Photo By: Charles Deluvio

You are fresh out of college, ready to enter the new and exciting job world but there is one issue: you don’t know where to begin. The job market can be a scary place, especially with no guidance. Getting started and finding your footing are always the hardest parts. Social media can be an effective tool for a job search. We can connect and build relationships, showcase our portfolios, and share a personalized version of ourselves rather than generic emails. Building connections with people we want to learn from and work for is at the forefront of creating opportunities. Here are the three best steps that you can take to utilize social media to aid you in getting your first job.

 

1. Building Your Brand

The large-scale brands in the world have strong slogans that have turned into a call-to-action. Think of Nike’s “Just Do It” or Apple’s “Think Different”. Not only do these represent the brand’s mission, but it creates action for consumers. Just reading the slogan, you know what the brand is all about. Your personal brand may represent something similar. It is who you are, what you stand for, your values, and how you express them. A personal brand helps communicate your unique identity and clear value to potential employers. 

To achieve this, you want a profile to showcase your abilities, accomplishments, and who you are as a person. Business-oriented platforms, such as LinkedIn, are essential. However, you can still prosper and build relationships on others. Experience is noteworthy to showcase as it solidifies your ability, but personalization on your page is influential. You will quickly find several people in the same position as you with the same or more experience/accomplishments in their bag. What sets you apart is who you are and your personality. It is key to showcase your personality within your posts, whether it is volunteer work or occasional posts about what you enjoy doing in your free time. Show who you are and what you are about!

Another aspect that you can utilize on your profile to better your chances of being found is keywords. Keywords are different word choices that you can have on your profile to increase the chances of your profile appearing in someone’s search. This step is not essential but can happen once you have the rest of your profile how you want it.

 

2. Connections and Networking

We all use social media to stay up-to-date with our peers and showcase our lives to others. Networking is so important that 80% of professionals find networking vital to their career success. It does not always have to be with new people. It is staying in contact with professors, friends, colleagues, and more. You quickly find that the world is smaller than it seems, and you never know the connections people have. 

When connecting with new people, you can build relationships with them. Creating a personalized and meaningful connection will set you apart from others. It also keeps you in mind if they have an opening at their company or another that they think you would be a good fit for. It is about creating personal relationships that allow people to know you and your abilities, and showcasing why you would be a good candidate.

 

3. Informational Interviews

What better way to learn more about the company you desire to work for or the person who has your dream job than directly talking to them? Informational interviews are something that anyone can do. Whether you know someone within the company or not, you can reach out by explaining who you are and that you wanted to interview them to learn more about their position or company. It creates a personal relationship with the interviewee and can increase your network. 

From a personal perspective, I have conducted several informational interviews over the last couple of years. They have allowed me to build relationships with people in the industry and companies I wish to enter and learn more about what life is truly like as you will find it is not always what you think from the outside. You also gain insight into the company’s hiring patterns. When they hire, whether they look for experience or just out of college, etc. You will often find they enjoy talking about what they do and getting to know the future generation interested in their work.

Conducting the interviews is great but it is important to maintain that relationship after. Keep them updated on what you are doing within your work down the line and check in to see how they are doing. For example, if they work for a sports team and the team just made the playoffs, it would be appropriate to reach out and congratulate them and tell them how excited you are to follow their journey. 

The job search straight after graduation can be a daunting task that is hard to take on. Putting yourself out there and reaching out to build connections can cause anxiety and fear, especially for introverts. Not only are these steps vital, they can create opportunities that you never thought were possible. By following brands and employees, you get an in-depth look at their culture and see how you can fit in. Social media is at the forefront for companies to learn more about you. Show them who you are and what you are about!

If you made it to the end of the blog here is a special offer! NISM CEO, Jennifer Radke, offers a free 30-minute LinkedIn review! Sign up here: https://calendly.com/jradke-1/linkedin-profile-review

 

Author: Joseph Scalzo

Joseph Scalzo is a Social Media Strategist Intern at the National Institute for Social Media. He graduated from California Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing. He is attending San Francisco State University where he is a student-athlete playing baseball and working towards getting his second Bachelor in Communication Studies. He has also completed many courses in International Relations.