If you’re job hunting this year, I encourage you to stop what you’re doing and get on social media. No, not to see what that person you went to high school with is doing or post a selfie…social media can be a great job search tool! As Purple Ink’s resident social media manager, I want to give you some advice on using social media to the fullest during your job search.

1. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, get one. LinkedIn is kind of like Facebook for business. Recruiters can find you on LinkedIn and get in touch with you about job opportunities, and you can also search for jobs yourself.

2. Search hashtags. There’s a reason Purple Ink’s tweets and Facebook posts about job openings are mostly hashtags – it makes it easier for job seekers to find them. You can try any hashtag related to your job search that you think recruiters might use. Here are some that we like to use a lot:

   #jobs            #jobsearch          #jobopening          #hiring

   Try searching by industry (i.e., #HR), job title (i.e., #AccountExec), or the area you’re searching in (i.e., #Indianapolis), too.

3. Follow companies you’re interested in. Best case scenario: they see that you’ve followed them and it shows that you’re very interested in the company, and they might even follow you back. Even if that doesn’t happen, following them helps you learn more about that company, and they may post job openings on their social media. Some companies have separate accounts on Twitter and Facebook devoted to job postings, so make sure you keep an eye out for those, as well.

4. Interact with companies you’re interested in. Social media gives us an amazing opportunity to interact with people we may not have been able to contact otherwise. If a company you want to work for has posted something about a job you’re interested in, respond! That might make the recruiter look out for your resume and give it a little more consideration, since they know you’re very interested.

5. Clean up your profiles. One consequence of social media being everywhere is that some recruiters will look at your profiles before they hire you. Go through your profiles and think about it from a recruiter’s point of view. If your timeline is full of pictures you took when you were drinking and your posts aren’t exactly “appropriate” it might give someone else an edge over you. If you’re badmouthing your current job and co-workers, how do recruiters know you won’t do the same at their company? If you don’t want an employer to see something that’s on your profile, delete it or set your profiles to private. While you’re there, it can’t hurt to share an article about the industry you’re looking in or post your thoughts about something happening in that industry…it’s always good to show how interested you are!

Best of luck with your job search! Hopefully these tips will help you use social media to find the perfect job.

One last piece of advice (and shameless plug): follow Purple Ink’s social media accounts! We post job openings and share articles and blogs about job searching!

Twitter: @PurpleInkHR            Facebook: Purple Ink LLC           LinkedIn: Purple Ink LLC