Tips 38-41
Facebook Tips
38. Don’t Hide Your Whole Profile
While it is advisable to keep most of your Facebook profile restricted to friends and family, some parts of it should be viewable by the public if you’re searching for jobs. After all, employers will search for you on there to learn more about you, so you should have some information to show that you’re a normal, real person. We advise restricting most of your photos, wall posts, likes, and personal “About Me” info like relationship status, but keeping your main photo public (and professional), along with your employment and educational info.
39. Make Professional Status Updates Public
Are you sharing a link to an article you had published on an industry blog? An update about a new milestone you helped your company achieve? An announcement about an activity you’re participating in that shows some of your personality? We often post these on our Facebook for the support and excitement of our friends, but consider making some of them public. That way, when a recruiter does land on your social media page, he or she will see some activity and can learn a little more about you for potential jobs. We often think about it this way: If you would post it on your professional Twitter, consider making it a public Facebook post.
40. “Like” the Companies You Love
Have companies you know you’d really love to work for? “Like” their Facebook pages! By doing this, you can get daily updates about their activity—giving you talking points for an interview and potentially alerting you to openings for jobs. Plus, there’s a chance that smaller companies will check to see if you’re a fan on Facebook, just to gauge how excited you really are about the job. Doing this definitely can’t hurt.
41. Consider Letting Your Connections Know You’re Searching
If you’re publicly job searching (a.k.a. don’t currently have a job) or if you know that your Facebook connections don’t include any co-workers or people who might relay information back to your boss, it could be worth posting a status update letting your connections know you’re on the hunt. Referrals are still one of the best ways to land a job, and your friends and family are going to be more wont to help you than that person you talked to once at a networking event—you never know who they know. Just be extra careful with this one: If there’s any chance word could get back to someone you work with, don’t do this. When in doubt, send an email blast or Facebook message to the people you know you can trust instead.
Tips 42-45
Tips for Other Networks
42. Get Creative
Pinterest or Instagram might not be the first platforms that come to mind as helpful for the job search, but don’t discount their potential impact. If you’re a creative professional (or have a large base of followers), you can take advantage of showcasing your eye for design, photography, and so on. And for anyone looking to break into startups, a presence on these platforms demonstrates that you’re up on the latest trends.
43. Get Industry-Specific
There are plenty of other sites and networks out there that are dedicated to specific industries. GitHub is a prime example—if you’re a developer, it’s an essential place for showing off your work and connecting with others. If you’re a photographer? It would be smart to have a Flickr account. Designer or artist? Consider joining the Behance community. A writer? Try out Medium. If you’re not sure if there’s anything out there for your industry, ask a few colleagues or mentors to see if there’s anything you’re missing out on.
44. Use Them to Stand Out
Consider using some of these other platforms to help you get a little more creative in your job search materials. We’ve heard of people using Pinterest to create a visual resume. This can work especially well if you’re applying to jobs at the actual social network you’re using!
45. Just Use Them to Help Yourself
Maybe some of the more fun social media networks won’t help you get a job—but they can help you get organized along the way. For example, create a board of ideas for interview outfits, one of resume ideas and templates, one full of career advice to refer back to. It’ll make your job search a little more fun.
