Finding work is tough these days. With more applicants than jobs, standing out is essential. Social media is the best way to get your foot in the interview room says Nicola Moras.
The world at large is becoming more competitive and even more so when it comes to gaining employment. 70 percent of employers check the social media profile of a job candidate before offering them an interview.
What this tells us is we have to use all that we can in a market where employers have more access than ever before to our personal information. Like you’d wear a great outfit to an interview, it’s important to also look at social media as a way to gain the competitive edge when it comes to standing out from the crowd.
The great thing about being strategic when crafting a social media presence is that it can and will support your future ambitions, if you do it right. Here are five steps to help achieve an employable profile.
Step 1 What is your goal?
Rather than looking at social media as a one hit wonder and hoping that it will serve you for the next role only, consider what you want to be doing in the next five years as opposed to the immediate future.
Step 2 Pin point your next phase
What is the role you want as the next phase in your career plan? Once you have identified the type of role that you want, it’s important to then work out a short list of companies in the industry that you want to work in. Also decide at this point the type of culture you want to work within.
For example, you might want to work for a bank. Create a short list of the banks that you would like to work within. You may even find through doing this exercise that you’d prefer to work within a smaller bank rather than one of the big four.
Step 3 Do a social media audit on yourself
The person who is arranging interviews is likely to go and find you on social media to get a feeling for who you are and what you’re like before arranging a time to speak with you, so let’s make it count.
Imagine that you’re the interviewer and look at your social media profile through a critical lens. What do you have posted on your accounts that does not support the goals of the company? Is there anything on there that goes against the values of the organisation?
For example, if you’re wanting to get a job in an organisation that is all about environment sustainability and ecology, you don’t want to have photos online that are supporting posts that are contrary to this. Delete any posts, photos or things you may have been tagged in that are in conflict with the way you want to be perceived.
Step 4 Create posts that are in support of what you want to create
This is an important part to cultivating a social media brand around you. Create posts and share articles that show the values that you share with the organisations that you would like to be a part of.
Step 5 Have an opinion and share it
By sharing opinions online it helps people make a determination on what your values are and will be the fastest way for you to create an impression. So let’s make it a great first impression.
In this section, I would make sure that you’re sharing opinions and then backing them up with either data to support it or stories that support these opinions.
For example, if you’re against animal testing and you’re looking to work for an organisation that shares this value, it would be wise to start sharing your opinions on why you’re against it. Share the evidence to support these opinions. Make sure that you’re sharing them in a somewhat diplomatic way. Most employers are looking for someone who is opinionated but not argumentative.
We have to use the tools that are available to us, after all, the competition is only going to get more fierce.
