So when I say “Social Media can help you get a job” The replies are usually, only if you happen to be chatting to the right person, I didn’t think of Facebook like that or Yes I heard something about Twitter and jobs.

Social Media Helps Job Seekers Find Work

Social Media is powerful and if you are currently looking for a job.  You should be taking social media very seriously and be looking at what it can do for you.

Look at yourself as the product & that you now need to be marketed. Why? because “how are employers going to find out about you?” If you want opportunities to come your way then you have to be found.

In this economy knowing how to market yourself and using all the tools available for you to do that will most definitely help with attracting a job offer.

So what makes you unique? what is your niche? What topics can you talk about? Spend some time thinking about what companies you would like to work for and who your ideal employer would be. With that in mind what do you think your ideal employer is searching for?  You may ask “ Are employers searching online?” 80% of employers search for ideal candidates on line, even when companies are not immediately recruiting they are browsing for potential candidates for their talent pool.

So what attracts them to you?  Content bait! Get it out there across the platforms.

• Get a blog started and write about your expertise, micro blog, join in discussions on forums and answer relevant questions in your field.

• Get a vlog going (video blog) and show up everyday with a 3 minute chat and post it on youtube, this is one way of really quickly being found.

• Upload relevant pictures onto Flikr, do power point presentations on slideshare or even record and upload an audio presentation.

All of this is bait and if you do this with your ideal employer in mind then it’s only a matter of time before you get found.

Once you’re found then direct them from your bait via a link to your destination, this could be your own web page or a professional profile where the employer can find out more about you and what you do.

Make sure that any potential employers do not follow a trail of conflicting messages, ie a professional blog, some good comments in a forum, a great topical video then a careless comment on Facebook and then a scandalous photo someone has tagged you in.

If an employer starts to follow your bait the last thing you want them to find is something that puts you in a bad light, so manage everything that you are putting out there.

Make social media part of your marketing strategy

Julie Bishop is a guest blogger on Blogging4Jobs.  She is the founder of http://www.jobhop.co.uk, a job networking community for job seekers and employers.  Check out Julie on Twitter @jobhopjulie.