Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Social Media to Find a Job

Social Media

Social media has grown to become a highly prevalent and widely available facet of communication. As a result of this, businesses have come to rely on social media as an inexpensive yet effective form of marketing. Businesses also use social media to filter job candidates by examining said candidates’ social media profiles and determining if they are likely to be respectable employees. These factors work to the advantage of college graduates seeking a job, and can be leveraged as such. There are, however, disadvantages of relying on social media to get a job that could potentially cripple or even destroy a job seeker’s chances of getting hired.

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The reliance of businesses on social media creates excellent opportunities for graduates to leverage their social media in order to get a job. For example, social media now has its own sector of marketing and some businesses are scrambling to keep up with the rapid changes. If one is particularly knowledgeable in social media, they can use that knowledge to their advantage. Businesses are constantly seeking to overtake the competition and secure a larger share of the market.

A potential employee would simply have to point out the effectiveness of social media marketing and reveal their skill in the area to potentially convince the business to hire them as a social media marketer. This is a position that is becoming increasingly prominent in all sectors of business and one that will only continue to grow as the popularity of social media continues to skyrocket. Many businesses have not yet caught up with this trend due to lack of knowledge of social media. This presents a massive opportunity for college graduates with knowledge of social media who can simply present their skill to the business owners and are likely to be hired.

College graduates can also leverage social media in other ways to increase their chances of getting hired by any type of company. Graduates can take advantage of the filtering process used by a majority of employers by making their social media profiles more appealing.

Graduates can go through and remove any posts that may be vulgar or inappropriate as potential employers consider these things red flags that will severely damage one’s chances of getting hired. Employers will also thoroughly examine the contents of potential employees’ social media pages, including posts and pictures, to determine if the applicant is the person that they claim to be in their resume. College graduates can use this to their advantage and not only make intelligent posts, but also posts that showcase their experience and the various personal attributes that they listed on their resume.

Social media provides a transparency that graduates can take advantage of to further increase their chances of getting a job. Graduates can use businesses’ social media to research the company and learn more about not just who they are but also the culture of the company which is highly important in the process of selecting a job that is a good fit for the graduate. After determining the job and company that one is interested in, social media makes it easy to go one step further and research the employer and potential interviewer. By using social media sites such as LinkedIn one can quickly locate their potential employer. After finding said person it is a simple process to read through their profile and determine what their values are, what they stand for, and who they truly are. This makes it easy to not only create a resume that appeals to said employer, but also prepare for an interview with them. The plethora of information that social media provides makes it easier to tailor answers to common interview questions to suit any situation.

The advantages of employing social media to gain a job after college are numerous. By leveraging social media in one’s favor they gain an advantage over all of their less informed job competitors which makes them stand out in the eyes of the employer. This competitive edge is highly advantageous and will allow for a college graduate to get hired directly out of college.

Not only does social media allow one to get hired, but it enables them to get a job at a company that they know they will enjoy working for. The transparency provided by social media allows for graduates to easily determine which company has the culture that they feel will be the most enjoyable. Likewise, social media makes company values extraordinarily easy to learn which can further ensure that graduates pick a job that is a good fit for their moral values. By utilizing social media to secure a job one can learn valuable skills that can be utilized in the process of career advancement. As one gains experience with their job they can utilize social media to research other companies and employers to find the next step in their career. This presents a huge advantage as career development can be a difficult process when one lacks the edge that social media provides.

While using social media to get hired after college presents many advantages, it does have a few setbacks. If one is hired as a social media marketer due to their knowledge in social media and masterful resume and interview skills yet doesn’t fully comprehend the marketing aspect of their job they may be left without a job. Social media makes it considerably easier to get a job, but if one enters this field and lacks the comprehensive knowledge to do the job they will end up getting fired. While this scenario is relatively unlikely it does present a possible disadvantage.

If a graduate relies entirely upon social media to research a company, they may end up with misleading information. Companies utilize social media not only for marketing but for the purpose of presenting their company in their best light. This can lead to a social media page that makes the company appear positive and pleasant when in reality they may be an abysmal business to work for. Therefore, it is important for job seekers to remember that while social media is an excellent tool for getting a job, it is not infallible and should not be relied on completely.

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