A presentation put together by TARGETjobs' Online Marketing Executive, Jackie Balchin, sharing her expertise on how to improve your employability through social media, through five simple steps.

1. SIFE UK TRAINING WEEKEND
EMPLOYABILITY SESSION
How to improve your employability through social media
November 2011
Jackie Balchin – Online Marketing Exec, TARGETjobs

2. Why social media and recruitment?
• 91% of surveyed employers use social media to screen applicants. (Reppler, survey of 300
recruiters, 2011).
, )
• 75% of those surveyed will use Facebook, 53% Twitter and 48% will use Linkedin.
• 69% of employers surveyed by Reppler, responded that they have rejected candidates
based on what they found on their social media pages.
• 89% of surveyed employers use social media for recruitment activities. (Jobvite Survey
2011)
• 80% of those surveyed will use Linkedin, 50% Facebook and 45% will use Twitter.
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Rejection reasons: Applicants lied about their qualifications, inappropriate
comments, inappropriate photos, posting negative comments about previous
employers,
employers demonstrating poor communication skills.
skills

3. Good news, get yourself hired
,g y
• Social media can play a part in getting you hired
• 68% of employers have employed because of what they found on social media platforms;
i.e. good personality traits, demonstrating that you would be a good fit with the organisation.
• 65% have successfully hired using social media (Jobvite Survey 2011)
• “Using social media is the number one way of p
g y putting y
g yourself in front of employers.” David
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Macfarlane, GTI Recruiting Solutions

4. What can you do
Become an
online Identify
personality
lit
Comment Profile
Share Connect

5. Identify Where do you want to represent yourself?
Profile Consider your online image
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Connect
C t Engage with the online community
Share Build your knowledge and reputation
Comment Become a source of content and information

6. Identify Choose your network depending on your
desired online image
g
A ‘friendly’ network: an opportunity to show soft skills
y pp y
and your personality.
Professional network: opportunity to upload your CV
and be more professionally interactive.
Up-to-date news network (making noise): opportunity to
listen to what is being said, and become a source of
information.
information

7. Profile Know your privacy settings
• Facebook is making a lot of changes make sure you check the privacy settings regularly
• Make full use of the new ‘Lists’ options to publicise statuses that you want the public to see,
Lists
i.e. employers, and privatise those that the public or certain friends, family, wouldn’t want to
see.
• Make sure your default privacy settings are good and set to only friends, in case you forget
to select a list.
• Make yourself searchable – employers do like being able to find you.
• Ensure only your friends can see posts by other friends on your wall/timeline as you can’t
control what your friends may put on your wall, but you can control who sees it, (not the
public).
Tip: Sign out of Facebook and search yourself and see what your page looks like, if you
see anything inappropriate then change your privacy settings!

8. Profile A chance to build your online personality
• Where you studied or are studying
• Your current job, (if applicable)
• Volunteer work
• Your
Yo r interests
• About you
• Languages you may know
• Any favourite quotes (professional, maybe taken from a popular book)
• Include some public photos - carefully selected
• Publish correct information – and ensure spelling is correct

9. Profile Twitter and Linkedin
Make the most of the short bio Fill in every box:
• Include: what you are Work, internships, volunteer work.
studying/studied, interests, and what
t d i / t di d i t t d h t
Ensure it is in chronological order
you are looking for. (Job-wise)
and check your spelling.
• Use a photo of yourself, not
Add specific skills as well as
g p
graphics, or p , or scenery.
, pets, y
transferable skills.
t f bl kill
Employers want to see you.
Make full use of the
Good Profile:
recommendations feature – ask for
MSC Student at University ofy recommendations from your tutors,
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Edinburgh, proud University of St. past employers, internships, etc.
Andrews Graduate, news junkie, (this is a free reference for future
music lover, film trivia enthusiast. employers to read).

10. Connect Don’t limit your circle of connections
• By building your connections you build your personality
• Use groups, companies, professional bodies, etc that you connect with to paint a picture of
you interests and develop your online personality further
further.
• Connect to highlight hobbies, personal preferences and personality. These connections
don’t have to be limited to strictly professional, can be things such as running clubs,
magazines, (within reason), food blogs, etc.
To connect: ‘Like’ brand pages, join groups
Join groups, like company pages.
Follow employers and their relevant feed, many have multiple feeds,
follow groups, trade press, alumni groups, etc.

11. Share Become a source of knowledge
• Become a hub of information
• Reinforces that you are really interested in your industry of choice, your hobbies etc.
• Effective way to build up your own knowledge and to start networking
networking.
Like or share posts made by brands
Update your status, like peoples announcements, groups
announcements
Re-tweet and mention news, company announcements, industry
announcements

12. Comment Have a professional voice and opinion
• Move from a passive social media user to a proactive user
• Have a voice, a professional voice.
Leave constructive criticism on employers, professional bodies,
talent pool networks pages, ask questions or even answer questions
on their pages.
pages
Leave comments in groups, answer/ask questions, start new
discussion topics.
Mention company/group with a question, or response to their tweet
question tweet.
Get involved in conversations using relevant hashtags.

13. Become an online personality
• Expand beyond the main social
Identify
media platforms.
• Leave constructive
Lea e constr cti e feedback or post ne s on
news
forums, blogs
Comment Profile • Have your own blog – if you really have
something to say, this shows initiative,
planning, creativity and commitment to a
project.
• Upload videos on YouTube link to your social
media profiles,
Share Connect • Use channels available to you to your
advantage, make them work for you!
Remember: 68% of employers have employed because of something positive
found on social media platforms.

14. Useful Resources
Professional Bodies Talent Pools
ACCA – global body for ICAEW- Professional membership Fresh Minds
Professional accountants org in accountancy and finance
finance.
Bright Futures
BCS – The Chartered Institute for
ICE – Institution of Civil Engineers Brightest Minds
IT.
Linkedin – student and
CIM – Chartered Institute of
IET – Institution of Engineering and recent grads group
Marketing
Technology. Europe’s largest group
CIMA – Chartered Institute of of professional engineers and
Management Accountants.
M tA t t technicians.
technicians
CIPFA – Chartered Institute of RIC – Royal Institution of Chartered
Public Finance and Accountancy
Surveyors
CIPD – Chartered human
The Law Society
resources and development
professional body.

15. Thank You
If you have any questions please get in touch.
Follow us on Twitter @targetjobsuk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/targetjobs
2011,
2011 GTI Media