Job hunting is incredibly competitive, no matter what field you are in. It takes a mix of experience, personality, and sheer luck to make the right connections and find a job worth keeping. Thankfully, if you are a healthcare professional, Radius is here to help, as we staff for a variety of roles all across the country!
For those who are not in healthcare, there are other great ways to make those meaningful connections that you need to further your career. Social media websites have made making connections easier, but have created a market so active that it can be hard to differentiate yourself. Worst of all is that you could leave a memorable impression that less than favorable and will certainly work against you. To maximize your time on these websites and ensure that you are only leaving the best of impressions, follow these tips here!
Do: Connect with people in your field
LinkedIn is designed to be a professional social media website. While there are some groups and people that about non-professional situations, most people understand and welcome the ability to make more formal and focused connections and conversation. Use the search function to find people who match with your preferred title or are a part of your dream company to start making a name for yourself with all the right people.
Don’t: Use LinkedIn as a dating app
While people are very interested in connecting socially on LinkedIn, it should be remembered that they are not interested in connecting romantically. No matter how long the connection has been active or how great of a conversation you may have had in the past, the truth of the matter is that LinkedIn is not a dating website.
Refrain from asking excessively personal questions, such as someone’s romantic preferences or history, and no do not continue to message people who have seen and not answered a message. They are telling you politely that they are not interested in continuing the relationship and that should always be respected.
Do: Post actively
Making posts that have engaging media is a great way to spark discussion with a target group. There is a balance to posting, though. Unless you are actively informing others on developing news, you should keep your posts between 3-7 posts a week, assuming that you only post once a day. Posting too often can have an adverse effect on those who you are trying to make meaningful connections with, so pick your most engaging topics and get started.
Don’t: Post controversial topics
Controversial topics can be tempting to post because they are sure to get engagement, but is that the kind of attention you are truly interested in getting on a professional platform? Everything you do online, from your posts to your interactions and comments, can and will be seen by people who are interested in you as an employee. If your interactions are volatile, inappropriate, or otherwise unsettling to hiring managers or background checkers, it may be used as a reason not to pursue your application to future roles. Be careful with your content and think twice before posting.
Do: Join groups that in line with your desired career
Groups on Facebook are genuinely useful. From local communities using it to stay informed and communicate to people who are looking for new friends or careers, there is a Facebook group for everything. Joining too many groups can prove to be time consuming and exhausting to keep track of, but choosing two or three focused and quality groups for your preferred profession is a great way to actively interact with those in your desired field before even being hired.
Don’t: Repeatedly ask to join groups after being denied
Even in a Facebook group, no means no. Not all Facebook groups are open to the public, so people interested in joining those groups must request membership. If you are denied by the group, whether they give a reason or not, you need to move on to finding another group. Continued pestering and pushing for an answer you would prefer will only land you in hot water with the page’s moderators, who are likely founding members of the group and the very same people you are looking to positively connect with.
Do: Apply to Facebook Jobs
Facebook jobs is not the most famous jobsite, by any means, but it does offer a variety of opportunities to apply to with easy access. Set time aside to apply to a few job postings each day. If you think you might have applied to the position elsewhere, you can still submit an application through Facebook jobs. People looking for candidates will not be upset to see the resume of a qualified professional show up multiple times, so long as it came through with proper efforts, meaning without spamming, sending in the resume unsolicited, or calling repeatedly.
Don’t: Hit ‘Apply to All’
As tempting as the ‘Apply to All’ button is on Facebook Jobs, the truth is that it works against you. The search and filter functions on the Facebook job boards are not perfect, so even with best intentions of playing the field in mind, applying to all posting that come up within a search is a waste or your time and a potential employer. Without reading the job postings, you can be applying to jobs that are far beneath or far above your current skill level which will waste your time with calls for positions you don’t care for and your company’s time as they deny your application.
Do: Follow companies that you are interested in
Following companies that you are interested in pursuing is a great way to keep well informed about the company itself and any new job postings. Twitter only allows for short posts, but, because of that, it is more common to post more often on Twitter, so continue to be careful about how many groups you prefer to follow before you being reaching out.
Don’t: Flood your feed
For the same reason as listed above, itis imperative to note that flooding your feed can be more detrimental than you think. Not only can it become impossible to keep up with the news of individual companies, but it is also much more likely to make you feel burned out as you try to do exactly that. When job hunting, there is no question that one can benefit from playing the field, but do it in a responsible manner without exhausting yourself in the process.
Do: Interact with posts
Proper post interactions are an easy and simple way to say to companies ‘I am here and I am interested’. You’re not directly applying to a specific role or necessarily having an in-depth conversation, but you are ensuring that the company will have some record of your name when the time comes for you to apply. This is a great way to open a conversation as to why you are genuinely interested in the company and have been before a role was even available for you.
Don’t: Have a full interview in the comments section
Sometimes, a company will respond to commenters. In scenarios like the Wendy’s Twitter, most of those replies are not exactly subtle or helpful to job hunting, though they are entertaining. Often, companies may instead ask you a question about how you engage with them in order to keep up that relationship. This is a great time to ask short clarifying questions, but certainly not the right time to attempt to have a full interview. You can inquire about job postings, processes, news, and the like, but stay away from deeper questions, such as specific job roles and responsibilities, especially because the person who runs the social account is often not the same person that you would be interviewed by.
Do: Join community with other professionals and job hunters
Reddit is home to a variety of communities, some child and family-friendly and others that are not so much. Thankfully, these groups are well divided, so finding one that is interesting to you based on what type of career you are looking to pursue will not be difficult. The groups can vary in size and activity, but each of them will have people with different information, skills, or viewpoints from your own, which can only help when looking for a new job.
Don’t: Engage in arguments
Reddit is great for so many reasons, but it can become volatile without much of a warning. Because of this, communities have moderators, also known as mods, who keep an eye on chats and shut down, suspend, or ban accounts that break the page’s rules. If someone tries to engage in an argument for any reason, walk away or flag it and let the moderators do their jobs. You are there to look for a job and grow as a person, not to fight with random strangers online.
Do: Post actively about open jobs
Maybe you found a job posting that looks great but it just is not the right one for you. As much as that can be a bummer, a great way to make friends and contacts on reddit would be to contribute this knowledge so others may gain from it. Helping others find new avenues for careers and information is one of many ways to link yourself with others who will be willing to return the favor later on.
Don’t: Lie about job postings or company information
Lies are sprinkled throughout the internet, but you do not need to be joining in. Whether it is for the sake of a prank or because you are attempting to sabotage the answers of others, be sure not to lie about job postings or a company’s information. Not only can you bring the moderator’s attention to you, leading you to get booted from the community, but you can also bring the company’s attention to what your comments which could sour your relationship with them from the get-go.
Do: Create a professional account
Professional accounts are neither new nor odd. Where your private account can be focused on showing off vacation photos, times out with friends, kids, or any other memory you are interested in showing to others, professional accounts focus on volunteering efforts, degrees, and other memories that highlight the best parts of your career and personal betterment.
Don’t: Link a professional account to a personal one
No company thinks that your professional account is your only account, but linking them publicly makes the professional one completely unnecessary. It is not uncommon to link multiple accounts that are run by the same person in the profile description, but doing so almost ensures that people will follow it back to your other account. Instead, do not be ashamed or upset if people as for both accounts, but always start with and specify that you have a professional one before offering your personal account. Start with your best foot forward!
Do: Follow and interact with companies you are interested in
With most forms of social media, following and interacting with news and updates is a great way to foster a positive relationship before even applying to a specific job. When companies post on Instagram, it is usually to talk about job postings or company events, so prepare appropriate and easy responses that are beyond simple emojis but do not exceed a sentence or two.
Don’t: Slide into company DMs
Memes are funny, but they are also a great way to talk yourself out of a job. If you are in need of answers to a genuine question, check the profile to ensure that they have not provided an alternate means of contact. If they have, use it. If they have not, then it is okay to direct message them, but use professional language. Slipping into casual language or setting a company up for a joke is funny online, but rarely works out in your favor when brought up in a job interview.
TikTok
Do: Follow companies and professionals
TikTok has become a hub of both entertainment and education. Companies, professionals, and field experts have all taken to TikTok to give an insight to the slice of life that comes with their profession. Sometimes, videos focus on fun dances, memes, or common experiences that are entertaining and serve a bonding experience for all those who have experienced it. Other times, the videos can focus on educating others about types or jobs, roles, responsibilities, or general education that has to do with the field. It is entertaining and interesting, so following and keeping up to date with the company there is not particularly difficult.
Don’t: Get annoyed that they are posting on TikTok
Even if a company has a TikTok and is posting, it does not mean that they have free time. Employees and companies can record or prerecord videos to post at set times, so even if you are waiting to hear back about an application or waiting in the lobby of a store for help, being upset on a TikTok is a great way to be remembered for all the worst reasons.
Do: Message companies that offer to talk about jobs and open their DMs
TikTok does not require you to have open DMs, so if a company does and actively advocates as so in their videos, feel free to connect with them that way. Talk about video content, interests, and keep simple but open communication. Just like we have discussed before, avoid starting a full interview in their DMs, but don’t be afraid of connecting outside of the comments section in a way that is natural.
Don’t: Post your resume and personal information publicly
The fastest way to get doxed is to do it yourself. While TikTok might seem like an interesting place to put your resume and show off your experience, doing so is a great way to put out a ton of personal information that can be used to find you in person. Avoiding posting with your full real name, referencing exactly where you live, or posting your work history. TikTok resumes are a great idea for people already in the public eye, but if you are not interested in the dangers of having your information accessible to the world, then send your resumes in an email.
Job hunting can be exciting when you feel like you have found a good lead, but what happens on the internet rarely stays only on the internet. Keeping general guidelines of internet safety and kindness in mind will help ensure that you get the most of your experiences when searching for a new opportunity on social media. If you are a healthcare professional who is interested in working with specialized recruiters, then send us a resume here or apply to an open job here and we will connect with you!
