Top 5 Mistakes Graduates Make When Using Social Media To Get A Job

As you all know we now live in a world that revolves around social media. A lot of us have smart phones where our social media is there at a drop of a hat and it’s hard to resist a cheeky selfie of your trip out or letting the world know about what you’ve made for dinner!

But it’s not just individuals that have caught the social media bug – businesses now see social media as a key part of their strategy to succeed as well. A lot of companies now use social media to scout those talented graduates that are out there and they also use it to find out a little bit more about you – so it’s important your social media accounts are up to scratch.

You have to admit with social media so freely available it would be rude not to use it to try and bag yourself the dream job. But you’ve got to make sure that you do it well or you risk missing out on an amazing opportunity.

So I’ve come up with five mistakes graduates commonly make when trying to apply for a job through social media – to give you the best chance of success

1) Using Your Social Media Account To Tell The World Your Private Life

When you were 16 and, let’s face it, a ball of emotions it was only just acceptable to post about your trials and tribulations of life with no filter. But when you’ve graduated and are looking for a job – the last thing your employer wants to see is you discussing how annoyed you are with your friend because they left you on a night out!

Your employer wants someone who is an adult and doesn’t cause conflict – and if they’ve discovered conflict on your profile it’s not exactly going to swing in your favour I’m afraid. So make sure you keep the soap opera drama off your profile to avoid employers putting you on the rejection pile!

2) Telling The Whole World About Each And Every Interview You’ve Been To

I know you’re excited / nervous about going to your interview but if you start delving into the details of each and every interview you’ve been to on your social media account, it could cause a load of problems for you. Firstly it shows that you can’t keep private information to yourself. If you start blabbing about what the company said and their upcoming projects you could be seen as untrustworthy.

And secondly, you also need to remember if you’ve applied for other jobs then those employers might be able to see it! Even though employers know you might be going for other jobs – it’s probably best not to flaunt it in their face. If they’re going to employ you they want to know that you’re dedicated to that company solely. So try to lay off publicly posting about the interview process until you actually get the job – and then you can be all smug and boast until the cows come home!

3) Not Using LinkedIn

You might not think so but LinkedIn is a really good tool to use if you’re looking for a job – you can follow employers you’re interested in and find out if they have any vacancies. Also this is your opportunity to get your CV out there – a lot of recruiters use LinkedIn to head hunt talent so it’s important to make sure you’re CV is all up to date and you’ve got no mistakes. If you’re new to LinkedIn and have no idea where to start – have a look at our post about the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ of LinkedIn. It’s really straight forward to set up – so get yourself an account!

4) Not Using Social Media To Its Full Potential

The job market is a competitive place now and you need to make sure you stand out from the crowd and know all the tricks of the trade in the social media world. If you’re using Twitter to bag yourself a job make sure you use the search bar and type in a key words like the job title and the location you’re interested in.

Also make sure you tweet regularly and don’t be afraid to send a tweet to potential employees. Lauren, the Social Media and Marketing Manager here at Bubble did that exact thing and managed to bag herself her dream job. Have a look at her post about how she found a job through social media and how you can too!

Another way of getting a job is using Pinterest – it’s not the most conventional way but you can post your CV onto Pinterest so potential employees can have a look. If you don’t think outside the box you’ll struggle to stand out – so try and think of quirky ways that you can promote yourself and use the social media platforms to their full potential.

5) Not Changing Your Privacy Settings On Your Personal Account

As a recent graduate myself I know quite a few people who’ve actually created a new account that is devoted solely to getting a job. If you find yourself incapable of filtering what you say on your personal account then it’s best to create an account devoted to your career search. Just make sure your privacy settings are high on your personal account to avoid employers stumbling across your profile and finding out all about your wild social life!

So there we go the top five mistakes students make when using social media to find a job! If you’re looking for digital job vacancies follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

Top 5 Mistakes Graduates Make When Using Social Media To Get A Job