Connecting for Success
For my generation, social media has become increasingly important throughout our everyday lives. With its rise to popularity in the early 2000’s, through the development of MySpace and Facebook, social media has created a whole new way to connect with friends, distant relatives, and even strengthen global relationships. As more and more platforms were developed, the young adult population proved that online socialization would become a key aspect in our future.
However, as I near the last semester of college I continue to hear that my peers are disconnecting from social media completely, as the search for their first “real” job begins. Has this new emergence of the ability to connect globally hindered our chances of success in the future? This new type of social media should not be viewed in a negative light for active job seekers, but more as an additional resource to find companies that fit their needs. Being able to connect to prospective companies, through social media, has become beneficial for not only for the company but for the applicants as well.
As the recruitment process gets increasingly more active on social media, the search for a valuable company will be easier than ever. The recruiters can search through candidates using blogs, tweets, online groups or communities and in return can aid in the distribution of job that would not have been as heavily advertised in the past. Social media recruiting offers a wide range of forums to connect with future applicants on a level that has never been done before.
Connecting Personally
Traditional resumes can highlight some of your most successful academic achievements that you’ve had in the past and can include your work history, but a simple piece of paper cannot truly show the diversity one person can have. Personal social media pages can advertise traits that recruiters can look for in new hires, as well as offer a more diverse template for potential applicants to show about themselves. This personal display can show future employees your involvement in the community, activities you participate in, etc.
Remember: Even just a simple profile can show a company that you can be tech savvy and innovative!
Connecting Mutually
While recruiters are combing through your social media profiles looking for characteristics that will fit their requirements, it is a good idea for you to do the same. Viewing a company’s business page can help you determine if their motto, values, and standards match your own. It is important that you and the company can connect through similarities that can be found on social media through post, comments, and shares that they will make. You can use these aspects to either reject or contribute to your ideas of the company.
Connecting When You Least Expect It
By simply creating a connection with a business, by liking their page or becoming a part of their community, you have increased your chances of being spotted on the company’s radar. Even if you have not officially applied to the company, making this connection allows the recruiters a chance to preview you as an individual. The company can also seek out your personal pages through mutual friends and other employees to find a person that could fit the job. By maintaining a profile that heightens your personal qualities, a recruiter can actively approach you upon graduating for available jobs.
Keeping your social media pages will allow you to show the company who you truly are in a whole new way. By publicly advertising traits on your profiles you can find companies that will compliment your ideas for an aspiring job. This deeper connection you make can provide you with a business connection that could last a lifetime.
