Most graduates will use social media as they look to work their way out of the considerable talent pool and into a job role.
Social media is no longer just about your private life, graduates are now actively engaging with businesses through their accounts, are networking with employees already there, and are building their profiles around their careers too.
Many graduates are already in the know regarding how useful having a well put together LinkedIn profile can be when searching for job opportunities, but how exactly can you stand out from the crowd?
Start blogging
Having your own blog is an exceptional way to show off a variety of transferable skills that can be used pretty much anywhere. Writing is a valuable skill in any position and you can show how in touch you are with what is going on in the industry, be it fashion, marketing or finances for example.
Setting up a blog itself shows you have initiative to think outside of the box and be a little bit different – by being active and regularly uploading you can demonstrate how reliable you are and an ability to see things through.
Make sure you include and link your blog in your CV and don’t forget to bring it up in interviews if you feel it can add something to your application. Employers love to seen passion and commitment, so even if it is not truly relevant to the area you are trying to get into, it will still give the employer a much rounder picture of who you are.
Link everything together
There is not much point blogging, using twitter or having a well put together LinkedIn profile if nobody knows about them, so make sure they are linked together. Tweet out your blog entries and direct people from your Facebook over too your LinkedIn profile and vice versa.
Keep things professional but be yourself
If you are using social media to appeal and show of your employment credentials, then it is important to remember and bear this in mind with every post you make.
A ‘dodgy’ picture from your recent holiday is likely to be remembered more vividly than a list of your achievements from school, so don’t include anything you would not want your potential employer to see.
If you’re a graduate looking to kick-start your career, have a chat with Discovery Graduates and see how they can help get you started
