Using Social Media to Help Nail your Interview

I’ve written a number of posts about using social media in the job search: finding jobs, contacting recruiters, promoting a positive image, etc. But what about interviewing? The job interview is one of the most important parts of the job search process, as it allows the company to see if the candidate would be a good fit, and the candidate to scope out whether they like the company. This latter point is where social media can offer assistance.

Before even considering the job interview, go back through your social media. Are all the pictures and content appropriate? Have you turned on your privacy settings? Is the information up to date and accurate? At Career Solutions Group, we help our clients craft up-to-date LinkedIn profiles that will reflect well on them when examined by a recruiter. Additionally, we’ve published several other posts on using social media for your job search which you can find here. Once you’ve gone back through your social media, then you can begin thinking about interview prep.

When preparing for a job interview, most job seekers will focus on coming up with good answers to interview questions, practicing their responses to, “What is your greatest weakness?” and “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” What they sometimes forget to prep for is asking questions of their own. In his article “10 Job Interview Questions You Should Ask,” (link here) Joe Konop points out two important things that asking questions in an interview can do. First off, asking the right questions can confirm that you are a qualified candidate. Beyond this, it gives you the opportunity to find out if you actually like the organization for which you’re applying to work.

Now, there are a myriad of posts devoted to lists of questions to ask in an interview. Asking these questions is all well and good, but if you read the webpage “8 Killer Questions to Ask a Job Interviewer,” then the other candidates probably did too. Use those broad questions, but consider asking targeted questions about specific things in the company. Crafting such questions emerges out of doing just one thing: research.

If you want to ask targeted questions in an interview, the first place to go is the company webpage. Here you’ll find information on employees, company policies, focuses, and some information on current projects. But after that, you should most certainly turn to social media. These days, most companies have Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or even Snapchat accounts. On these, you can find updates and information about what the company is currently working on and get an idea of the culture. This information, combined with knowledge you already have from their website, can help to craft more targeted questions. Doing so will not only demonstrate that you’ve taken an active interest in the company, but also that you are tech savvy enough to examine multiple avenues for information.

It can be difficult to stand out in the job search. Performing well in an interview is one of the key ways you can make yourself recognizable to a company. Here at Career Solutions Group, interview prep is one service we offer in helping our clients with their job search. We offer free initial career consultations, so if you’re struggling with the job search or thinking of making a job change, email us at info@careersolutionsgroup.net. We have helped hundreds of job seekers make fulfilling career changes.

By: Julia Pillard, Career Solutions Group