Boost Your Job Search with Social Media

Social media can be a powerful job search tool. From Facebook and Twitter to LinkedIn and Blogger, there are lots of ways to stand out as a candidate online--but there are pitfalls, too.

Read below to get the inside scoop on tips to try (and mistakes to avoid) when dealing with potential employers and professional contacts on social media.

Social Media Do's

• Do create a LinkedIn profile.
  Sometimes referred to as "Facebook for professionals", LinkedIn enables you to keep track of and create new professional contacts, join groups associated with your geographic location, industry or school (like the Texas State University Career Services group!), and display your professional self in an easily searchable online database. For more LinkedIn tips, check out this article from career website Monster.com.
• Do think carefully about the platforms you'll use to connect professionally.
  Your American Idol-themed Twitter feed may not be appropriate for following professional contacts or companies. Similarly, you may not want your boss to have full access to your Facebook profile, where you frequently post pictures from the latest party and give heated opinions on the news stories of the day. Remember: Connecting professionally with an unprofessional profile is like showing up to an interview in flip-flops.
• Do lock down your privacy settings. Know which of your contacts can see what and be sure to keep regular tabs on privacy settings, which can change frequently.
• Do include social media in your job search strategy.
  Research a potential employer's social media presence and be ready to mention it during an interview. Follow job-posting Twitter feeds (see a whole list of helpful tools here) and Facebook pages (once you've cleaned up your page). Connect to past and present supervisors, coworkers, classmates, family, friends and colleagues on LinkedIn. Even if it's not a large part of your strategy, the social media search can add an "edge" to your traditional job search.

Social Media Don'ts

• Don't make unflattering/unprofessional information public.
  Those "funny" photos of you and your friends last Friday night? They're not presenting a professional image to a potential employer. Your publicly posted love messages to your significant other, angry new-age poetry and rant about your current job are not appropriate, either. Scrub your public online presence before you go on the job hunt. And speaking of ranting about your job...
• Don't diss coworkers, supervisors or your organization (present and past).
  Looking to vent about a tough week? Invite a friend for coffee, call your mom on the drive home, write an angry journal entry--anything but air your grievances all over social media. Speaking negatively about your boss, your work or (worst of all) your clients is a surefire way to get reprimanded or fired.
• Don't try to connect without context.
  If you're using Facebook, LinkedIn or another site to make a professional connection within your field, be sure to let your contact know how you got their name and why you're reaching out. Spamming fifty company employees with invitations to connect will not help you get hired, and may even hurt your chances. Check out this article outlining the keys to successful networking communications (it's about emails, but the same can be said for social media connections).
• Don't rely only on social media.
  While social media can play an important role in your job search, pay attention to the fundamentals--networking, resumes and cover letters, searching online, etc.--that make up a holistic approach.

Be sure to connect with Career Services on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Blogger and Pinterest! Have more questions about social media in the job search? Reach out to your Career Services college liaison or call our office at 512.245.2645 to set up an appointment with a career counselor.