Social media has provided more obstacles and opportunities to college graduates in their job searches. Linda’s infographic provides us with information that over 49% of employers and over 67% of potential employees use social media (Peacock-Landrum). Employees are often afraid of using social media because employers do look at social media when considering candidates, but utilizing social media can be the reason that you are chosen over another candidate. Using techniques to tailor your social media page to reflect qualities that would be attractive to an employer can provide you with an advantage over other candidates. Although there is a worry about using social media in a job search because of the negative aspect, social media could arguably be the most helpful tool in a job search.

There are plenty of reasons to be nervous about using social media and its effect on a job search. Illustrated by Jennifer Preston, employers have been using social media in job searches for years. Employers have been running criminal background checks for years, however a background check cannot illustrate any inappropriate remarks such as sexist, racist, homophobic or encouraging words in any way. Employers want to create a safe and supportive environment and using social media can provide a glance into a job hunters vocabulary (Preston). David Phelps in his article “Before a Job Hunt, Put a Lid on Tweets,” addresses that even experienced job hunters make mistakes when posting on social media (Phelps). There are things that need to be filtered out before a job hunt in order to ensure your professional image can be kept on social media.

Social media can help new graduate students market themselves to potential employers: by tailoring their page, and finding where employers are looking, they can increase visibility. According to researchers at Mayo clinic in Minnesota, 73% of employers are looking for employees on LinkedIn while only 31% of potential employees have accounts (2). By being proactive and finding where employers look for employees, an employer can find job candidates instead of the job seeker finding the employer. This helps the employer find people faster and gives employers a chance to contact potential employees instead of waiting for employees to contact them first. This also helps potential employees find places where their employers are looking for information and new employees. According to the Charlotte Post, an employer is more likely to look on linked in for an employee than on YouTube, however an inexperienced job seeker may not know where potential employers are looking. Finding the employers on social media can give potential employees a chance to make an account on the same social media site where the employer may see them (Anonymous).

An overlooked use of social media is previewing a work environment, in “Where Did Your Graduate End Up” Stacey Patton suggested that looking on social networking pages of potential coworkers can help a new employee become better suited to a work environment. The new employee can see the attitudes and personalities of their new coworkers in a way that will help them become more knowledgeable about the work they are getting into (Patton). For example, how the workplace is structured. If a job seeker is looking for a job as a counselor, they will need to know how they are overseen, if the employees are closely monitored, or if the employees are independent. Learning about a workplace structure before applying for or accepting a job can help a job seeker find the right environment for their needs, as well as let them know what they should expect in terms of structure and support from their employer.

The use of social media gives job seekers a way to demonstrate their skills for potential employers to see. According to Andy Pham, personalizing a page for employers can not only increase visibility, but can also show the job seekers accomplishments. Showing accomplishments in day-to-day life will show that you are involved in learning about and advancing in your field outside of work and proves a genuine interest in a job field (Pham). Some fields may not use social media in recruitment as often, for example Healthcare uses social media heavily in recruitment. According to Selvam in an article about social media tools, learning if your work field looks at social media before making a social media page can help save you time and effort in tailoring if it is not something that employers or fields look at for recruiting.

Social media is a growing resource for both employers and employees, and has created all new jobs to search through social media. According to Brotherton’s magazine article in Training and Development, investing money in companies such as Max Strecker’s which look deep into an individual’s social media page, will reward both employers and provide jobs for new people (24). According to James Dowd, hiring companies that specialize in social media to do background searches can help businesses focus on things relevant to the job such as accomplishments and attitude, instead of life circumstances and experiences that may impact how employers would view their employees (529).

A good way for job seekers to see what employers can see is to google themselves. Mary Beth Marklein suggests google because it is a search engine that has access to all of the web pages, and many employers use it. Seeing what potential employers see can help you polish up what a job seeker wants visible or off the internet, and it can help the seeker to prepare for what could be exposed about their life to the new company. Knowing what to be prepared for and finding ways to positively expose their accomplishment can help a potential employee find a focus for their interviews.

In conclusion, social media is not always a scary thing when in a job search. While some job fields don’t use social media in recruiting, many use social media for more than looking for inappropriate content. Social media can be used to promote your accomplishments and attitude. Employers do look on social media for potential employees, and before they hire employees to ensure the employees will be supportive in the workplace. Employees can also look into work environments to make sure the environment will be supportive of their personal and career growth, as well as a supportive environment for their beliefs and needs. Social media is a part of employment and should be taken advantage of both from job seekers and recruiters.