It’s always a good idea to utilize a variety of resources when it comes to searching for a job—you can never have too many options. Typically, you should be searching on job boards, checking in with your network for new opportunities, and searching out job listings on company websites. But did you know that you can also use social media to find a job? Social media websites are something that we typically use weekly for pleasure or connecting with friends and family. Now you can utilize these websites to aid in the job search as well.

Work on your personal brand.

You may have heard the term “personal brand” before. This is your professional image and what you stand for. Just like a company has a brand, so should you. You can easily do this by making sure all of your social media accounts are consistent in their content. Use the same name and same photo on your accounts. Let people know who you are, what you do, and where you are going. The main objective is to be professional and consistent. Ensure that all of your social media accounts are squeaky clean—you don’t want a potential employer to see anything unprofessional on your accounts.

Be engaged and active.

If you have social media accounts, use them! If you are on Twitter, follow the companies that are in your industry. If you are on Facebook, like the pages of relevant companies. If you are on LinkedIn, join industry groups. When you are connected deeply on social media you will always be aware of what is going on in the industry. You will be notified and up-to-date about new hires, open positions, product developments, and any news that the company feels is share-worthy. You can join the conversation on social media and become a known resource. Answer questions that anyone may have on the industry, link relative content, make introductions.

Keep an eye on your LinkedIn insights graph.

When you use LinkedIn, there is a graph that shows up when you click on how many people have viewed your profile in the last week. This is valuable information! You can use this graph to see how many people are looking at your profile, sometimes who is looking at your profile, and how many actions you made in a given week. You use this information to figure out the perfect job search strategy. As you make changes to your profile you will see what is helping with profile engagement and what is hurting it. Track these changes and take them into account when you decide what to do next. Some tips: come up with a plan for how often you should be logging on to LinkedIn and updating your profile.

Search job listings on social media.

Just like you use job boards and career websites to search for job listings, you can do the same on social media. You should be regularly updating your social media profiles—and so are companies. Most companies will post their open positions on social media. Sometimes you will even find listings on social media that you won’t find anywhere else. If you are following and liking companies that are relevant to your industry, then you should be able to come across these postings quite easily. The more companies you are following, the more likely you are to see these posts.

Maintain your network.

You should constantly be searching for people within your industry to connect with. You can attend social events that are catered toward the industry. You can also find people in everyday interactions that can be helpful to the job hunt. Add all of these people to your social media accounts and keep your communication with them active and current. While you may not need to use any of these connections any time soon (or ever) it never hurts to have people who are on your side. The more connections you have, the more likely it is that one of these connections can lead to a potential interview or job offer. It is much easier to get a foot in the door of a company if you know someone there personally.

Source: The Ladders