Social Media and the job Search Career Services

Social Media Social media is: Websites and applications that allow users to create and share content or participate in social networking

Seven Social media tips Here are seven Social Media tips to keep in mind no matter what platform you use: Don’t post something just to post it If you are using social media to network stay professional Use the tools to their full potential Don’t spam or post too frequently Don’t just post the same thing across different platforms Keep the content fresh Follow up with connections

A reminder about professionalism Anything that you post online could be communicated to a potential employer Be mindful of the types of comments you post and the pictures that you may be tagged in Enhance your privacy settings– BUT keep in mind that these settings are sometimes breached Use a professional site like LinkedIn to control what comes up when you are Googled

What is linkedin? Online professional social network There are currently 300 million+ members in 200 countries LinkedIn currently operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet Professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate of more than two new members per second There are over 39 million students and recent graduates on LinkedIn– they are the fastest growing demographic

LinkedIn for students: your career starts here

How is social media being used by employers? Part one

How is social media used by employers? Part two

How is social media used by employers? Part three

Things to keep in mind Volunteer experience is important Write a good headline Remember to make the profile about you– NOT your career goals Update your information Make sure it represents YOU

Creating your Linkedin login Use your real name Use the university postal code if you prefer (B3M 2J6) Use a gmail-type of email account if you want to use the contact-import feature (you can enter “skip this step” if you wish)

Populating your profile Follow the prompts as they appear to fill in your profile, any steps that you skip now you can go back and fill it in later But if you skip something make sure you do go back and update the information Adding keywords will help optimize your profile in search engines

A word on keywords Being repetitive while populating your profile with key words is a great way to show up in specific searches Be aspirational, use repetition with the keywords that relate to what you want to do in the future Don’t use repetition with keywords related to a field that you are no longer interested in or you will also show up in those searches

Next steps: Headshot, Title, Summary How you would look in an interview Simple not a group pic, make sure it is not too dark Title Go beyond simply “student” Be creative but honest Think about where you want to go Summary “Elevator pitch” about you Don’t just paste in your resume: introduce yourself to LinkedIn contact in a more conversational manner Consider the highlights of your resume Use positive phrasing

Claiming your URL Your unique URL or badge can be added to your email signature, on business cards, on other social media sites– anywhere you want your bio, skills, and background to be Customize what is available on Google

Privacy and updating your profile When making updates to your profile, pay attention to your privacy settings You want potential employers to see updates to your experience and accomplishments, but they don’t need to know every small change to your profile This can be changed on the left hand side bar or in broadcast settings

Endorsements and groups Joining some Groups If you endorse others they are more likely to endorse you Share knowledge Large companies often have subgroups that focus exclusively on their recruitment process INTERACT! “Like” a comment, offer congratulations on updates, etc. See what groups your dream companies follow Be opportunistic: join groups that will let you connect with people who are in your target audience but are not contacts

Building a great student profile

Using Linkedin during your job search Advanced job search functions within LinkedIn– you can apply for many jobs directly within the site! Customized URL can be added to your email signature/business card Projects can be posted to your profile Paper resumes can be uploaded Search your skills on LinkedIn to see what skills industries focus on how they are presented in other profiles

Using Linkedin to find a job or internship

Secrets to a great linkedin profile