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How Youths Should be Using Social Media to Gain Employment

Guest post by: Emilie Legrand

Article Overview: Five hints and tips that young people should take into consideration regarding their social network profiles in order to help them land a new job.

How Youths Should be Using Social Media to Gain Employment

Yesterday it was announced that youth unemployment has hit an all time high with over a million 16 to 24 year olds currently out of work. With the figure expected to rise, it is time for young people to not only smarten up their curriculum vitae, but also smarten up their social network profiles. Most companies now have a presence on social media platforms and other than being a place to catch up with family and friends both old and new, they also offer an opportunity to network, connect with potential employers and raise your profile without actually meeting anyone in person.

Below are five hints and tips that young people should take into consideration regarding their social network profiles in order to help them land a new job;

1. Everything is public: Young people tend to use their networking profiles to share photos, videos and general opinions, but it is important to bear in mind that potential employers can see what they are saying and doing - all it takes is a simple Facebook search. Therefore it is important to reconsider what you are posting for the public to see, a general rule to follow is that if you wouldn't want your parents seeing it, do not post it!

2. Be open minded: When it comes to searching for the ideal job, it is important for young people to stay open minded; there are plenty of options out there over and above the jobs relating to subjects that they learnt at school and social media is the ideal platform to search for these companies and network. A plethora of different industries and trades offer internships and apprenticeships for people of all ages, it is just about looking outside the box and going for roles that match your personality as well as skills and not just taking the easy route.

3. Network and interaction: This relates to the point above, because although youths can use social media to search for companies offering internships, it is important to remember to network and make connections with relevant contacts. Interacting with a company's social media page is a handy way of getting your name at the forefront and displays a degree of interest and enthusiasm towards the company and what they do.

4. Use different platforms: Social media does not just refer to Facebook - using micro-blogging site Twitter is also important, as is LinkedIn. Although Facebook tends to be used by jobseekers the most due to its popularity, having profiles on a variety of networking sites is important because they specialise in different fields; LinkedIn is a more professional networking site for example, therefore it will represent varying sides of your personality which will not only impress but will also be important to a potential employer.

5. PR yourself: It is important to make yourself as visible to as possible to a potential employer. The job market is so competitive for young people at the moment, many employers are inundated with CVs on a daily basis and making it easy to find further information on you is useful. Employers have the advantage in that they can be picky with who they employ so they look for a personality fit as well as a person who holds the relevant skills. Add your networking profile details to your CV and your email signature to ensure a potential employer can easily find you.

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Article Tags: networking, social media, Youth unemployment
Referred by: http://www.punchcomms.com



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