SOCIAL

MEDIA
INDEX
1. Get Found Confessions of an ex-headhunter

2. 6 tips for better networking

3. The right social media for your career search

4. Candidate screening through social media?

5. How to stand out?

GET FOUND
CONFESSIONS OF AN EX-HEADHUNTER

Finding a job can be a real pain. We have all been there; Going
through hundreds of job ads and writing just as many
applications, trying to find our perfect match without ever
hearing anything back. But what if you did not have to apply
for your dream job what if the dream job would find you?

Written by Anna Danielsson

As a job seeker scanning the
web for different job
opportunities and openings, it is
easy to underestimate the power
of the tools that are out there for
you to use in order to market
yourself.
I have spoken to so many people
who say they do not benefit from
platforms such as LinkedIn. But
when asking how much time
they invest in LinkedIn, the
answer is usually none.
I spent some time working as a
researcher within executive
search and headhunting. This
meant exclusively spending my
days tracking down people who
were more or less a perfect
match for a certain role for a
certain client. Everything from
length of work experience to
personal traits and skills, was
specified down to the smallest
detail.
My most important work tool? Keep your profile updated at all
LinkedIn times. Make sure you display
dates and avoid leaving gaps in
Regardless of whether you are
your resume which could raise
using LinkedIn, Xing, Viadeo or
suspicion.
another Social Professional
Network, I would like to share 2. What is the purpose?
some advice on how to use it in
This is a question which, from
order to get the most benefit.
my experience, few people
1. Update, update, update considered. What is really the
purpose of your profile?
If your profile does not display
what sort of education you have If you are looking for a job, then
and its length, or if you have not the purpose of your profile is to
updated your profile to contain attract recruiters. So, everything
your current employment, it may you write and display should be
raise concerns. targeted towards them.
For a Head Hunter, this could
mean that you are not their first
choice for the short list. For you,
it would mean that you are out.
They cannot see your potential
unless you give them some
background.
GET FOUND
3. Dont just write it show it!
What are the skills and qualities
you have that you want to show?
It is not only about what you
write, but also how you show it.
For example, you state that you
are a goal oriented person who
always deliver results. Great.
Now, to show this, you could
describe your past employments
by putting focus on the results
you have produced. Or if you are
a design nerd display your
work.
Be as concrete as you can and
let your personality and ambition
shine through.
4. Short or long?
Normally, I like to keep things
concise, short and clear, and this
rule also goes for your profile on
LinkedIn.
However, as a Head Hunter I
would always use a range of key
words in my search for the
perfect candidate. For you as a
job seeker, this means you
should try to use as many key
words as possible and of
course they should be in line
with the type of role and
organization you are looking to
be employed by. This increases
you chances of being
discovered.
5. Network your way forward -
offline and online
My second most important tool
as a Head Hunter was
networking. I used to talk to
someone, who then referred me
to someone else, who then
referred me to a third person
and I found a perfect fit!
For all networking activities, my
advice is to treat others the way
you want them to treat you; be
generous!
Do not lose faith, your perfect match
is out there. Help it find you!
6 TIPS FOR BETTER NETWORKING
WITH TEMPLATE

Its not what you know, its who you know. Recruiters love
referrals. More than 80% of job opportunities worldwide never
see the light of a screen, as they are available only through
networking. Its not that you dont know networking is
important. Its that it feels awkward to do it. If you find it hard
to put together a brief message to write to someone who could
have a big influence on your future, remember the 6 tips below.

Written by Alexandros Kilmpasanis

1. Show your value
Experienced professionals always
have their antennas open.
Nevertheless, they know how to
manage their time and when to
say no. When reaching out to
someone with more experience
and knowledge than you, dont feel
shy to introduce yourself and
make them care about your
background.
Ex.
Hello (name). My name is Alex
and have I been
studying/working on Marketing
for NGOs for over a year now.
Im reaching out to you because
you have had significant
experience in this field and I
would like to learn from your
expertise.
Bonus points: You have
researched their work and can
relate it to your own interests.
Also mention where you got their
details from.
The shorter and more ecient the 3. Respect the other persons time
message, the more likely it is to
When proposing a call or a
receive a reply. Be clear on what
meeting, keep in mind that the
you are asking for and go for the
other person has a pretty busy
small Yes/ No answers.
agenda. At the end of your
Ex. message, include suggested
timeslots, but also show flexibility.
How is the working culture in
your team like? - Long reply that Ex.
demands time. Try something
Would you be available for a
like: Im reaching out to learn
talk this week? Im free anytime
more about the culture in your
after 3 PM. Please let me know
team. Would you be available for
what time works best for you.
a call?
And on that aspect, keep the tone
of voice casual, but professional.
Too many formalities can come
across as cold. On the other hand,
you are not their friend.

2. Be specific, brief and

professional
NETWORKING SKILLS

4. Offer a way out
Sometimes a prospect connection
will not be able to help you. No
need to take it personally. That
person might just not have the
time, resources, or be familiar
enough with your work to help
you. At the same time, no one
wants to be impolite by having to
decline an otherwise honest
request.
Be flexible with your request.
Dont demand an outcome and
offer a way for your contact to outcomes, it will never feel
say no. It might be discouraging beneficial for both parties.
in the beginning, but it shows
Propose a lunch or a meet-up only
respect and puts you in a
to get to know someone and learn
positive light.
from their experience. Enjoy your
5. Check your grammar time and dont forget that if they
reply to your initial message, they
No comment.
are as open to learn from you as
6. Enjoy it! you are open to learn from them!
Remember that the outcome of
successful networking is not to
find a job. If you burden the
relationship with expected

Dear Mr. Kent,

My name is Peter and I have had experience in . Ive read about your
work in . /found your contact details on/through (mention source
or referral here) and I thought I could reach out to you to learn from
your experience in (field).

Would you be available for a talk this week? If yes, I would

recommend Tuesday at 3 PM. Otherwise please let me know when it
would be more convenient for you.

Thank you for your time. If there are any questions from your side, Id
be happy to answer them.

Best regards,

Peter Parker.
THE RIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA
FOR YOUR CAREER SEARCH

When you are looking for a job, internship or a company that matches
your interests, its sometimes hard to know where to start your search.
Most companies have a career website, but the number of companies and
employees using Social Media for recruiting or communication purposes
is growing. How to use these channels in your search for the right career?

Written by Elise van den Berg

Where to find employers on Social
and Professional Media?
When you visit a companys career
website and cant find all the
information you are looking for,
its worthwhile to check out their
profiles on Social Media. When
you want to join a company
abroad, keep in mind that
companies might use different
channels or use the channels you
are familiar with in a different way.
Below you can see which Social
and Professional Media channels
employers use and where.*
Where to find what?
LinkedIn: insights & jobs
It might not be a surprise that the
number one platform employers
use is LinkedIn. The vast majority
of employers around the globe are
on it.
Did you know that over 91% of
companies in the US and Asia, and
over 86% in Europe post their open
positions on LinkedIn? LinkedIn is
great to check recent updates
from companies and to find out
Try it out yourself and search on
who is working for the company.
You could even get in touch with
one of the employees.
When using LinkedIn, make sure
you have an updated profile
yourself, since more and more
companies use LinkedIn during
the application process to screen
a candidate.
One more recommendation: join
some company groups on
LinkedIn, where knowledge and
information is shared between job
candidates and employers.
YouTube: testimonials
YouTube is mostly used by
companies to post video
testimonials from employees,
providing you with additional
insights into life at the company
or useful tips for the recruitment
process.
YouTube for companies you would
like to work at. Its a perfect way
to find out if their company culture
or work life fits you.
Twitter: jobs & events
When you are looking for jobs,
Twitter is a good place to search.
Use hashtags like #job,
#internship or #career to find
opportunities yourself, or follow a
company to make sure you dont
miss out on the perfect position.
Also, many employers use
hashtags to inform about current
and future events on Twitter.

Asia 51% 41% 51% 89%

Europe 49% 43% 59% 95%
United States 74% 64% 69% 95%
 SOCIAL MEDIA & CAREER
SEARCH

Did you know that some
companies even organize virtual
career fairs on Twitter? When
using the right hashtags, you can
seek advice, discover vacancies,
get application tips and take part
in Q&A sessions during these
online events.
Facebook: insights & answers
Facebook is the best place to find
news updates about a company,
information about recruiting
events or insights into your future
work place and the company
culture. But, did you know that
Facebook is also a good place to
ask questions to employers? 21%
of employers in the US react to
questions on their timeline within 3
days. In Asia 9% and in Europe 18%
of the employers manage to do the
same**.
Sina Weibo: insights and interaction
When you are looking for a position
in China, Sina Weibo is the most
used platform by employers. You
can see it as a combination of
Facebook and Twitter. Employers
mostly use Sina Weibo to share
insights, events and news about
the company. You can also interact
with employers on Sina Weibo and
ask questions to employers
Instagram: personal insights
Have you ever used Instagram to
get to know a company? No? Try it
out and check if your potential
employer has an Instagram
account. If you are looking for an
example, check out EYs
#EYInstaTakeOver, where EYs
employees take over the official EY
account for 1 week and share
insights into their day to day life at
the company.
For more great examples check out
the Instagram accounts of Oracle
or Warner Bros.
Where to interact with companies?
We now know on which channels
you can find companies and what
type of information they share
where. The remaining question is
how to get in touch with them?
Of course you can call a recruiting
hotline or send an email to the
recruiting team. But you can also
get in touch with them on Social
Media or Professional networks,
right? Research by Potentialpark
showed that actually only a small
percentage of companies make it
possible to be contacted by
candidates on LinkedIn or
Facebook. Therefore look at a
companys career website or
contact details in a vacancy

% of companies sharing contact information about % of companies offering the possibility to contact their
recruiters on LinkedIn** recruiting team

Europe 1,4% Europe 30,2%

United States 1,6% United States 25,3%
Asia 2,7% Asia 37,1%

Final advice? the type of position or company you their career website
are looking for. to find out more
Finding the right information online
about their mission,
can be easy when you know where When you only know the field or
vision, open positions
to search. Hopefully these insights industry you want to get started in,
and insights on the
will help you to get started. Always use Professional Networks like
work life.
make sure, to prepare your search LinkedIn to find a list of companies
well and make up your mind about in that specific field. Then go to Good luck!

References:
Potentialpark Online Talent Communication Study 2016.
Based on the top employers of Potentialparks Career Website ranking.
**Of companies with a LinkedIn/Facebook channel
CANDIDATE SCREENING
TROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA?!

Day by day technology achievements open doors to the future

of Social Media. As people share valuable information through
this websites, employers are now rapidly adapting and
improving their screening skills. Gathering significant online
information about their candidates seems to be the new thing!
This article will guide you through tips on how to deal with this
new reality!

Written by Manuela Lima

The nature of Social Media is
characterized by the chance of
creating a public or semi-public
profile. But, what makes these
profiles so special? Well,
nowadays, Social Media work
almost as digital identities,
basically an online ID. We display
basic information such as name,
age, country, and we add
thoughts, moments, hobbies,
pictures and even professional
and academic background.
Facebook is one of the top Social
Media in the market. Considered
as the most popular one,
Facebook ranked 1billion-
registered users in 2015. LinkedIn,
a more professional oriented but
still Social Network Site, has also
been actively growing, achieving
in the same year 350 million
registered users! (Statista.com)
That said, it is no more surprising
that organizations are benefiting
from the nature of these sites
nature along with its huge number
of users.
But then you askwhat has
that to do with candidate
screening? And, actually, what
is screening?
Well, organizations, their
Human Resources
departments, recruiters and
overall employers have also
realized the impressive tool
that Social Network Sites can
be for their work. In fact,
these professionals have
innovated their practices, and
included Social Network Sites
as means for the process of
attracting, selecting and
recruiting candidates, just like
you! Here is where screening
takes place.
But first lets explain it better.
Oxford dictionary defines the
word screening as the
evaluation or investigation of
something to assess
suitability for a particular role
or purpose.
BE PREPARED
In this context, screening is linked
to Social Network Sites and
concerns the practice of
evaluating and investigating the
profile of a possible candidate, for
instance, in order to understand if
you are a good fit for the position
and overall for the organizations
culture.
Strongly, Facebook & LinkedIn have
been considered really effective
tools for this purpose. Besides being
the perfect job-advertising
platforms, research showed that
51% of organizations believe that
screening Social Network Sites may
reveal if whether the candidate
presents himself professionally
(65%) or if it is a good fit for the
company culture (51%)
(statista.com). As an already
present reality, the main issue that is
often brought up is if whether
professionals are screening job-
relevant or job-irrelevant
information. It is for this reason that
you should be aware and prepared
for possible check ups, not only in
the more obvious professional
Network Sites such as LinkedIn, but
also on the ones more social
References:
http://www.statista.com/statistics/260143/reasonsfor- recruiters-to-look-up-candidates-on-social-networks/
http://www.statista.com/statistics/204035/leading-socialnetworks-for- candidate-screening/
oriented, such as Facebook and
Twitter.
But then you askWhat can I do?!
Well, researches have showed what
these professionals aim when
screening profiles. In that sense,
here follow some tips that you
should carefully revise:
1. Be aware and face it
employers most probably will check
your profile before hiring you.
2. Be precautious Make sure
that you are not sharing with public
anything that you do not wish to
and lock down your accounts for
maximum privacy.
3. Be careful Especially
with the pictures you post.
Employers do not appreciate
anything that reveals extremes:
too much exposure, alcohol,
drugs, etc.
4. Be wise Keep your
professional network sites up-to-date,
meaning as much complete as
possible!
5. Be effective The
same way employers check you,
you might also check them.
Embrace the possibilities of
networking, and use Social
Network Sites as possible
channels.
6. Be proactive - Use all the
functionalities of Social Network
Sites to shape your professional
Network. Use LinkedIn as a handy
tool to connect to companies,
recruiters of this same companies.
So, to wrap it up: Social Network
Sites nature of creating an online
profile where individuals share
personal and professional
information have opened doors to
a new activity: screening. In this
article we concluded that you
should be aware and prepared for
that. Also that you should be more
careful with what you share, and
to do it wisely. Lastly, as this can
work in both ways, you should be
pro-active and effectively benefit
from the network chances that
these network sites offer.
HOW TO STAND OUT?

The choice of the perfect candidate is not always easy. One of

the big issues that recruiters face today is the large amount of
applications sent by numerous job seekers. Because time is
money these professionals are doing everything they can to
maximize the effectiveness of the process. In the middle of
hundreds of applicants, you want to stand out, right? Follow the
tips below.

Written by Manuela Lima

Recruiting is considered one of the
most important activities within an
organization. Therefore, recruiters,
defined by the business dictionary as
the individuals responsible to fill job
positions are constantly trying to
find the perfect fit between a certain
position and a potential employee.
Considering the frequently
considerable amount of applicants,
these professionals tend to spend an
average time of 5-7 seconds looking
to your CV. The ugly truth of this fast
scan on your CV might be scary and
quite frustrating, especially when you
have been putting a great effort in
that application! Therefore, and
secondly, you should stay positive
and keep reading.
What do recruiters look for?
1. Online and Updated Platforms
Recruiters enjoy tools that are fast
and effective. This means that you
should be present on social and
professional network platforms.
LinkedIn is considered one of the
most used tools for professional
purposes. First, create it. Second,
update it. You will benefit from an
updated profile. Recruiters usually
have a name for this kind of profile
name
2. Keyword search
Think about the key words that you
might use both on your CV but also
on the different online platforms such
as LinkedIn. Recruiters use the
option of key words especially when
aiming for specific skills. Good
examples are: MBA, JavaScript,
leadership and team leader.
3. Relevant Experience
Recruiters normally are trying to find
out what relevant path you may have
had. Was there any progression from
job to job? Have you become more
responsible in your tasks? If you keep
these questions in mind as you
create and update your CV and
LinkedIn profile, you will provide the
information that recruiters are
looking for.
THINK LIKE A RECRUITER
4. Recent job
Your most recent role as a
professional is the main target for
most recruiters. The reasons for that
may be many: for instance why are
you applying for a new position? Are
you still working there? Were you just
at the company for a few months, or
did you spend time and develop in
that position? Show your tasks and
responsibilities clearly. Make sure
you are being honest.
5. Gaps
Recruiters will try to understand why
you have not been working for even
a few months. Try to explain why.
Gaps within jobs may be due to
several reasons, maybe you have
been traveling to get personal
experience, or you might have been
trying to develop you own
professional project. It is better to
explain it briefly, than to make
recruiters wonder.
6 Education
Some recruiters will value
educational background more than
others, but as a student it may be
your most relevant experience.
You should obviously include it in
your CV and online platforms.
Although the advice is: do not
References:
http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/infographic-recruiters-spend-5-7-seconds-reading-your-cv/
http://fortune.com/2015/03/12/at-first-glance-what-do-recruiters-looks-for-in-a-resume/
http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/7-secrets-making-recruiters-find-you/
include anything before college or your CV depending on the job you
university, unless it is really unique are applying for. But when possible,
or stellar. Recruiters are trying to try to capture a similar tone and
find out relevant information and highlight interests, character traits,
thus good examples are: and key experiences, across your
bachelor's degree, masters social and professional networks
degree, and doctorates. and in your CV. And remember the
best way to be consistent is being
7. Good references
truthful to who you are.
Recruiters appreciate
So, if you have carefully read this
references. Whether in your CV
article you are now much more
or in your LinkedIn you will only
informed about recruiters practices!
benefit from good references. If
To sum it up, the main tips were:
you do not have references do
update and get online, keep track of
not worry! Do not reference
your key words, make sure you only
anyone without having his or her
include relevant experience, be keen
permission.
on the description of your most
8. Speak and get heard recent role, try to explain your gaps
between jobs, dedicate some time on
Try to play with your network, and
your overall CV organization, do not
take advantage. If you go to an
forget to include your basic
event within your industry, try to
information, refer only to relevant
talk with relevant people. Make
educational achievements, do your
yourself known. This might also be
homework and work on those
significant when relating to
references, and, finally, keep your
LinkedIn connections. Recruiters
are interested in knowing about brand consistent!
you outside of your job, and also
who is interested in you.
Go for it and good luck!
9. Consistent brand
Try and do what you can to stay
consistent, of course you might
highlight different achievements on