Job hunting has undergone major transformation over the last decade or so. The move to online applications has dramatically increased the number of people able to apply for each position. So how are you supposed to stand out from the crowd nowadays?

Nearly half of employee referrals in this Recruitics study were through social media and over 50% considered employees found through social media to be “highest quality”. With only 4% of respondents stating that they are not using social media for hiring purposes its clear you’ll be missing out if you ignore these platforms in the hunt for your next job.

So how should you alter your social media presence to ensure you get that dream job? Lucky for you we’ve got some job hunting ideas lined up right here:

Get LinkedIn

First thing first, if you don’t have a LinkedIn, go get one set up now. We’ll wait. According to that Recruitics study we mentioned LinkedIn has a massive supply and demand mismatch in favour of job seekers right now. If you want a hand getting your profile up and running we have an article that will be of interest to you.

Now you’ve got a profile, what do you need to focus on? One of the key features when job hunting is the Summary where you can sell your abilities at a glance. Make sure you highlight the key points of your CV here and, where possible, include specific numbers.

Others are the Recommendations and Skill Endorsements. These are agreements from other users that guarantee you’re as competent as you claim. Grab some off of colleagues, managers, customers and/or suppliers. It’ll raise your standing on the network no end.

Look professional at all times

Next up, go google yourself! It’s the simplest way to see if any potentially embarrassing content comes up from social media platforms. If it does, get rid of it either by deletion or changing your privacy settings. While you might think opinions voiced in your own time shouldn’t influence your employability, companies disagree. Damage to the brand by employees with a platform is now a constant worry thanks to the internet so make sure you only share things you’d be happy to show your boss.

Brand building

Alright, avoid the foul mouthed tirades and keg stands. But what should you post? Focus on building a personal brand – demonstrate that you can talk insightfully about your profession and are involved in its wider community. It’s a great way to make contacts and it’ll look grand when recruiters inevitably trawl your profile. Get involved with relevant LinkedIn and Facebook Groups, follow industry leaders (they’re a great place to pick up on what’s currently in vogue), trawl hashtags related to your job and offer your opinions or simply find stories, articles or news about your field and share/retweet them. However you do it, get your name out there!