If you’re starting out 2016 on a search for a new position, though it may seem counterintuitive, it may be beneficial for you to first spend some time updating your personal social media sites.

A few reasons why you should:

HR and Recruiters Believe it is Important

Typically your first chance at getting an interview comes from a company’s HR department.  In a recent study from the Society of Human Resource Management, most HR professionals think it’s important for job seekers to have a social media presence and nearly 90% believe a job seeker should have a well developed page on LinkedIn.  Other social media sites that are important to HR professionals are any relevant trade associations for your profession.

It Keeps You Informed

Social media isn’t only for keeping in touch with personal friends and contacts – over 65% of organizations have sourced employees from social media in the past year, either through employee referrals, job postings, or other engagement initiatives.  Your next position could be posted at any time – even on Facebook, which has historically only been for personal use, 20% of companies successfully sourced through the popular site.

Social media can also be a resource for when you have an interview, check out with whom you’re interviewing to see if you have anything in common to draw from and definitely check out a company page to get any intel you can.

Show Off Knowledge

Use social media to post more than just what you ate that morning or when you last went to the gym.  Show your subject matter expertise and share different articles or posts about relevant information to your profession or industry – it can be impressive to a recruiter or potential manager to see that you’re staying up to date on topics that affect your work.

It’s Appropriate for Your Industry

If you’re in media, public relations, marketing, sales, advertising, or information technology it is even more important to be on social media to show a dedication to your craft.  It’s definitely a red flag to a company if you’re not personally invested in these sites when your profession is heavily involved in such matters.

Our Purple Ink marketing guru, Emily, has written multiple posts about social media. If you’re looking for more in depth information on different methods for your job search, and how to keep your profile professional  – check out her posts here.

From the pub in Dublin, Ireland that required candidates to apply via Snapchat to the messages from recruiters on LinkedIn that many of us have gotten, social media is not a productivity waster – but can be a method to get a job.