Today’s post is written by Christian Arno, the Managing Director of Lingo24, Inc. 

We all know that you can quite easily get yourself fired for using social media in the wrong way – criticizing the boss and mocking customers online are just a couple of the bloopers that have seen people looking for new work.

However, on a more positive note, you can also use social media to find a job, and it should definitely be in your arsenal of career-climbing tools. There are lots of social networks out there and so many businesses and valuable connections are using them – you should too.

These are the main benefits of using social media to find a job:

• You’ll increase your knowledge

• You’ll get chance to show what you know

• You’ll make connections

• You’ll stay up to date with news and events

• You can find jobs and contacts in an instant

• Social media is free

Naturally, though, you have to do it right. Setting up a profile, uploading photos of drunken nights out and then asking who wants to hire you is unlikely to work, and the wait for job offers will probably be a very long one. However, try these tips instead to get you on your way to landing the job of your dreams.

Be Professional

If you are using social media to find a job, it’s probably better to keep your professional and personal social media presences separate, at least most of the time. For example, you may want to have a separate Twitter feed for your professional persona and your everyday one. The audiences are different after all.

On your personal profile, you can retweet celebrities, send daft photos to your mates and follow your pals to your heart’s content. On your professional profile, you want to be following industry experts and relevant businesses. Tweet about the latest news in your field and retweet the tweets of respected professionals. It wouldn’t be relevant to your personal connections and likewise, tweets about what you had for tea might not work for the people you want to impress professionally.

Even in your professional profiles, you can still let your personality shine through – there’s nothing wrong with the odd nonwork-related tweet or some humor. Just keep in mind that you want to get a job through your efforts so consider what impression you might give off.

If in doubt, keep it for your personal profile. Be aware that employers are increasingly looking up prospective staff on social networks so make sure your privacy settings are set up so that only friends can see your information. If you don’t want to lock your tweets to followers only on your personal Twitter profile, just think very carefully about what you say.

[Related Post: 7 Ways to Land a Job With Twitter]

 

Hangout in the Right Places

Of course, we all know that there is Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn and obviously it’s a good idea to get on these sites but that is only scratching the surface. There’s so much more to these networks. For example, within each platform there are groups, hashtags, and networks for many career niches.

Whatever field you fancy working in, look for Facebook and LinkedIn groups you can learn from and contribute to, and set up twitter searches for relevant discussions. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll learn and get a feel for the industry. Social media doesn’t stop with the Big Four either – don’t forget all the blogs and forums out there too where you can make connections, learn and make yourself known.

 

Promote Yourself

As well as looking for jobs online and through social media sites, you need to make sure your social media presence shows you at your very best, too. Demonstrate what you know and how enthusiastic you are. For example, if someone does a blog post you like, say a business you’d like to work for,  comment on it and try to add something to the conversation.

If you see a relevant discussion on a LinkedIn group, take part, ask questions and give feedback. If you’ve made sure you’re getting involved in the right groups, your passion and know-how could well be noticed by those that matter.

Why not start your own blog about something you’re passionate about and would like to do for a living? Be relevant and give value to readers but don’t be afraid to also let it be known in a professional way that you’re in the market for work – just don’t be too salesly /desperate.

[Related Post: Why You Need To Promote Yourself at Work]

 

Be Creative

Creative uses of social media to find a job still get attention so think outside the box. Set up your own Twitter hashtag to get people talking or think about how you could create a social media campaign that goes viral. Look at what other people have done and see how you could adapt this for your own cause. Another idea is to start your own TV channel – it’s free on YouTube! Want to be a makeup artist? Demonstrate your expertise and creativity with how-to videos.

See yourself as a TV critic? Blog or video your witty reviews and once you get going you can send the link to prospective players. You just have to think about what would suit your niche. As you can see social media can be a real boost to your job search – looking for work is no longer about waiting for opportunities to be advertised. Social media allows you to be more proactive in your job search than ever.

Did you use social media to find a job? How do you use social media in your professional career search and development?