What Social Media Platforms Do You Use To Search?

By Martin Buckland - Executive Career Management Professional

In addition to a current resume and compelling cover letter, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having a digital footprint as a key component of your career management portfolio which is why I insist all of my resume clients be on LinkedIn. Often when I ask clients how they are conducting their search, the most popular answer is job boards such as Monster and Workopolis. While it is possible to land a job using these platforms, they are not the prominent platforms used by HR professionals and executive recruiters to find or vet candidates.

What social media platforms do you use to search?

I recently posed this question to 3 leading Canadian executive recruiters; their responses may amaze you.

“LinkedIn is the only relevant social media application for senior and executive positions.” (Gordon Orlikow, Korn Ferry)

“We use LinkedIn for 100% of our search engagements. It should be noted that our firm rarely posts our search engagements on LinkedIn as each posting in the past we get inundated with applicants and 80% plus are not a fit.” (Joe Zinner, Zinner and Company)

“I use LinkedIn extensively for head hunting so people should have up to date profiles if they want to best help themselves.” (Mike King, Fortuity Search Group)

If you’re not already on LinkedIn, or you haven’t optimized your existing profile, why not start the New Year with a dynamic profile – or as LinkedIn calls it “All-Star” status (here’s mine https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbuckland). While a resume is great for applying to advertised jobs, your digital profile allows you to be found by executive recruiters and HR professionals using social media to uncover potential talent, propelling your opportunity to advance your career.

Once you’ve created your LinkedIn profile, continue to expand your digital footprint on all the active social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Feeling adventurous? Continue creating profiles on the static social sites including Plaxo, ZoomInfo and About.me.

What social media platforms will you use in 2015?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Martin Buckland, President of Elite Resumes, is a leading resume writer, career coach and job search strategist with a global clientele. Martin currently holds the following certifications: Certified Professional Branding Strategist, Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional, Job and Career Transition Coach, Certified Job Search Trainer and Co-Pilot Executive Coach. Visit my website at http://aneliteresume.com/