By Richard Cooley
Employers using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter?
New channels that you can use to find a job…
With the advent of Social Media, the old methods of job search are changing. Employers are now just as likely to check your Facebook profile as to read your resume. Let’s look at how you can use Facebook, Linked In and Twitter to expand your job search and make the most of your social media contacts.
With over 500 million users worldwide and 27 million users in the UK alone, Facebook is an extremely valuable social media platform that is increasingly being used by businesses not only for promotion of their brands but also now, as a recruitment tool.
Quick Facts:
- The terms “Facebook” was the 3rd most popular search term (losing out only to YouTube and Google).
- Facebook.com was the 2nd most popular website.
- The average Facebook user has 130 friends, send 8 friend requests per month and logs on at least once a day.
Traditionally the closest Facebook would come to recruitment was the occasional post on their wall announcing an upcoming recruitment scheme or a new store opening. However, recently companies such as Maplin and YBS (Yorkshire Building Society) have started advertising positions on their profiles.
With companies such as networx (online recruitment specialists) now offering Facebook Job Apps to businesses we are sure to see an increase in the number of people using Facebook to find employment.
LinkedIn is a successful recruitment platform, imagine it as Facebook but for professionals looking to find new jobs or actively finding contacts for business purposes. Creating a profile is easy and only takes minutes! Once your profile has been created you can then fill out as much or as little additional information as you want; such as previous employment history and education.
LinkedIn can even import your contacts and send them “friend requests” which will add them to your network and increase the number of people who can see your profile and offer you a job. You can even join groups created by recruitment agencies looking to have a talent pool for upcoming vacancies.
New developments in LinkedIn are allowing businesses to create recruitment microsites providing an additional channel to source candidates. In addition to this, users on LinkedIn can also “recommend” people that they think are hardworking and professional. So if you know someone who works for the same business that you just applied for a job with, be sure to ask them for a recommendation. When HR check out your credentials and references it could boost your chances of success!
Quick Facts
As of February 2011
- 82,924 people listed their industry as “Staffing and Recruiting”.
- 380,040 people had recruitment key words in their job titles.
Twitter is a bit different, it being a micro blogging service (like a traditional blog but with only the highlights!) it restricts posts to 140 characters, and pulls in all the people you follow into a custom page accessible to you.
Key Facts:
- Tweets can be no longer than 140 characters.
- 63% of Twitter users have a degree.
- Some businesses have over 10,000 followers.
- When you post on twitter it’s called “tweeting”.
Despite the 140 character restriction, recruiters have still found ways to use twitter for recruitment. The most common way is tweeting new vacancies as they arrive. By following one or more online recruitment agencies you can guarantee that you will always receive the latest jobs as soon as they are put live.
So if you use any form of social media and are looking for a new job, now is the time to use social media to do it. Find some recruiters or agencies that have vacancies similar to what you are looking for and follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Use their Twitter feed as a source of all the latest jobs, log into Facebook and search their vacancies, and get yourself seen on Linked In and let recruiters find you.
Richard Cooley is a web writer and graphic designer for Networx an online recruitment agency.