A new generation of socially savvy “Insta-grads” are posting their gap-year activities and antics on sites such as Instagram to showcase their real world life experiences to prospective employers.
This growing trend of using ‘social CVs’ to impress potential employers has been taken up by the Government of South Australia, who have offered UK graduates mentored work placements in a variety of hands-on jobs across different industries ranging from vineyard and cellar door training, media and sports events and art exhibitions.
The ‘Mentor Me’ program focuses on the use of social media by encouraging them to blog, tweet and Instagram all the action from their gap year placements, documenting their experiences to help showcase their attributes in a contemporary style for future interviews.
To ensure graduates know how to make the most out of their social profile, the South Australia Government has compiled a “Top Ten” tips guide on how to increase the impact of their social CV. Click ‘Read more’ below to read the tips…
1. LinkedIn – Make sure your profile is up to date – employers are increasingly using this as a tool for recruitment. Add photos and videos to all of your roles.
2. Include links on your CV/resume to your social media accounts – this helps employers get more of a sense of who you are/what you have done.
3. Set up your own Twitter account – follow companies you are interested in and actively engage with people and organizations. You will be judged on the ‘company you keep’.
4. Choose the right channel. Match your content to different channels and audiences. Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or blogging chat forums.
5. Tell stories. People respond to stories, not data. Experiment with new ways of telling stories and make the most of all the tools out there like Tumblr and Spotify.
6. Be truthful: Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. This should be a true reflection of you, and the person they’re hiring.
7. Have fun: “Work should be fun and making work fun brings success” Richard Branson.
8. Set up an ‘about.me’ page – it is free and gives you a one-page “social business card”.
9. Start now! Exposure from blogging and engaging online will help raise your profile, but you can’t expect it to happen overnight.
10. Don’t stop! Updating your profile is an ongoing activity – get into the habit of updating any profiles, just like you do a resume/CV. “Once/if your ‘social media reputation’ is ever neglected, it is very difficult to resurrect it again – it needs constant attention” says Global Partner in IBM Interactive Experience Andrew Grill.
