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posted by Drazen91 on Fri, 05/23/2014 - 12:00
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I know that social media is important for engaging with employers, but how do I know what's best to use? I already use Facebook, Twitter and instagram, do I need to add more?

On Fri, 05/23/2014 - 12:26

I sympathise because there are so many social media platforms that you can use, it is overwhelming. There literally aren't enough hours in the day to keep a whole plethora active and up to date in a quality way.

Best is to figure out which platforms are most used by employers in your target field. If Facebook, for example, tends to be a commonly used tool, then it's a good indicator that you should be following suit and it shows where you should concentrate some effort.

I'd be wary of firing up a whole new platform unless you have to. It will consume time, you will be poorly networked to start, it takes even more time to learn how to be effective in that space.

The industry an employer is rooted in will govern what online tools they use. Your objectives should be to:

  • be strong on the industry's main platform;
  • showcase your talents by maintaining at least a strong LinkedIn profile, as it's now commonly used across most sectors;
  • show that you're up to date, interested and active in your field. A blog is a great generic tool to use but bear in mind that in some sectors, media for example, an image-driven blog may be more useful than a straightforward textual one;
  • use the tools that enable you to join in conversations and engage actively with people. Twitter is an obvious choice, but there may be others in more common usage.

If you keep in mind that it's all about how best you can meet and engage with people who can help you by steering you in the direction of actively recruiting employers, you won't go far wrong.

Whatever you end up using, make sure that every blog, post and interaction adds to your perceived professionalism, not detracts from it!

I hope that helps? Contact me on email or skype if you want to talk around this. All the best.

By Jon Gregory