Facebook & the job search

Endless memes, quests for likes and pictures of what all your friends are having for dinner. Facebook gets a bad rap sometimes, yet even those who complain the most will still have a quick nose through their newsfeeds.. but what about Facebook and the job search?

Can Facebook add any value to a job search?

There are many public groups available where a whole host of vacancies are posted for people to explore. A quick search through these pages show it’s a great platform for temporary opportunities, especially short term catering gigs or au pair positions for example. What about permanent roles within an industry you love?

Online profiles LinkedIn is no doubt the biggest platform for online professional profiles. People create a profile to make their career achievements accessible to a wider audience, to network with fellow industry figures and of course keep their eyes open for new opportunities.

Twitter is no stranger to networking and discussion possibilities. For example, we love the weekly #EcomChat which brings together ecommerce professionals for an hour of great chat. There are groups to join, current affairs within your industry and fellow professionals to follow. But what about Facebook? It is not unknown for prospective employers to check out a candidate’s social profile, and Facebook is often the most personal of insights into someone’s life away from the professional arena. All of this aside, should the actual candidate ever consider utilising Facebook themselves?

A quick poll

We ran a quick Twitter poll to ask the question: can you use Facebook in your job search? 63% of the respondents thought they could, while 37% were having none of it. Perhaps the latter group felt Facebook is not populated by genuine opportunities.

Have they looked hard enough? They don’t call it a job hunt for a reason… How can you use Facebook in your job search? Like and follow the right kind of pages. Many recruitment agencies have Facebook pages, to post news and job opportunities.

At cranberry panda, our specialisms across the ecommerce industry means we like to post varied roles throughout the week. (Psst…people have applied after seeing these posts!) Following on from this, be sure to like brands and companies you would love to work for. Every so often, they will shout about looking for new talent to join them.

Why is following these pages important?

If you have a spare five minutes, you might check your Facebook feed out of sheer boredom or curiosity. Following these pages means the right post might reach you in that spare five minutes…so it helps the job search even when you’re not actively searching! If you feel like your Facebook page is a bit bare in terms of your professional life, there are things you can do. Update your work information and education history as many people are guilty of overlooking this. Memes are hilarious, I can’t deny that.

However, try commenting on and sharing relevant industry information once in a while. Who cares if that friend of a friend doesn’t ‘like’ it…you will benefit from it! While Facebook won’t be as inundated with opportunities as LinkedIn, it doesn’t hurt to try and expand your network in different ways.

As long as you stick with relevant companies and research what is available, you might be pleasantly surprised. Searching for a new digital job? Come take a look at these juicy new ecommerce opportunities.