How to Engage Hiring Managers Using Social Media - CareerEnlightenment.com

But before you go gung-ho and start inMailing them, consider these guidelines:A hiring manager is not going to reply to someone who has only a half-hearted profile.Be sure you’ve got a complete and professional profile before engaging. Believe me, they check!People with jobs are busy. That means messages that are irrelevant to their immediate problems won’t get much attention.Do some research and find a way to be relevant.No one likes talking to someone who’s desperate. InMails, tweets, or Facebook messages that show desperation are promptly deleted â€" for example, “I really want to work there, can you help?”No one likes talking to someone arrogant. The opposite of desperate is cocky.How on earth can you know whether you are a “perfect match” for a job if you haven’t even spoken to the hiring manager?Currently, you need a LinkedIn premium account to send InMails, although you dont need one to receive them.  (More information about  premium accounts.)Engaging on Twitt erTwitter is the ultimate level playing field. Here you can tweet with authors, CEOs, customer service reps, or celebrities.Don’t expect engagement until you earn it. Just like a big networking event, you can’t just barge in and ask random people for favors.Here are some ways to put a deposit into someone’s social bank account:Using Twitter, retweet messages from companies you want to work for, or from people you’d like to add to your close network.Find articles and tweet them with an @reply to alert that twitter user that you’ve shared something with them in mind.Interrupt conversations with twitter users and add your own voice or opinion.Join tweetchats related to your field and pay close attention to active twitter accounts. After the chat, compliment them on their ideas.After a while, you earn the right to Direct Message (DM) them, and you can ask for an offline conversation.Engaging on FacebookMany organizations use Facebook Pages to promote their brands to potential candidates. Not only do they post open jobs there, but these pages are often maintained by various members of their recruiting organization.Before Liking or commenting on these pages, be sure to follow the following guidelines:Post a personal yet professional profile picture. It doesn’t have to be the same as your buttoned-up LinkedIn picture â€" no one expects that â€" but it should be of you in a fun and presentable pose. (And remember your Timeline Banner too!)Visit your “About Me” page and fill it in with as much detail as you can about your education and work history. Be sure these elements are set to Public.Begin by Liking the page of your target company.Next you can slowly introduce yourself to the community by commenting on posts and sharing posts.If the page will allow it, post interesting comments on their Timeline that highlight your qualifications.Of course, dont forget that as you are looking at the companys Facebook pages, they will probably be looking at your Fa cebook pages, tooBottom LineSocial media connections are not a quick fix, but neither are job boards, as you have probably noticed. And social media enable you to develop a stronger network that can help you with your career as well as your  next  job search.