How Social Media can help you get that job!

(Content taken from SOAS Careers Service)

Are you getting the most out of social media when it comes to looking for jobs? Whether you want to find out about new companies, explore different job roles, or market yourself to future employers, see our overview of how to make the most of the following online tools:

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking site, with over 100 million users. It is free to join and relatively easy to set up a profile. Unlike Facebook, it is a business orientated site, where companies and individuals build connections and network.  You do not have to already be in employment to join LinkedIn, in fact, there is a dedicated area relating to students.

You can use LinkedIn to:

• Market yourself. Put together a professional online ‘CV’ that demonstrates your skills and motivations. Ask past employers or tutors to endorse your work through recommendations. Employers look for potential candidates on LinkedIn and some recruiters search out candidates on the site so it is a good way of marketing your skills and experience.
• Find vacancies and get recruited. Employers are increasingly advertising jobs on LinkedIn so use it to find vacancies. There is an easy to use job search tool whereby you can get job alerts sent to you. Add as many of your skills as possible to your profile to ensure that you come up when recruiters search for candidates.
• Build up your network. Start by connecting with friends, family, other students on your course and people you have worked with or interned with in the past. Join your school and university alumni groups as this will contact you to hundreds more people. You can also invite people to join LinkedIn and connect with them.
• Use your network. Find out information about jobs, sectors and organisations by asking relevant people in your network. Use the connections you have to open up new connections, which may in turn lead to opportunities. Use LinkedIn networks to information interview, pose questions on group discussion pages and look at other people’s profiles to get a sense of how their careers have developed in particular industries.
• Engage with companies. Find organisations you are interested in and follow them, thereby getting up to date information on what the organisation is doing, its profile and whether it is hiring at the moment. Ask organisation contacts about culture of the organisation, what it’s like to work there and how they got their job.
• Join groups that are in the field you are interested in and link up to like-minded people, post questions and demonstrate to employers that you have an active interest in the field.

Twitter

Companies and organisations use Twitter to provide information about what they are doing as well as posting job vacancies. You don’t have to tweet yourself but doing so can demonstrate to employers that you are engaged and interested in the industry.

You can use Twitter to:

• Follow companies, people, organisations of interest and brands to get industry insight and keep up to date. Tweet questions and ask for information or advice, which can contribute to your online networking activities.
• Use # (hashtags) for a quick way of searching for particular roles. For example, search for #internship to bring up each tweet that has been tagged with that term. Ensure that your tweets are positive and informed so as to give potential employers a good impression.
• Follow jobsites to get the latest vacancies and follow QM Careers to keep up to date with career events and news.

Facebook

Whilst Facebook is not a business website, you may wish to use it for the following:

• Follow organisations that use Facebook for marketing, recruitment and updating information on their activities.
• There may be people in your Facebook network that work for organisations that you are interested in.  You could send them an email through Facebook asking them quick, informal questions to get a bit more information.
• QM Careers has a facebook page where we will post information on current jobs, information on careers events and careers related articles and links.

Blogs

Large organisations often have blogs written by their graduate trainees or interns which give insight into the company. Be aware that these are likely to have been vetted by the company themselves so may not present the most balanced information. Unofficial blogs can give more insight but keep an open mind when reading them.

You may wish to show future employers your writing skills, your interest in a subject area and your engagement with an industry through writing your own blog. This is especially useful for careers which require you to demonstrate strong writing skills e.g. journalism.

YouTube

YouTube is the second largest search engine and as such, is a good way to find out more information about companies and what it is like to work for them.  Larger companies often post information and advice on interviewing and assessment centres.  You can also use YouTube to get information from careers professionals on different aspects of job hunting and find ‘how to’ videos on setting up profiles, writing CV’s etc.  We have produced some short videos interviews of QM Graduates talking about their jobs., which are posted on our YouTube channel.

Using social media to get a job

It’s no secret that your ‘online presence’ on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter is important in your job search and career management. Social media networks are now well established methods of recruitment.

It’s vital, then, to know how employers are using these sites so that you can manage your profiles to get maximum results. Recent research by US company Bullhorn Reach*, gives us insight into which sites recruiters are using and what the reality is.

Which networks are recruiters using?
LinkedIn leads the way, being used by over 90% of recruiters who use social media to recruit. While some use LinkedIn in combination with Facebook or Twitter, 48% are using only LinkedIn for their social media recruiting. Around 21% of recruiters use all of these top three social networking sites, but the figures for those using Twitter or Facebook alone are very small  – only 1%.

How might I be recruited via social media?
There are many ways you can find a job (or a job can find you!) via social media. The research shows that each job advertised on LinkedIn gets looked at by almost 6 times more people than jobs on Facebook. So companies looking for candidates are increasingly advertising in this way.

What’s really interesting is the major way that social media is transforming recruitment through the use of connections and networks. Companies big and small (as well as recruitment agencies) are using the power of social media to find candidates and make their recruitment more efficeient. Here’s what Sjoerd Gehring, Accenture’s global social media and employee referral lead, said, “It’s incredibly important that we get referral hiring right. LinkedIn Referral Engine is a huge piece of our strategy for increasing referrals at Accenture.”

Action priorities:
If you already have a LinkedIn profile, review it. Is it up to date? Does it contain the terms and key words that a recruiter would search for? Who’s in your contacts and network? How can you develop what you have?

Don’t have a LinkedIn profile? You know what you need to do! You’ll find good support on setting up your profile at http://www.linkedin.com/home.

Either way, come along to one of our LinkedIn Labs. The next one runs on 19^th March. Find out more at http://www.careers.qmul.ac.uk/events/index.html.

*2012 Bullhorn Reach Social Recruiting Activity Report. See the infographic at http://www.bullhornreach.com/cmsites/default/files/RecruitersSocialNetworking-Bullhorn-final.png

Further interesting reading at:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/02/21/5-reasons-why-your-online-presence-will-replace-your-resume-in-10-years/2/

Ten tips for career success from leaders of top graduate employers

Some interesting tips and advice from Target Jobs for you to think about over the winter holiday…

Insights from leaders to help you succeed at work

1. Believe in yourself, because if you don’t you can’t sell anything to anybody. Don’t act differently, whomever you’re talking to. Most successful people are the same in the office as they are at home. And believe what you’re doing is important. Jo Taylor, head of learning and 4Talent at Channel 4
2. Things that seem enormously important today might not be so in six months’ time. Experience has taught me the importance of keeping work and life in perspective. Jonathan Evans, director general of MI5
3. Don’t worry about what degree you’re studying – personal qualities are more important. Be clear about what you want in a career. At the interview stage, we are looking for people with a clear purpose and a firm view of what they want to do. Simon Levene, global practice group leader (intellectual property and technology group) at DLA Piper
4. You need to hear the meaning behind the words. If you don’t listen carefully you can lose the support of your team which is why I attend roadshows, read blogs and have a laugh with colleagues. When you’re a senior person, you need to work even harder at listening beyond the words. Simon Kirby, director of infrastructure investment projects at Network Rail
5. Network, network, network. Pro-actively build your personal and professional network, both online and face-to-face. Develop a ‘personal brand’ at work. Be positive, adaptable and adopt a can-do attitude. You will discover very early that people like working with positive people. Sarah Fisher, HR director at Microsoft
6. You tend to find that people in leadership roles are very active outside their day-to-day job. Nobody tells them to do it. They do it because it’s their natural inclination – whether that means organising a society, playing sport, writing their own book, it doesn’t matter. Mike Maddick, head of graduate resourcing and development at The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
7. Creativity and adaptability are important skills to have now because change is constant and relentless. Business models are evolving with more focus on developing entrepreneurial behaviour within firms, even in traditional professions like law. Victor Tettmar, managing director at Bond Pearce
8. Expect the unexpected in all sorts of guises. Be clear and honest – if you’re not, believe me you’ll be found out and it can have a destructive effect on you and the people you work with. Air chief marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, chief of the air staff, Royal Air Force
9. At a junior level you can be totally driven and influenced by what’s immediately in front of you. Life has taught me to always look beyond the deadline; to take a longer-term perspective. It’s easy to be pulled into what is urgent and immediate and lose focus of the bigger picture. Cathy Bell-Walker, finance partner and global board member at Allen & Overy LLP
10. I understand how we market the business [and how the market works] and I’m comfortable with financial analysis. Note to students reading this: to succeed in any business you need to develop these two skills. Russell Barnes, divisional director of Midway Developments at Merlin Entertainments

Tweet your way to career success this Winter

Yes, it’s possible to get a job in 140 characters! Don’t believe us? Take a look at the Guardian Jobs Blog http://careers.guardian.co.uk/careers-blog/graduate-twitter-job-seeker-employed for a real story of how it worked.

Whatever methods you are using to search for jobs, internships or work experience, one main challenge you’ll face is how to get noticed, so it’s worth considering how social media can bring a fresh approach.  Networking and thinking creatively about job hunting are useful tactics to try!

For further information and inspiration, go to the resources section of our website and see the downloadable leaflets in the job hunting advice section. Those that relate to this topic are: ”Find and apply for unadvertised jobs’, ‘Proactive job hunting’, ‘Networking’, ‘Networking online’ and ‘Networking questions’.

Script writing opportunities

A good place to start looking for script writing work experience is on campus!

1. Get involved in clubs and societies where you can produce marketing and promotional material or work on the society website where you post about events and activities.

2. Apart from clubs and societies, the Students’ Union has publications such as the weekly newspaper QMessenger and fortnightly arts and culture magazine CUB which you could write for.

3. Some schools and departments publish regular newsletters featuring a student section. You could talk to your department and see if they have any opportunities for you to write for them.

When researching script writing opportunities off-campus, try approaching TV and radio stations, film councils and theatres for example.

Find out from local or regional theatres and arts centres if they run initiatives for new writers.

You could check the credits of TV shows and films and note the writers’ names. You could follow them on LinkedIn which would be a great way to network in the industry. You never know, it may even result in securing a job opportunity.  Other useful resources include:

• In the BBC Writers Room you can send your work, search for opportunities, gain writing tips and much more. You can also follow them on twitter
• Skillset is a website for the creative industries. Here you can find out more about relevant courses, careers, funding and more
• The Scriptwriting in the UK blog contains useful tips on the sector, articles, downloads and services to get scripts checked
• The Arvon Foundation runs short courses on script writing
• ScreenWriters’ Friend is a guide to writing scripts and screenplays for film. It also contains links to useful sites, articles resources and information about agents
• The Script Factory is a filmmakers’ organisation that supports new screenwriting talent. They offer training, events, script feedback and more
• The Writers’ Guild of Great Britian supports writers across media
• The Guardian Careers hosted a question and answer session about routes into screenwriting
• The Prospects ‘Writer’ role profile to find out more about the skills and activities involved in being a writer
• Also try these twitter hashtags which may contain relevant information or networking opportunities: #scriptchat and #writersfestival.

Networking – what do I ask?

Networking is about making connections with people. These people could be from school, a part-time job, a friend of a family member, or somebody you met at a careers event.  Networking is not just about people who you have met face to face. Online social networking is also an important option to explore. There are Facebook groups for various professions and LinkedIn (a networking site for professionals) is also gaining popularity, so you can start to build up your network in a number of ways relatively quickly.

But, once you have made these contacts it can be difficult to know how they could help you and what you should be asking them! This will probably depend on what stage of your job search you are at.

If you are deciding what sort of career area might be right for you try the following sorts of questions:

• What made you choose this career?
• What is the biggest reward you get from your job?
• What is the main reason people leave the job?
• Can you describe some actual examples of the sort of activities that your job involves?
• What is a typical day at work like for you?

If you are job hunting you could ask:

• What background experience is useful and how do people typically obtain it?
• Are there any particular types of experience or any courses that would be helpful to get into this area?
• Where and how are vacancies advertised?
• How did you get into this job?
• How competitive is the job market?

If you are making applications or preparing for interviews the following questions could give you information to help you impress employers and show that you really understand the role and the industry you are applying to:

• What are the most important current issues in this sector?
• Looking at the next 5 years, what do you think the main challenges facing the industry will be?
• Who are your major competitors?
• What would you look for on someone’s CV?
• What advice would you give to someone in my position?

You may decide that you know your contact well enough that it is appropriate to ask for favours. Make sure you consider this option carefully, as you don’t want to risk causing offence and risk loosing a potentially helpful person in your network.

• Are there any opportunities for work shadowing / voluntary work with you?
• Would it be possible to let me know if anything comes up which might be suitable for me?
• Who else do you think it would be good for me to talk to?

Improve your job hunting technique

The recent UK economic growth figures announced last week fell short of the official growth target however the Chancellor insisted that more jobs are being created.  This may leave you feeling uncertain as you search for graduate vacancies.  An important way to make you feel more confident in your job search is to reflect on how you are searching for jobs.  Here are some questions to begin with.

Have you come to QM Careers for initial direction for your job search – what are your career options and a shortlist of good websites to use?

Do you know how to use these websites, for example why would you go to a professional body’s website to look for jobs besides its vacancies page?

Do you know that not every vacancy is advertised and the ways to discover these hidden jobs?

These questions are some of the prompts from a New Scientist blog about job searching however these techniques also apply to students and graduates who are not looking for a science career so do have a read.

QM Careers is open throughout the summer, if you are a current student please bring along your student ID, if you are a recent graduate you must be a GradClub member to use Careers – currently we have a promotion to sign up to GradClub for FREE.

Exploring Careers in International Development

There are many ways to get into your desired career but some sectors seem trickier than others.  Students often find it hard to navigate the different routes into careers in international development.

The annual International Development Careers Event Evening hosts speakers from the industry discussing how to break into the sector and what it is like when you get there.

International Development Careers Event
Tuesday 26 July 2011 6pm-9pm
London School of Economics

This event could be a networking opportunity, come to Careers find out more about this, read more about how to get into international development careers and keep an eye on The Careers Group University of London blog Getting into International Development.

Make the most of your summer

Graduate employers are advising students to use summer to gain work experience.  Summer is a time to relax after all those exams and deadlines but it is also a great chance to have more time to reflect on your career plans.

An internship is a great way to gain work experience, make links with employers and get a better idea about what you want to do.  However if you do not have an internship lined up it is not the end of the world!  Here are some summer alternatives.

Build up your industry knowledge

Keep up to date with what is going on in different industries by reading news on their websites or industry journals.  Some newspaper broadsheets feature a different industry supplement each day of the working week.  You can read these for free in the university library and local public libraries.

You can attend industry courses and events.  Keep an eye on QM Careers Events Calendar and the adverts in the above publications.

Mentioning that you put yourself out there for events and to meet people can distinguish you from other applications you make in the future and also make yourself known to potential employers.  Being aware of what is going on in the working world can provide good ideas for when you are invited to ask interviewers a question at the end of the interview.

Get an insight into careers that interest you

After reading some job descriptions you could look into getting a practical insight into the work place.  You can ‘work shadow’ an employee in a relevant organisation for a few days.  You would spend time with the person to understand the work activities and practices involved in the role.

You can approach employers using your personal contacts or networking.  Some organisations offer career insight days during the spring and summer holidays but if not use the organisation’s website to find an appropriate departmental contact or call the HR department to ask for one.  You would then write to the organisation with a CV and application letter.  Remember you can book an appointment with Careers to go through it with an adviser.

Doing this shows initiative and can improve your CV by showing familiarity with the specific work place.

Practise, practise your skills

If you cannot arrange work shadowing in your preferred career areas you can still enhance your skills.  You can identify skills favoured in your preferred industry or more general workplace like negotiating with others, project management, problem-solving.

A part-time job shows that you have a responsible attitude to work, search for vacancies on JobOnline.  Volunteering can offer you valuable and challenging projects to work on and you can have a lot of fun whilst doing it, get some ideas from PROVIDE.  Entering competitions allows you to work on tasks set by employers, put together a proposal and make a tangible achievement.  Even if you don’t win you are showing a proactive and genuine interest.

It is a good idea to try to set and achieve a career-related goal during each of your summer breaks whilst at university.  So which ever year you are in, yes finalists too, visit Careers (WG3, Queens’ Building) to get started.

Confused?

5 steps to the job you want

On the evening of Thursday 9 June in Ground from 5.30pm – 7.30pm we’ll be hosting our annual Confused? event for finalists. Past students – once in your shoes! – will offer an insight into their career experiences and how they managed to work out their next steps after QM.

The event will help you to:

• Work out which jobs suit you
• Come up with career ideas
• Use networking effectively
• Get valuable experience
• Invent your own career
• Find hidden vacancies

The QM Careers team will also be on hand all evening to provide you with information, advice and contacts to help you decide what to do next.

To book your place, please visit QM Careers, Room WG3 of the Queens’ Building, with a £10 deposit which will be returned to you on your arrival at the event.