Finding a job through social mediaAntonio Ayuso Pérez, from the Communications Department of Bureau Veritas Formación , tells us the ten essential keys to finding a job through professional social networks.
Nowadays, the professional use of social networks for job searching is very widespread. Today, more or less everyone uses them as the best tools or instruments in this arduous task that finding a job has become .
The data confirms this reality. According to the 2014 Infoempleo – Adecco Report on Social Networks and the Labour Market , 76% of those surveyed admit to having searched for employment through social networks . In contrast, 69% of the HR professionals interviewed have used them to recruit talent during the last year . This is just one example, but it shows us the relevance of the current data we handle.
At Bureau Veritas Training , we have a presence on the main social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube or Google +) and we teach our students guidelines so that they learn to use them facebook data professionally; because we are convinced that this will help them not only when looking for a job, but in general in their career and subsequent path. Based on our experience, these are some of the useful recommendations that we give to our students and that we should all take into account when looking for employment through social networks .
Choose carefully the networks you are going to use. Not all social networks are suitable for finding job opportunities. We must learn to distinguish between those that have a professional nature and those that are more recreational or personal. If we use a network that is not strictly professional to look for work, we must give it a clear work orientation.
Create accounts on professional networks. After the pre-selection, you have to start from scratch and, to do so, if you have not already done so, you must open accounts on the main professional networks: About.me , XING, Viadeo or, of course, Linkedin, which with 300 million users remains the star.
Control the privacy of your personal social networks. It is also important that our profiles on personal networks are private, as it is true that many Human Resources managers are increasingly turning to social networks to choose their candidates in a selection process.
Specialize. In today's job market, the only way to survive in the face of so much competition is to specialize and stand out as much as possible in a subject or activity. Social networks will be an ideal channel to show other users how expert we are in the chosen subject or activity, which will determine our content and contacts.
Create a useful network of contacts. The best use we can make of networks, which are called "social networks", is to expand our network of professional contacts. Use your profile wisely and try to expand your circle of "friends" in the field or activity in which you specialize.
Interact with your contacts. Don't forget that anglicism that we all use more and more, "networking." You have to interact and relate with your contacts so that they get to know you. Create debates, talk with them about current issues, ask them questions, in short, help them, and they will help you.
Don't abandon your profiles. Once you've made the decision to join a network, don't forget that you can't abandon it. There's nothing sadder than discovering an abandoned profile. Update it daily with original content from your area of expertise and enrich your contacts with news or curiosities that they don't know about.
Have a blog or a professional website. Whenever you can, create a personal blog or a professional website where you can share your knowledge, publish your CV and even publicize those hobbies that make you different and creative. It is not about an "ego" culture, but rather about professionally enriching the Internet with different and always professional content. Networks will allow you to share it among users.
Take advantage of social networks to find job offers. More and more job offers are being spread through social networks. Don't miss out! Human Resources managers in many companies use this option to reach the profiles they are looking for in a more effective way. Therefore, you have to stand out in your specialization and network with the contacts that exist there.
Improve your CV using the latest resources offered by social media. Did you know that social media allows you to improve and format your CV in an increasingly attractive way? This option will allow you to be at the forefront, as well as stand out more and give your portfolio greater exposure. Options you now have are the video CV on YouTube, the slideshow on Slideshare or the Linkedin Resume Builder tool that allows you to create your CV from your Linkedin profile.