When it comes to your career, you might not consider social media important, or even that useful a tool— that is, unless you’re in Media, Marketing, or you’re a Content Creator. Yes, we know these professions quite literally rely on social media to produce results — because they have to reach an audience — but who’s to say anyone and everyone can’t benefit from these social platforms?

In today's world, social media has influenced just about every aspect of our lives and job search is no exception. In fact, there is significant statistical evidence that using social media platforms to find jobs is more common than you would imagine. Research indicates that 73% of job seekers aged 18-34 found their last job through social media. Moreover, the same research also pointed out that 70% managers and 94% recruiters use social media to source talent. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re an Accountant, a Forklift Driver, or an IT Technician, when utilized proactively, social media can play a huge success in furthering your career and/or opening doors to brand-new opportunities.

With that said, here are some ways social media can help you on your job search:

1.    Networking

In a world where most of us are working either remotely or hybrid, social media is an amazing tool to build a valuable network. At the click of a finger, you can quite literally connect with people of all working backgrounds and skillsets from anywhere in the world through all types of social media. Building networks will keep you more in the know; whether that’s on industry-related news, market insights, or job opportunities that you may not find on standard job postings sites.

Get online and share your thoughts, invite industry leaders and subject matter experts to give their opinions. Platforms like LinkedIn are excellent to build meaningful professional connections and network with a wide range of professional people. But there are many new apps like Meet-up, GroupMe etc., which allow you to network. In fact, networking has become so important that many traditional dating apps such as Bumble have also begin to include networking as a goal that you can select to use Bumble exclusively for professional networking. No matter which platform you choose, always keep your profile up-to-date and make frequent and engaging posts, to improve the likelihood of being discovered by new connections.

Establishing new connections with unknown people:

Breaking the ice can sound intimidating, especially if you are connecting with a senior leader or an expert in your field. But it doesn't have to be. You can simply try reaching out to them and let them know you’re in the industry: you’d like to connect, you’re aspiring to complete X goal, you’d like some advice, or you’re hoping to find a job in X. Most of the time — and maybe to your surprise — you’re going to find you get a positive answer and/or some useful feedback.

Better yet, you might even find yourself with a new connection that has opportunities for you, whether they’re immediate, or a little further down the road. All it takes is a bit of courage and effort.  

Check out our detailed approach on Networking. 

2.    Alternatives to Academia

Thanks to social media, one can easily showcase their skills and abilities through social media platform these days. In many professions, you may be able to start a career without the need of a formal university degree or college diploma – after all many business leaders now value experience, skillset, and  growth mindset just as much as academia. So long as you’re able to show that you have the skill sets required of the desired role— and the capability to perform efficiently — you’re already on the right track. Employers are looking for reliable and skilled employees.

So how do I make myself stand out from all these other skilled applicants?

Again, it is as simple as making connections. Utilizing the power of technology, you can find out exactly who, for example, the hiring manager of said company, is. Once you find them (or someone who may be connected to the job posting/company) reach out to them and find out exactly what, and who, they’re looking for.

Along the way, you can share your resume or a portfolio, or simply your Instagram handle. Give them a bit about your background, your skillsets, and why you’re interested in working for them — and once again, you might even make a connection throughout the process. Remember, proactive approach, showcasing your skills and staying on top of a decision maker's mind is the key.

3.    Learning New Skillsets

If you’re new to the working world, or shifting career paths, learning new skills and gaining the experience is going to be a common concern, but no need to worry. Thanks to social media, learning is no longer limited to attending formal education and university degrees.

You can simply learn new skills online with YouTube, TikTok etc., or even some more formal learning platforms like Simplilearn, Coursera etc. You can also further showcase your skills using these platforms. These free social media platforms also harbor millions of helpful videos created to help you with your job search. You can also build your own video resumes using TikTok and other video platforms. 

Want to become a designer? or perhaps you want to become a Software Developer? Well, the internet is the best place to go for those hoping to pursue work in IT. In fact, some corporate giants will even pay for you to gain these skillsets, as revealed in a recent LinkedIn article.

For instance, according to a social media network, the gap in the IT sector is so large right now that tech companies like Amazon and Google are actually going out of their way to provide people with training (mostly free) to help land an IT-centric job.

The point is, you can learn new skills, or even hone the transferable skills that you never thought you’d master just by staying connected and utilizing social media. The greatest part is that with your new skillsets, you’ll be able to build yourself a brand-new portfolio; something that will allow you to show any employer that you’re capable of the work. 

Portfolio you say?

If you want to go beyond a simple resume and cover letter combo, you can build yourself a digital portfolio showcasing much of the work you’ve accomplished and the content you’ve created using photos and video. Several portfolio templates are already available on sites like Canva, Wix etc. If you want to go one step further, you could even build a website to house all of this content.

Nowadays, job applications actually ask you to link your website (if applicable), and fortunately, domains are extremely affordable these days. This means you can actively maintain your own professional website without breaking the bank.

The main goal should be to share information that fuels your skillset and expertise with your target audience- future employers. It is also a great fodder for social media and your website. And perhaps even before you realize, quality content may lead you to become a thought leader or influencer in your field.

Closing Thoughts

Perhaps being a part of your family’s WhatsApp group might be enough of a social media fix for you, or perhaps that Facebook account you activated 12 years ago is doing the trick, but if you’re reading this, chances are … you’re either a jobseeker looking for a new job or looking to further your career. No matter what kind of goals you are looking to pursue working on improving engaging actively and strategically on social media will help you. 

Keep in mind, that without social media, it’s unlikely that we’d even have things like job boards (e.g., LinkedIn, Indeed), career webinars, podcasts, or YouTube — a magnificent tool, which again, can help you build your skill sets for the price of $0.

So what are you waiting for? Post something, make connections, take an online course! All you need to do is start establishing your digital footprint and you’ll see that being connected really starts to pay off.

Looking for more resources? Download our job seeker resources 

If you are looking for a career change or a new challenge, reach out to our team of highly skilled recruiting consultants for more information. For nearly half a century, Agilus has served our candidate and employer networks, connecting job seekers with meaningful employment. Every year we place thousands of job seekers in Technology, Office Professional, Engineering, and Trades/Technical roles. With over 100 recruiting consultants across Canada, we can help you find your next role or find that new career path with interview tools and resume support. For more information about Agilus, please follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or check out our current open roles.