As we start 2012, the impact social media has made within the recruitment industry is more apparent than ever. Whether you’re looking to develop your professional career within the digital, advertising, media sales or the integrated division – social media now plays a significant role within the application and headhunting process.

Your digital CV is important and your social media presence could enhance you success. For jobseekers, uploading a coherent and relevant CV may place you as a suitable candidate for a role but developing a strong social media presence may place you straight above other applicants in the pursuit for your dream role. Recruiters and bosses may be curious about your professional background, and would like to find out more about you with an expectation to see your professional profile on LinkedIn.

This post intends to highlight the importance of developing a social media presence. By creating emphasis on developing a social media presence, I don’t mean how many Facebook friends or acquaintances you’ve met on a drunken night out or how many times your tweets about what you ate last night has been retweeted by other users!

A social media presence in professional terms showcases your online activity and relevance to your chosen industry and role. Social media gives professionals the opportunity to stand out and allows us to shine above other potential candidates. Developing a social media presence not only showcases enthusiasm but can create unprecedented career opportunities in the future.

So which social media sites are best to use? How do I develop a social media presence?

Facebook: On the border between Personal and Professional Networking

Created in 2004 and becoming a hugely popular platform to maintain real-world connections with friends and family, companies and brands have developed Facebook pages to expand their online exposure. With this new development of Facebook business pages, job opportunities are regularly advertised on the majority of recruitment business pages.

“Liking” particular recruitment companies works as a registration to job listings which become included within on your homepage newsfeed. Job updates are now easier to track once you’ve found a particular recruitment agency or site. Communicate with these companies online and maintain relationships with particular moderators and administrators.

You may not want to attach your CV to Facebook, Why not include your LinkedIn profile and Twitter on your About Me section? If you intend to change your personal Facebook profile into a professional networking platform make sure you make clear changes in your profile content especially tagged photos and status updates.

LinkedIn: The professional networking site

The professional networking site, LinkedIn is focused on you and your professional career – enabling links to sites and online recommendations. Establish a reputation by beginning discussions, sharing your opinion, answering questions and sharing industry trends in group forums. Recruitment consultants are very active in LinkedIn groups and forums, so contribute and demonstrate your knowledge as much as you can – you’ll definitely make a great first impression. Connect with recruiters who are hiring in your line of work and location. Don’t forget to include your contact details on LinkedIn for professionals to contact you directly.
If you are weary about placing your information and details onto a social media platform, LinkedIn has enabled a privacy setting which allows you to privatise your details from users outside your network.

Twitter: Real time updates on job opportunities

The great opportunity Twitter provides is real time updates. If you begin following a recruitment agency on Twitter, be sure to look out for regular and consistent job updates. Personally, I perceive Twitter as the “Digital Reception”; so don’t be scared about contacting agencies and recruiters. We’re all happy to help and assist.

Recruitment agencies also expand their online presence by consultants creating their own individual Twitter accounts. You should follow relevant consultants in your field, contribute to Tweets and share it with others who might be interested. Take advantage of the @-mention feature to keep users and existing connections engaged.

Begin a Blog: Open up and share your opinions

Recruiters and employers love to see candidates who present a passion for their professional career and industry. Creating a blog enables you to showcase your ideas, values and opinions on relevant topics within your field. If you specialise in Media Sales, Why not review current print campaigns? This can not only showcase your passion but also your knowledge and understanding, potentially leading to readers becoming professional connections. If you are successful in engagement, your audience can become your own online community.

YouTube – Video Blogs, Video CV’s

When I mention Video CVs, I can imagine that many jobseekers are indecisive about creating one. I personally believe it depends on the position and role you are applying for. Ask a specific consultant whether it’s suitable for your application. Creating video content shows confidence and if done professionally it can become a great success.

Start creating video-blogs which start up discussions – whether it’s about your opinions, news updates and reviews; you can easily embed this onto LinkedIn. Why not talk about the latest digital trends in 2012? Is there anything special to look out for this coming year?

Creative Networking: Forums

If you are within the creative industry such as an artworker or junior designer, you may want to showcase your recent portfolio online – preferably on your main website. Creating a profile on creative professional networking sites such as Behance may improve and enhance your search ability and can create great critique or forum discussion surrounding your work or even previous creative projects. Establishing connections with like-minded professionals is crucial – and may lead you to an exciting opportunity in the future.

Always remember to be selective about what portfolio work you allow to be made public and watermark images. If you’re within the Advertising or Digital industry, contact a specific consultant for more information.

Authenticity and personality within the Digital world

Authenticity and personality are key factors within your social media presence as it enables you to make a lasting impression. Being a real person online and having a strong and consistent presence across all networks helps recruiters get to know you and sets you apart from others. Be confident in communicating with professionals online and remember that you have nothing to lose.

Interaction and Expansion of Professional Networks – Interaction with Recruiters

You can contact a recruitment consultant directly but you can also view their LinkedIn profiles before contacting them. This way both you and the recruiter have mutual background knowledge about each other which could at times speed up the recruitment process.

Continue reaching out to like-minded professionals – create conversations, share ideas and opinions. By expanding your connections you may be headhunting for a position which is yet to be advertised online!
Ultimately, developing a strong social media presence enables you to learn more about your industry and enables you reassess your previous experience for future applications. Go confidently, ask questions, suggest online content to share, social media is not only about communicating it’s also about developing your knowledge.

Social Media Intern, Jeffrey Cervantes 2012

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