It could be said that social media has become a daily necessity
in 21st century Western society and with it being at our disposal
all the time it is hardly surprising that work companies have begun to utilise
it. But how, as a prospective employee,
can it be used to our benefit? What
platforms should we be investing our time in?
Do employers really embrace it, or is it a hype that will pass, or even
worse, be detrimental to our employability prospects?
The leading platforms
Research carried out by The Bloom Group in 2013 found that 87%
of consulting firms used LinkedIn, 68% used Facebook and 54% used Twitter,
these platforms being the most popular.
These firms also predicted that by 2016 these three platforms would
still be the most effective. 2014 research
by Adecco supports this prediction with LinkedIn being the ‘only one platform
regarded as effective for job hunting’.
The leading companies have LinkedIn and Twitter accounts and this would
be a very effective way of increasing commercial awareness and hearing about
recruitment.
However, social media is not only used for recruiting. An interview with a Management Consultant
Analyst, Adam, that I conducted revealed that, whilst Twitter and Facebook are
not part of his daily job, social networking on client platforms is becoming
more useful as a way of collaborating between colleagues. This is interesting for, whilst Twitter and
Facebook don’t appear to be utilised within the company, entering the job with
an understanding of different social platforms will invariably be a useful
skill, showing employers that you would be able to adapt to using the media
platforms they utilise.
Social media and job hunting
However, social media can be beneficial with job
hunting. The interviewee, Adam,
responded that he knew many people who had found jobs through LinkedIn and the
findings of Adecco revealed that 17% of participants had received a job offer
through social media. It would seem
obvious then for students to jump into these platforms from every angle but
there is a question of censorship that must be addressed, for employers are increasingly
checking the social media of prospective candidates. The Adecco report uncovered that 1 in 3
consultants had rejected people because of their online profile. How is it possible to get the balance? After all, social media is as much for the
purposes of private life – if not more - as it is professional. Adam provides a good response noting the need
for a balanced attitude towards networking sites and how, behaviour that is ‘sensible
and genuine’ should mean there is not an issue.
The website ‘myworldofwork’ provides a useful resource as to what not to
do with social networking and gives the advice of viewing your personal
profiles as though you are a senior employee of the company you are applying
to. Is there anything on your profile that
would put employers off? How much of a
representation of yourself does it provide?
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