In a recent study byJobvite on how job seekers are using social networks to hunt for jobs and how employers seek candidates; one of the findings was that 94 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to look for candidates, yet only 36 percent of job seekers are active on the site. There is a missed opportunity here for social job seekers. Or perhaps recruiters should look at where they are fishing. 83 percent of job seekers said they prefer and use Facebook for job search, but only 65 percent of recruiters utilize it.
Even though you should have an optimized profile on Linkedin as a professional to help you with your personal brand and getting noticed by recruiters who use Linkedin for sourcing; the need for utilizing Facebook for job hunting is also increasing as the study revealed that 64 percent of high quality source of candidates came from referrals (friends and acquaintances on the difference social media platforms). Moreover, 42 percent of recruiters have apparently reconsidered an applicant (either positively or negatively) based on what a social profile revealed.
So how can you utilize your presence on the most popular social network to help you in job seeking?
Networking
If Facebook was a country, it would be the 2nd largest country in the world. That said, I can safely say that most of your colleagues, previous employers, business partners and prospective bosses are on Facebook.
Take advantage of being out there along HR recruiters and talents-hunting employers to network with them. Approach potential employers and business partners by sending them a private message to introduce yourself and ask for advice or offer help. They will appreciate the fact that you’re not using Facebook as everyone else.
If you find out through Facebook Pages that a certain company is recruiting, try to know who the hiring manager is then check for friends or friends of friends in common, in order to get referred to people working for the company or even the hiring manager direct.
Status Updates
It should be the first thing that comes to your mind; to update your Facebook status stating your current employment situation and what you are looking for. People will most probably rush to help by sending you links or referring you to hiring personnel.
Don’t post that you are looking for a job on a company’s Facebook page though as you will come off as desperate.
Join and get active in groups
Facebook groups are an excellent place to get to know people through participating in discussions, asking questions and offer help. This gives you a chance to demonstrate your knowledge in the field and keep up-to-date with the latest trends and news in the local or international markets.
After having a number of conversations with people, you can send a friend request to those you would like to get to know better and follow their individual timeline.
The ultimate goal is to stay connected to the industry players. Hopefully this will keep your name in their minds for when someone is hiring.
Facebook ads
Another way to reach out as a professional is creating ads. This works best for self-employed professionals working as freelancers or startup owners. But it’s also beneficial when you use it in a smart not-in-your-face manner by creating a simple ad with a tagline and link it to a blog or Website.
You can choose what demographics you want to target and your maximum spend per day, it is often cheap but it also depends on the country market you’re targeting. The more specific you can make it the better, you only want the right people clicking through as you pay per click.
Social networks have a great potential for socializers. Facebook is not a winner when it comes to official recruitment processes unlike Linkedin but what Facebook has is something more powerful; personal interactions. I have personally made great connections through Facebook and Twitter, many of them are not even active on Linkedin. So if you’re like many, spending time on Facebook anyway, why not utilize it for job searching?
By Shaden Abdulraman
