Social media has become an important tool for people in their job search process. Applicants, as well as potential employers, are using social media to determine the best fit between the applicant and the job. Because of the public nature of social media, a number of issues may arise that could both facilitate as well as hamper an individual’s search for the most appropriate job. Therefore, it is important that effective strategies be used by job applicants to conduct job search through social media. The following paragraphs discuss some of the important strategies and issues highlighted in the published literature.
Adams explains that people should make maximum use of the flexibility afforded by social media in their job search process. Because social media is also used as a marketing tool, Adams stresses that potential job applicants should also use social media and job sites to market their skills and personality as a brand. It is important for the applicant to stress their most important professional strengths in a creative way in order to stand apart from the competition and get noticed by employers. Employers are beginning to appreciate the social presence of their employees. Therefore, applicants should create a careful balance between their personal and professional lives.
Social media also allows people the opportunity to become a leader. While it may be difficult for the individual to look for leadership opportunities in their present capacity, it may be possible for them to emerge as a leader in social media. Adams also encourages potential job applicants to be creative and use various media to present content. Therefore, users should experiment with blogs, photos, and video content and publish content relevant to their professional domain on social media. It is important that individuals develop a position and stand on social media to emerge as thought leaders and experts in their field.
It is important to note that the use of social media is becoming increasingly common among future job applicants. In a research conducted with job seekers and cited by Smith, it was found that 48% of the respondents said that they were daily active users of social networking sites. The percentage of job seekers who did not use social media at all was only 11%. Therefore, there need to be effective strategies to help job applicants use social media more constructively. In particular, they need to employ ways of identifying job sites that are most relevant to their chosen field and profession
