds of questions they like, or their own worries about the recruiting process.

c.    Seeking Alpha: This website graciously transcribes public companies' earnings conference calls. This allows you to brush up on all the crucial, timely details about the company you really want to work for, giving you the kind of insight that can elevate a cover letter or interview.

d.    CareerDiva: Eve Tahmincioglu describes her site as "the thinking man or woman's career blog." But even if you're not much of thinker, her advice will make you smarter, in part because she has her nose in the news. If you're short on time, just click on the "Getting Hired" tag.

e.    Indeed's Job Trends: Wondering what kind of positions are growing in demand? You can search any term to see the growth in percentage of posts that include the term. The kind of words that are showing up in an increasing number of posts: Facebook, iPhone, virtualization, social media.

And to know projected fastest-growing occupations (physical therapists, biomedical engineers, dental hygienists, etc.) and occupations with the biggest declines (farmers and ranchers, file clerks, telemarketers, etc.), visit Bureau of Labor Statistics.

f.    Stay active on Foursquare, YouTube, and Pinterest. Using these platforms will help you build your on-line presence, share your interests, and demonstrate your creativity, but remember, this also makes it even more critical to control your content.

g.    Raise your KLOUT score.  KLOUT is a site that monitors and scores your on-line presence.  Conventional wisdom is that the higher the score, the better you are known on various social media networks.  This can be especially helpful in jobs that involve communications, marketing, and technology.

My point is that as social media becomes incorporated more fully into business (and it will!), being savvy about Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn will become a critical skill set.

In today’s business landscape, jobs are becoming less specialized and more general; the more you know, the more hireable you become. Today, while the job market is still bouncing back, employers are using social media to screen applicants more and more.

The caveat about using social media to find a job is that you need to have a clear social media strategy to market your resume and manage the time you spend on the online platforms.

A final note: Competition for advertised, non-hidden jobs is tougher as more people fight for a smaller number of openings than what are really available. So, you have to be job innovator based on your specialization and economic condition. Here is another great article which I often refer my clients to during one to one career coaching:  55 Hidden Job Finding Tips WITHOUT Using Social Media .

Author – Dr Mala is the author of Amazing Resumes, where she taught the principles of Guerrilla Resume & cover letter to get a job you choose in the fastest growing occupations through 2016.

By reading all three parts of the series, How You Can Find A Job In The Fastest Growing Occupations Using Social Media: 11 Smart Tips For Using Social Media To Find A Job—Even In This Economy, you have learned how to successfully and safely use each of the top 3 social media platforms to find a job.

Whether you already have a job or you are already in need of a new one, this series of articles can help you on your way. Refer back to them as needed, or pass them along to a friend or co-worker that could use the advice.

Best of luck with your job search!

Related articles : job interview tips