Social media is more than a place to share photos of your food, pets, kids and yourself. It can also be a powerful tool in your engineering job search. To make social media work for you, however, it’s important to take the right approach. Use these tips to use social media to find your next job.
Tips for Using Social Media for Job Searches
Separate Personal From Professional
You don’t want recruiters or hiring managers poking around on your personal social media profile, so the first step is to make each of your personal profiles private. It’s also wise to un–tag yourself from photos, even if they are from ten years ago. Once you’ve done that, be careful about adding new friends – only accept requests from people you know.
After you’ve gone private, you’ll want to set up professional profiles on Facebook Twitter. Use a professional headshot and post only about industry-related topics. Follow influencers in your specialization, follow companies you might want to work for and even make connections with recruiters.
Finally, update your LinkedIn profile to be sure it is accurate and make sure you’ve selected a personalized URL that includes your name.
Let Recruiters Know You Are Open to New Opportunities
Turn on the “open candidates” setting on your LinkedIn profile to confidentially let recruiters know that you are open to new jobs. This setting is not public. It is only visible to recruiters and will not alert your current boss of your intentions.
Follow engineering recruiters and accept invitations from recruiters who might reach out to you. Even if they don’t have something that interests you immediately, it pays to have them in your network.
Establish New Connections
Social media is a platform that gives back what you put into it. So spend a few moments every day engaging in activities that will help you grow your network. Join professional groups and contribute to the conversation, actively add new people and whenever possible, facilitate connections between people in your network.
Build Your Professional Brand
Recruiters and hiring managers will look at your professional profiles, so create a strong professional brand by sharing valuable content, adding your own insights and participating in discussions. If you have the time to commit, consider writing your own professional blog and sharing your content on your profiles.
Are You Looking For A New Engineering Job?
If you are an engineer seeking new opportunities to grow your career and you’re ready to work with a professional recruiter, contact the engineering recruiting experts at Selectek today.
