Shocking Social Media Job Search Facts [Infographic]

social media for job search info

Job search in the 21st century has introduced a completely new approach to both recruiting and self-marketing. Now that people are more and more dependent on social media, it allows both job seekers and employers to use social networking as a powerful and more effective job search tool.

In fact, social media contributes to personal branding, opens up opportunities for better networking, brings you closer to target employers and in general increases your visibility online. There are quite a few other social media facts most of the job seekers are unaware of.

Nowadays, only 4% of recruiters ignore using social media for hiring. Other 96% might even stalk their potential candidates for a certain period to learn more about them through their online presence.

Furthermore, 51% out of this 96% of recruiters prefer googling applicants as a part of their selection process. Sounds compelling? Then, let’s learn a little more about the top rated social media job search sites to help you boost your social media job search.

job search and social media infographic

About the Author: Victoria Vein is a writer at Resume Writing Lab for IT specialists.

Which Social Media Platform is Right for Your Small Business?

It seems like virtually every business is on social media and they are right to do so. Millions of people access social media everyday through computers, phones, and tablets. Which is exactly why businesses are taking advantage of these free communication tools.  There are lots of social media platforms to choose from but what some business owners don’t realize is that they don’t have to be on all of them. Here’s some info to help you find which platform is right for you.

Facebook is by far the platform with the most users. Business owners use it to either increase their web presence or for direct advertising. People can link to their product pages or buy ad space directly from Facebook. However businesses tend to favor increasing their audience than making ads. Active users who frequently like and share content end up being more profitable in the end. Marketing was usually managed by third party marketing firms but people are starting to hire social media managers internally. Internal management tends to result in a more personable image since the person writing posts lives in the area and knows the demographic better.

For business owners Twitter and Facebook generally achieve similar goals: increasing presence and advertising. Sharing content and posting original Tweets is the best way to gain a following, but remember to get creative with your Tweets because you are limited to 140 characters. Twitter is a great tool to direct contact, you can Tweet directly at a business or person and usually get a response. You can even Tweet at your favorite celebrity and get a response. These two platforms are also used as a form of public relations since they are a direct connection to customers. Businesses can refute negative feedback with public or personal responses.

Many businesses are utilizing Google Plus because of its growing user base and access to other tools, making it a quick and effective for communication. The platform is accessed through Gmail which creates many different ways to share ideas between different people. A favorite from Google Plus is the hangout platforms that allow people to instantly message each other. Plus it includes a calendar that is used to schedule events and reminders, which can be used to create projects that are then assigned to specific people. On the employer side the main benefit is streamlining company communication.

Another social media platform that most businesses are using, or at the very least their Human Resources department is using, is LinkedIn. The platform connects businesses with people working in that field. Employees and employers can establish a connection and communicate with each other about potential job opportunities. LinkedIn is used alongside a strong email marketing campaign to recruit new hires when needed. It is a simple and effective tool to vet new hires because LinkedIn profiles are basically online resumes. LinkedIn is not as popular as Facebook so you won’t be able to find nearly as many people but it is increasing in popularity and this particular social media platform looks like it is here to stay.

Using Social Media for your Business

Facebook has over 1 billion users and Twitter has over 300 million. With so many users it’s impossible to ignore social media and any business should strive to utilize social media as effectively as possible. Here are some ideas to keep in mind.

 Set goals.

Start with the purpose of the company and develop social media goals from there. Do you want to engage customers more? Do you want to expand online sales?  Do you want to develop or correct the image of your company? Having goals gives your social media activity a sense of direction.


First find what works for businesses and what doesn’t. You don’t have to be on every platform, some companies don’t belong on Tumblr or Pinterest just refer to your goals and do some research about each one. Keep up on what each platform is doing like the addition of reactions on Facebook or Microsoft acquiring LinkedIn. Research also involves doing so keep track of which posts generate traffic or user interaction.

Be patient.

Some businesses have unrealistic expectations about their social media strategies, gaining followers does not happen overnight and it takes plenty of time. It’s important to be patient when you want to increase traffic or web presence. Creating content also takes time, there should be a purpose behind what you are posting so take your time and think about what kind of message you are projecting.

Be active.                                                             

Successful social media strategies are constantly active. Whether you are retweeting, uploading pictures, or updating your profile stick to your goals and create schedule. Social media trends are constantly changing and some only last a few days, not everything you post has to be evergreen. Take some time each day to work on your account and remember to update across all platforms not just your most popular one.

Stand by your statements.

Social media is used to communicate your views. If your business takes a stand on a divisive issue stand by what you say, that doesn’t mean replying to every single negative comment but you shouldn’t back track either. It’s also okay if you decide to stay away from this type of attention. Standing by your statements also means owning up to mistakes, accidents happen and owning up to a bad repost or tweet is better than pretending like it didn’t happen. Apologize and move on.

Be creative.

With so many accounts for business it’s easy to get lost among them, being creative with your posts makes you stand out. You can be funny, being professional doesn’t mean devoid of humor. Even newspapers make puns and publish a funny story now and then. No one can tell you how to be creative so just have fun and see what works.