Google+, Twitter and Facebook offer a great scope to form meaningful professional contacts, to help connect with top companies, enhance your professional reputation, gain exposure to job market, know about vacancies, and ultimately, fulfill your ambitious career dreams. In this post, we shall discuss ways and means of  leveraging the various social media channels to propel your career graph.

In a recent survey done among top companies worldwide, it has been established that social media has emerged as a prime recruitment resource, fast becoming a mainstream approach not only to fill lower-end vacancies, but also to locate senior managerial level talent.

The trend is visible among businesses cutting across different scales, sizes and domains. Here are a few vital tips to achieve this goal in order to boost your job prospects in today’s competitive market:

1. Keep your social media profile updated with the most current information. Include links to your Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles in job applications. Insert relevant keywords so that a potential recruiter can easily ‘discover’ you online. Optimize the page title, tag etc with domain specific terms.
2. While creating a profile, simply do not import your existing resume copy with static information fields. Rather, put a crisp copy that meticulously mentions your academic track record and work experience. Make the profile presentable and attractive.
3. Substance than mere packaging does ultimately matter! Companies are keen to hire people who have passion for work and possess the requisite skills to fulfill the job requirements. List your practical achievements and problem solving skills. If your profile matches the recruiter’s expectations, your chances of landing a job will be that much higher.
4. Make use of social news streams as a logical and dynamic extension of a traditional resume. Share interesting news about the industry and specific areas of expertise will allow a prospect to demonstrate knowledge and establishing oneself as an aware professional tuned to latest developments taking place in the field.
5. While contributing to your news streams/ profiles, look for timely topics of current interest to draw users so that they stick around. Take part in online forum and board discussions. Have an informed opinion about your field of expertise and prevalent trends in the industry. Share your insights in order to position yourself as a thought leader. Show enough flexibility to appreciate valid inputs from the other community members sans making yourself appear obstinate.
6. Many companies now make use of Facebook Pages dedicated to careers and hiring. They are generally managed by HR professionals keen to hire worthy candidates. Savvy job aspirants know how to leverage these pages. They ask pertinent questions and proactively tap new job opportunities.
7. Social media pages of a company also let you grasp the specifics of its recruiting processes and find out details of the hiring program. If you are persistent and consistent in your interactions, you are bound to get a favorable response, to help establish connections with right people at right places in a company.