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Posted Nov. 15, 2012

Top Tips for Using Social Media in Your Postgrad Job Hunt

Using social media in your postgrad job huntCongratulations!

You’ve got a postgraduate degree under your belt and now you’re on the hunt for that dream job.

Being a postgrad is tough, and with an estimated 18.8 million people out of jobs in the Eurozone alone, it’s not hard to see why.

Wondering what you can do to get ahead?

Check out our top tips for becoming social media savvy in your search for a postgrad job or even for a part-time role.

Social media is a powerful tool, and in the hands of the right postgraduate student, it can make a real impact on your future career plans.

1. Start Tweeting

If you’re not using it already, Twitter is one of the best places to look for job opportunities when choosing a job. First things first; make your profile employer friendly by putting your job pitch along with a link to your CV in your Twitter bio and choosing a professional looking avatar.

From here it’s all about using Twitter’s job search tools and resources to aid in the hunt. What are you waiting for...put that into action right now!

2. Love LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the king of professional social media. It is an incredible job searching tool – you just need to know how to use it to your advantage. From using LinkedIn groups to find hiring authorities and uploading your virtual CV, to including the relevant keywords and skills in your profile, LinkedIn is the ideal platform for showcasing yourself.

3. Reach out

Don’t be afraid to reach out to your friends via social networks about what you’re looking for. There is no reason not to utilise your existing contacts in the search for a job. Just remember, your friends don’t want to listen to you complaining about how you are still unemployed as many of them are probably in the same boat. Keep it upbeat and you will likely receive positive responses in return.

4. Keep it classy

Tweak your social media privacy settings before it’s too late. The last thing you want is potential employers stumbling across photos of you enjoying your latest debauched night on the town. Keep your main profile picture classy at all times and think twice before you post anything. Get in the habit of Googling yourself on a regular basis, this way you will know what a potential employer might find.

5. Get engaged

No, we’re not talking weddings!

Engage with the brands you love. Like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and connect with them on LinkedIn. Find where they are active and start sharing your enthusiasm for them. Before you know it you’ll have recruiters flooding your inbox with requests for you to join their team and job application forms.

Social media can help with your studies too!

But even before you get to the job hunting stage, you should become social media savvy during your time at university as it really can help with your postgraduate studies.

Here’s how:

  • Researching a potential course & university – even before you apply for your postgraduate program, social media can help you find out what other students have thought about the course. It will also help you understand what life on the campus is like or how the online learning environment operates. Use social media to see what people are saying about the university and to chat with current students to find out if they would recommend the course.
  • Networking – social media is a great aid to networking. Most postgraduate courses and departments will have a social media page or group, and you should be a member of these groups as this could help you find out about other related academic groups. This way you can contact other students and researchers who have similar interests to you and discuss topics online. If you attend any in-person networking events, follow these up by reaching out to people you meet on social media. It will remind them of your meeting and allow you an easy way to contact them in the future.
  • Publicising your research – if you are planning a career in academia, then you will need to publish your research work in academic journals. It's best to start doing this as early as you can, and bear in mind that getting it published will require the help of your lecturers and tutors. Once your research is published there is more work to be done, as you need to promote your work so that people will discover it and read it – you can publicise your achievement on social media.
  • Postgraduate student blogs – for those postgraduate students who are planning a career in the media and journalism, then getting involved with the student newspaper is a long-standing tradition. Almost all universities will now have blogs for and about their current students and you should get involved with these too. If you have had your blog published, then make sure also promote it on social media. This could be considered as important as promoting published research material.

Related articles

Choosing A Job

The Importance Of Networking During Your Postgraduate Studies

Why You Should Blog About Your Postgraduate Life

Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries

 

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