The perils and pitfalls of social media are fairly well documents at this stage in the game. We’ve all heard of the stories of people catching heat over ill-advised parental criticism, a beauty queen’s lack of judgement, and athletes continuing to embarrass themselves.

But we aren’t all celebrities. And odds are, we won’t be making any headlines for TMZ with our social media blunders. This doesn’t, however, get us off the hook from being professional on our social networks. This particularly applies to recent college graduates who are attempting to enter the workforce. Make no mistake: employers look at your Facebook profile, your Twitter and more. Having a LinkedIn doesn’t cover up for whatever imperfections that may lurk on other accounts.

Here are five tips that will get you ready for the job hunt.

1. Treat Yourself Like A Brand Name

Social media presents an opportunity for you to market yourself. Tweet about topics relevant to the industry you are looking to enter. Utilize Facebook’s new Timeline structure to highlight your talents in the banner picture. Share your content. Run your networks like a company would.

2. Multimedia Will Set You Apart

Consider a video résumé or informative YouTube video to include in your networks. Video is a far more engaging medium than text, and there is no better way to illuminate who you really are. Let potential employers see your face. Beyond video, consider using QR Codes on your printed résumé to direct potential employers to a mobile résumé. How do you make a mobile résumé you say? I am glad you asked.

3. Make A Mobile Résumé

Grow Socially allows you to create a Mobile Résumé that you can tailor to your needs. It generates a QR Code that you can place on any printed collateral that you would like. And your Mobile Résumé can contain video, links, text and more. Mobile recruitment is a quickly rising trend among employers. This service can help your name rise to the top of the pile.

4. Build Your Network

Back when I was in college (one month ago), I took a class on professional communication, which touched a great deal on social media. My professor often told me there is “strength in weak ties.” Creating great content is frivolous if no one can see it. Build the biggest network you possibly can, connecting with everyone you meet in person. You never know down the road when you may need to reach back and converse with someone from a previous job, school or experience.

5. Familiarize Yourself With Your Ideal Workplaces

An article on Forbes.com says that it is important to keep current with job postings, but also, “start looking for opportunities not disclosed yet.  Follow your 5-6 ideal companies and read their updates on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.  What are they saying?  Where are they expanding? What new deals have they won? Do those have a need for a fine professional like you?”

If the day comes that one of these companies is looking to fill a position, don’t make them look very far.

Make sure to follow Grow Socially on Twitter for more on social media, and follow me too!

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