Using social media to find a job

Ask your friends

Post a polite, professional status asking if anyone knows of a place that is hiring. Be specific about your needs. Ask if anyone knows of an open position in the area you want to work in.

Search

Type ‘jobs’ or something more specific like ‘retail jobs’ into the search bar on Facebook and see what comes up.

Like pages

What are your interests? ‘Like’ the pages of companies you’d like to work for. They will often post their jobs on Facebook as it's cheaper than traditional advertising.

Take care with your profile

Potential employers might look at your Facebook profile so think about what you post. Or you could make your Facebook profile just for your friends and family.

Change your privacy settings (Facebook)

Follow companies

Follow companies you might want to work for. Many will post links to vacancies.

Search hashtags

Searching for ‘#job’ is a good way to see jobs posted. But you might need to narrow down the search using other terms such as ‘UK’ or your local area.

It's a global network. Search when local companies would be posting jobs, generally between 9am and 5pm.

Using X (Twitter)

What is LinkedIn? (video)

Your LinkedIn profile is like your online CV. It should follow the same basic rules as your CV:

• Be clear with your objectives in your personal profile.
• List your most recent job or training first.
• Be professional.
• Be honest.

Get started (LinkedIn)

Picture

Your profile picture is important for a good first impression. This should show you smiling and dressed smartly for the kind of work you want to do.

Summary

The summary is the hardest parts of the LinkedIn profile. You need to tell people who you are and why you’re the ideal candidate, without repeating information that appears elsewhere. The main thing to remember with your LinkedIn summary is that it is professional. You need to use the kind of language that would impress a potential employer. Know your strengths and skills and highlight these in your summary.

SWOT analysis

Experience

You may have gained essential transferable skills in roles that are quite different to the job you are seeking. When describing roles less related to your chosen career, it’s only necessary to put in a couple of lines about your experience. Include a more detailed paragraph about anything you’ve done that is directly related to the career you want to follow.

Education

As with a CV, list most recent qualifications first and leave off ones that are not relevant to your job search.

Skills and expertise

The skills and expertise section of your LinkedIn profile is where you can list your skills with keywords. Put the 10 most relevant skills to your career first.

Skills endorsement

LinkedIn allows your connections to endorse your skills. Including specific skills on your LinkedIn profile is a great way to showcase your abilities to other members, managers and recruiters. Statistically, members with more than 5 skills are 27 times more likely to be discovered by recruiters. If current or former colleagues endorse your skills, this can work as a virtual reference.

How to get references for jobs

Job searching on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has a job search function. Click the jobs tab at the top of the page.

Follow companies

You can follow a company on LinkedIn. This means that all their news, including the jobs they advertise, come up in your feed. You can also use LinkedIn to research companies when preparing for interview.

Job interviews

• Be careful. Social media can be a great place to find a job but remember employers can also search you. This can be beneficial but do not share something that you would not want a future employer to see.
• Ask someone to read your profile before you start posting anything or interacting with companies or individuals.

Cautionary tale about using social media (Mail Online)

Be consistent

Got a great profile, but it's under the handle @wizardman67? Nobody will find it. Showing that you can use social media responsibly will improve your employability. Use your real name across everything, keep a consistent tone and think of it as your personal brand. If your name is taken, you can add numbers to it, such as your year of birth. Your Facebook biography will be different from your LinkedIn profile description, but if you keep things consistent and the general tone similar, you'll look in control.

Google yourself

Find out what information Google has on you. Check beyond the first page. Interested employers will go a few pages back to find out information about you.

Request your Twitter archive

Go into your settings and into the account tab. You can find out here how to request an archive containing all the tweets you've ever sent.

• Check over the last 2 years.
• Use Tweet Eraser to search for any tweets that you would not want recruiters to see.

Not all vacancies are advertised. Instead of advertising, employers may use informal networks, headhunting or recruiting internally. Knowing how to get yourself in contention for these roles could give you a major boost in finding your next job.

Finding jobs

Get the word out

Using your network is the main way to find hidden positions. Past employers, colleagues, friends, family and just about anyone you meet can form your network. Even the most casual of meetings can create a potential job lead.

Make a move

Even if an employer does not have any vacancies right now, they may be willing to create a position if an exceptional applicant comes along. Contact companies to ask if they have any opportunities for somebody with your skills.

Finding a job that matches your skills

The best way to do this is to give them a call. If appropriate, follow up with an email thanking them for their time and attaching a copy of your CV. Try to contact the manager of the department you're looking to work in. You can often find contact details on the company's website or via LinkedIn.