Happy & Healthy

4 ways to use social media to get the job

The first thing we do when someone applies for a job at Amayzine is look them up on Facebook. Does your page look alright (if we spot a #blessed you’ll land straight in the A file for apprehension), then we’ll go from there. You must be really naive if you think that all your social media channels are completely private, and it can make or break you getting a job or not.

I once fired an intern on the spot (who clearly hadn’t read this post) because of a clearly not thought out Instagram post. You might remember the story of the former editor in chief of a Dutch magazine called Jackie (a magazine that used to be sold in the Netherlands) in which a shopping had been made in the style of Rihanna, and for some reason the former editor in chief thought it would be a cool idea to title it ‘Niggabitch’. News travels fast in the digital world and before you knew it, Rihanna heard about it too and wasn’t pleased (to put it mildly). Long story short, the former editor in chief resigned from her position in the magazine only to then become one of the coolest interviewers and writers in the Netherlands. All's well, ends well.

So another long story short: social media exists, so you better make the best of it.

1. Critically go through your Facebook account

You’re put in a bit of an uncomfortable position when your new boss sends you a friend request on Facebook. You obviously don’t want to ignore it, but you also don’t want him or her to see all those photos of you being a sloppy drunk, barely dressed at some random party. Don’t worry, here’s your solution. Make most of your profile private. Make sure all the photos you’ve been tagged in are for your eyes only, as well as the posts people leave on your wall. This way, your boss won’t see how rowdy your weekend got, and you’ll have hilarious photos to look back on when you’re older.

”You’re put in a bit of an uncomfortable position when your new boss sends you a friend request on Facebook’

2. Show affinity with your field of work

Are you a fashion photographer but your entire Instagram is filled with photos of rare bird species, then to me you’ll appear as though you’re in the wrong line of work. Our sales director has a brother who lives in Japan and arranges trips for people visiting the country. When you check out his account @Kinjo, it exudes his love for the country and he has a great sense of style. So great in fact, that Instagram even started following him, and they only follow about 80 people. This is a prime example of how it should be done. I completely understand that not everyone has the gift to make a fantastic account, but it is smart to make it clear in which field you work in. Use Twitter when you come across an interesting article you read, or you like a message a colleague you wrote. Show your involvement.

3. LinkedIn

In some industries, having a good LinkedIn profile is extremely important. Make sure your page is creative so that you’ll stand out as a person. Instead of summing up your resume, write a fun text about what your life has been like. Not good at writing? Ask someone who is good at it. (Check out how to write the perfect resume here by the way.) Make sure you’ve got an appropriate photo and make a detailed summary of what your activities were at each job you had. Even better is when you ask people to leave you a review on your page.

4. Make a video

Want to stand out from the pile of resumes that get sent? Make a fun digital presentation of yourself in which you present who you are and why you’d be perfect for the job.

Good luck, and sending flowers as soon as you got the job never hurt either.