Why Social Media for Job Seekers Is More Important Than Ever

Social media has become a way of life for the majority of Americans. People of all ages and social backgrounds use platforms like Facebook, Twitter. Google+ and LinkedIn, among others, to stay connected to networks and to showcase their professional skills. With the evolution of social media has come a number of different uses over the years, so learning how to network on these platforms is essential. Today, it’s not uncommon for both job seekers and employers to use these media as a method to enhance the hiring process. The following are just some ways in which social media for job seekers is important in the modern professional landscape.

Social media allows employers to see beyond the resume

Hiring personnel and recruiters utilize various types of social media for job seekers throughout the hiring process in order to gain valuable insight on potential employees. Companies are looking for the best of the best in today’s competitive job market. Just a bit of social media research can uncover a great deal about an applicant’s personality, as well as their character. Hiring managers aren’t simply looking at professional sites like LinkedIn. They also look at available personal accounts on the more social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Social media can indicate cultural fit

Not only are employers looking for a candidate’s qualifications, they are searching for indications of whether or not the applicant will fit into the company culture. They may also be looking for various activities or community involvement a job seeker possesses to determine whether she holds traits such as leadership and interpersonal sills. Sometimes they may even be looking for reasons not to hire someone, as a means of thinning out the pool of applicants.

Social Media Helps Job Seekers Learn About Companies

Not only can hiring personnel find information on potential workers, but job seekers can also do their homework regarding the companies they hope to work for in order to learn about the corporate culture, kinds of jobs available and the ways in which the business is involved with the local community, among other things. Such information can be useful for impressing interviewers with your corporate knowledge, as well as in deciding whether you would be interested in working for such an organization.

Social media enhances the recruitment process

Social media offers a great deal to both employers and job seekers. Hiring managers can get a feel for applicants’ overall personality and skills. They can also cast a wider recruiting net through channels such as Facebook pages and Google+ chats. Job seekers can size up a company’s reputation, learn details about the organization, access job postings and even connect with current corporation employees through platforms like LinkedIn.

As you can see, social media for job seekers is vitally important and is truly changing the career development landscape. That means there are new rules and etiquette to learn; however, it also opens many new doors for those on the hunt for their dream career.