Social media, understood not only as social networks but also as all online platforms that allow interactivity, are a phenomenon that already impacts reality as a whole. Labor market and recruitment procedures are also an area where these platforms are increasingly more important.

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According to the Recruiter Nation 2016, carried out in the US, 87% of all the 1,600 inquired companies use Linkedin to evaluate candidates when hiring and 43% use Facebook for the same purposes. If you are planning to use this in your favor and would like to find your next dream job this way, there are some things that you should have in mind:

1 – Try to be as specific as possible in your search: in which industries you want to work and, within these industries, your preferred companies. Also, ask yourself what level within the organization best fits your qualifications.

2 – Design a strategy. Find out who has a word to say in terms of recruitment on the companies where you’d like to work. Bear in mind that these are not just the HR directors, but also influential people within the company. Find out their interests and create a bond with them: use blogs, email, follow them on twitter … and take your time to establish this connection. Do not just go to them when you need them, but before that. One of the worst things you can do is invite someone to your network and, at that exact moment, ask them for a job.

3 – Be aware of your Digital Footprint – It is important to remember that we leave traces, not only on social networks, but also on comments to news articles, and many other places. Be aware of your privacy settings and all public information about yourself. Remember that a credible and positive image takes a long time to build, but only a few minutes to destroy. Elements such as photos, inappropriate language or spelling errors can be an exclusion factor by potential employers. Other elements to consider are comments about former employers or information contradicts your CV.

4 – Make yourself visible on the Internet. If you want to be found by a headhunter, there are some aspects to keep in mind. In the description of your online profile, try to use keywords that maximize your chances to be found during an online search. Perhaps even more important than that, position yourself as an expert in a specific field, by sharing useful information and your vision about it. Write a blog or Twitter page, contribute to a Linkedin group… There are several resources you can use, but do it using an appropriate language and with coherence across platforms. And do not forget to be consistent in terms of interval period in-between shares.

5 – Looking for a job is a full time job. Take some time to find interesting content and search for jobs available within the companies in which you would like to work. And strengthen your brand using the various available platforms: Blogger; WordPress; LinkedIn; Tumblr; Twitter; among many others. You can also use online tools to measure your online presence. There are some online free ones such as Klout.

To sum up: Draw an action plan; Take some time to read interesting online content; Create a bond with others before you need to; Comment, share, respond and connect to others; and Get known as a source for information.