- 1. Make sure that your social media profiles are appropriate and up to date
You don't know how? Take a look at our methods to take care of your online reputation.
- 2. Get to know the job offers first
Before trying to connect with a recruiter on social media, check out its job offers and apply to the position that matches your skills and experience. Don't forget to take a look at the company's website as well as the various products and/or services it is selling. Trying to contact recruiters and asking them how they might be able to help you (or what are their job vacancies) is a pretty rude way to start a conversation, which is why it's best to have applied for a job beforehand..
- 3. Take your network to the next level
Once you applied to a position, expand your social media network (LinkedIn, Viadeo, Xing...) by connecting with professionals working for the desired company. Be careful: you shouldn't send connection requests to all employees. For example, don't send an invitation to people working in the Asian branch if you're willing to work in Luxembourg. You should select your future connections according to 3 criteria: the company they are working for, the place they are working in and the position they occupy. We recommend to only connect with people who might be able to help you. Usually, Recruiters, Hiring managers – Manager/Director/VP are the most likely to have a way to do so.
- 4. Establish contact
A few methods will enable you to contact those people. The easier way is to send a connection request with a personalized text (it'll make all the difference) on professional social networks (as listed above). In a few words, introduce yourself and let them know that you’ve applied online to a specific position within their company and that you’d like to follow up directly to reiterate your strong interest. If they confirm your connection request, send another message to specify your motivations and how you could help the team. Be careful, one message is enough, you don't want to be rude or to put pressure on your potential future colleagues or managers.
Another tip: if you can't manage to find the good profiles on LinkedIn, try to contact the company's Twitter account. They will certainly reply and even give you the email address of the right contact person. Nevertheless, it would be inappropriate to try to get in touch with a recruiter on his or her private social networks (such as Instagram or Facebook, for example).
- 5. Wait and see
Although these steps will hopefully help you to go from a passive approach to a proactive approach by contacting recruiters instead of waiting for a call back, it's still a long shot. Some recruiters may ignore your message if your profile does not match their needs, some others might find your approach too “pushy” and inappropriate. However, don't let these risks keep you from trying! If the discussion goes well, you could be able to get an interview or at least, make a good impression. Use your common sense to find out if the conversation can take you further in your job search. If you get a negative answer (or no answer at all) regarding your application, don't worry, there are plenty of other fish in the sea, and we have no doubt that you will find your dream job very soon with Moovijob!
