How to use social media to find your next role

Social media is a great way to increase your profile and get recognised. Here are seven top tips to use social media to help you find your next job.

1. Keep an updated profile on Linkedin, Plaxo and Xing.

The recruiters and headhunters tend to use these social networking sites for professionals as an extension to Monster. You need to make sure your profile can be easily found on these websites, and is peppered with keywords. Whenever you meet someone, ask permission to connect with them on LinkedIn and stay in touch.

A quick word of warning, make sure any internet links to you enhance rather than decrease your personal brand. You may find it easier to ramp up the privacy settings on your facebook account to the highest level possible, rather than ask your friends to take any photos of you socialising as a student down.

2. Use LinkedIn to target companies within your preferred geographical location

Do a search on LinkedIn and find out all the companies within your preferred geographical location, which are likely to hire someone like you. You can then use LinkedIn to find out more about these companies & contact former employees and current employees to get the inside scoop – plus who you should contact within the company to find out about vacancies.

3. State clearly on your e-mail signature & short bios that you are currently looking for your next opportunity

This only applies if you are openly looking for your next job...

4. Write a blog & post articles & comments on internet forums

Writing a blog is a great way of demonstrating your expert skills. If maintaining a blog is too much work, how about getting an article published on a popular on-line magazine? (When I say popular, I mean popular with potential hiring managers) This is an excellent way of raising your profile and getting yourself noticed.  When you do answer a question on Linkedin, or another internet forum, ask permission to connect with them on LinkedIn and start an off-line dialogue.

5. Use your personal status updates to keep people informed of your job hunting progress

Your facebook network is a great place to keep people informed of how your job hunting is going. You can use your status to jog people’s memory on who they know who may be able to help you.

6. Use LinkedIn (and other social networking sites) to expand your personal & professional network

80% of all vacancies are not formally advertised – and your network is the best place to find out about these vacancies. Or, who may be able to help you find one of these vacancies!  33% of all job hunters who use their personal or professional network to find out about vacancies, were successful.

7. Aim to connect with well connected people

For example, recruitment consultants, people who run networking groups are generally one of the first people to hear about potential job vacancies. Befriend these people – and they are all over LinkedIn, they may be able to help you.

8. Read blogs of career coaches

Many good career coaches will write blogs dedicated to helping people find their next role. It's worth reading these blogs and articles to help you with your job hunting.

Heather Townsend is the Chief Coach at The Efficiency Coach, and Founding Elder of ‘the executive village’. The Efficiency Coach, an award-winning business, works with professional advisors and business owners to help them achieve better business results for less effort. The executive village brings together business owners to help them solve their business challenges.