NETWORK UP THE LADDER
Sean Gallagher from the University of Ulster shares his hints and tips for using social media to find graduate recruitment opportunities
We have all heard of employers investigating candidates’ LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles to narrow down the field of applicants.
Job seekers, however, may be surprised how many employers now use social media throughout the recruitment and selection process. A recent survey showed 92% of graduate employers are using, or plan to use, social networks for recruiting this year.
LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, with more than 225 million members (15 million in the UK), provides various resources including, ‘Manage your professional identity’, ‘Build & engage with your professional network’, and ‘Access knowledge, insights & opportunities’.
With approximately 1.5 billion active users, Facebook is a social networking service that can be used to research people and employers prior to interview. Twitter connects you to the latest information in real-time, allowing you to follow employers and recruiters, and respond to opportunities. Resources including TwitJobSearch.com and TweetMyjobs.com are also available.
Whichever network you use, it’s important to let people know, not only that you are looking for a job but also, the type of job. As with all social media networks and recruitment, use them alongside the traditional methods