4 Tips to Follow Companies on Social Media (and 5 Reasons Why)

4 Tips to Follow Companies on Social Media (and 5 Reasons Why) 4 Tips to Follow Companies on Social Media (and 5 Reasons Why) There are so many moving parts to a job search- writing resumes and cover letters, searching for jobs online, reaching out to people in your network for connections, and more. And now we’re asking you to throw social media into the mix? Yes, but there are some very good reasons to follow companies on social media. Before we get into how to follow companies you’d like to work for on social media, let’s talk about why the effort is worth it for your job search. 4 Reasons Why Following Companies on Social Media Is Worth It To Quickly Hear About Openings: Often times, companies will announce job openings on their social media accounts as soon as they’re available. To Interact with Recruiters: It’s increasingly difficult to find a recruiter’s direct email address these days, but many of them are active on sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, so social media gives you another route to make contact. To Show You’re Not Scared of New Things: This is especially helpful for older job seekers where ageism is a concern. Being active on social media as part of your job search shows that you’re willing to try new things and adapt your skills. Because Companies Use Social Media to Recruit: Not only can you find individual recruiters on social media, but companies have started creating whole social media accounts for their hiring efforts. To Reinforce Your Brand as a Candidate: The more times a recruiter sees you on various social media channels, the more memorable you become. Seeing your image, your name, and your best professional attributes displayed over and over again on sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, About.me, and even Pinterest and Instragram solidifies who you are in a recruiter’s mind. Now, let’s focus on HOW to follow companies on social media: 1. Find the best social media profiles to follow. Most companies will have at least a basic presence on social media, so, for each company you’re interested in, be sure to follow their main accounts on social media. I recommend going to the companys careers website to find  direct links to its  social media accounts. Or, you can search the Guide to the Best Flexible Companies to find the most relevant social media profiles for each company. For example, on its company page, you can see that the National Resources Defense Council is active on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, as I mentioned, some companies have active social media profiles specific to hiring, so scope out what each company offers for social media, and follow the most appropriate channels. Two good examples are Dell (@CareersAtDell) and UnitedHealth Group, which has several Twitter accounts for hiring, such as @UHGTechJobs for tech jobs and @UHGPM_OpsJobs for project management hiring. 2. Check out the bells and whistles. Companies are able to do a number of interesting things on social media. “Some of these employers may give you the opportunity to submit a resume (but not complete an application for a specific job), or sign up for newsletter emails about upcoming events and openings,” writes Rachel Giza at icims.com. “It’s not a bad idea to take advantage of this option, because in doing so, you’ll not only help take the search out of job searching, but the employer can now contact you directly to ask you to apply for a specific job, should the opportunity arise.” 3. Don’t forget job search hashtags. Hashtags, used on sites like Twitter and denoted by the pound sign (#), are supposed to make it easier for people to engage in conversations on the same topics, and also see what everyone is saying about a particular subject. When it comes to social media and hiring, companies sometimes use hashtags like #joblisting or #nowhiring to draw attention to their listings. For example, on Twitter, the hashtag #nowhiring has job listing alerts for openings in customer service, construction, account management, manufacturing, and art. 4. Connect with recruiters on LinkedIn after you apply to jobs online. After you’ve applied for a job with a company, find some of their hiring managers and recruiters on LinkedIn, recommends Stacy Donovan Zapar on TheUndercoverRecruiter.com. Zapar’s advice is fantastic: “Send introduction requests through LinkedIn to those people. Introduce yourself, let them know that you’ve applied online via their careers page and you’d like to follow up directly to reiterate your strong interest. Be specific about which position(s) you’re referencing, not just a general I really want to work for your company message. Important: Highlight how you match their requirements and can contribute in the role (i.e., how you can help THE TEAM), not just why you’re interested and how great a fit it is for YOU. If this person is not the decision maker, then he/she will need to go to bat for you so make their job easier (and more effective) by giving them some concrete details to work with.” Readers, what other tips do you have for how to follow companies on social media? Share them in the comments below!