Social media can be a lot of things, from social gaming to updating your every single move (if that’s your thing) but can serve a “higher purpose” too. Even if indirectly, it brought me a fresh start. A new job. And a new learning process. So, this is for you. The “social media skeptic “, is the one who doesn’t believe in the power that social media has and can give you. The one who thinks that social media is no good. Well, as with everything, the good it does is directly proportional to how you use it.

Surely, one good thing that social media can help you with, is landing the job of your dreams. Well, maybe not your dream job, but a job. A good one. I promise. Following, are some basics on how to use 4 simple social media platforms to your advantage, and enhance your career prospects on the way.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn, the world’s Largest Professional Network, with 100+ million members, is the favorite spot for recruiters and companies hunting for the talent they need. It should be sufficient to say, according to a survey conducted by Jobvite a couple of weeks ago, almost 90% of employers use LinkedIn to source candidates for their company.

This should be a good enough reason for you to take some time to create a good and accurate profile on the site. It will be your “online CV”, which will be visible to pretty much everyone. So, no lies, just relevant information and please, don’t forget a professional-looking picture (remember: if you’d love to put the same picture on your Facebook profile, it probably shouldn’t be on LinkedIn).

The profile picture is very important, as it eliminates trust issues that would otherwise be there with a faceless profile (you could be spam, or impersonating or simply just not credible). If you are a student, you might be interested in reading the post “LinkedIn goes after students“, by social recruiting start-up Zartis.

Once you’re happy with your profile and it’s set up, to fully unlock LinkedIn potential you have to start connecting. As with any social network, it will only work if you connect. Engagement is the next step to power charge your social presence and in turn, your job search. Bear in mind that the true power of LinkedIn’s network is in the second degree, i.e. your network’s connections. If there is someone within your network that is friends with someone who for instance works in a company you’re interested in, you might want to ask for an introduction.

Also, on LinkedIn, you can join groups with similar interests to yours (to stay in the loop of things, especially if you’re currently unemployed) or ask/reply to questions (to show expertise or humbleness). By doing so, you will be part of a like-minded community to which you can turn for knowledge, suggestions or simple inspiration. LinkedIn is also becoming increasingly popular with the introduction of the Apply button which means that companies are going to be asking for your LinkedIn profile more and more.

Blogging

I think blogging is useful for lots of reasons like showing your writing skills, knowledge of a particular field/industry, and creativity. These are just a few of the motives that could push you to set up a blog. The main drawback though, is that blogging is a tough nut to crack. It can prove to be a very frustrating and lonely place to be. Blogging is a slow business and most give up soon after having started. With the amount of information available today, it’s hard to get attention, even when you’re screaming for it. This said, your blog has a chance to become popular and can always be useful for your job search if used properly.

The basic idea is to start a blog where you will cover the latest developments in your field and naturally, share it with your peers on LinkedIn or any other chosen social network. This can help you appear under the radar of some of the key people within your industry.

Think and plan your posts, don’t just produce content for the sake of doing it, it will do you more damage than anything else. If your posts are well thought out and laid out and show relevance to the subject you’re discussing as well as your own opinions, you have a chance to show your prospective employer how knowledgeable you are in your niche.

Twitter

Twitter can be scary for the beginner – well, I thought so when I first approached it. But if you stick to it, you’ll probably like it better than Facebook. For the purpose of job hunting anyway. First of all, you’ll have to show a completed bio with a link to your LinkedIn profile or blog (if you decided to go for it) to give a thorough view of yourself. Also, if you’re using Twitter for job-hunting purposes, you might want to show a decent-looking profile pic (think twice before using a Spider-Man avatar). Now, your profile is set up, it’s time to start following!!