According to eMarketer, it is estimated there will be more than 100 million Instagram accounts in the U.S. by 2018. These accounts will include the average user, brands and multiple companies. Many of these companies are turning towards Instagram to showcase their employee culture, recent achievements and even their open positions.
Many people don’t even consider using Instagram to look for a job, which is ultimately good news because you will be ahead of the game when it comes to your job search. For every company you are applying to, or long to work at, be sure to follow them on Instagram while you’re researching the company. This will give you a unique opportunity to look inside the company and get an inside look into a day in the life at the job.
“All public social media profiles can be used to shape your personal brand; Instagram is the one that does it with pictures,” says Kelly Babb, resource manager at Kavaliro. “It’s a great way to highlight your skillsets if you’re artistic and/or show your interests if you’re passionate about something. This makes it a great avenue for recruiters to gather information about a candidate’s life and the kinds of corporate cultures they might be interested in.”
While you are on the company’s Instagram page, you can look and see if they include a geotag of the location. If they did, you can then get a deeper look into what employees post while at work. By doing this additional research, you are able to spot trends. For instance, you will notice that for birthdays, the company might always throw a small party.
Using this info can truly set you apart when it comes to your job search. First and foremost, it can tell you if you think you would be a good fit within its culture. If the company posts a lot about participating in fitness classes together and you’re passionate about staying healthy, it’s probably a good prediction that you would fit in there. This info can also be beneficial in the interview process because you can impress the interviewer by showing you did additional research outside of their website.
A great way to get a company to come across your account is by using hashtags. It is an extremely effective way to get yourself noticed. Take a look at what the company’s Instagram page is using for hashtags, and use the same one in your posts. However, be sure to keep the hashtags to a minimum. Posts can look unorganized and distracting if you have multiple crowding the caption section.
Also, take the time to interact with the company’s Instagram page by commenting and “liking” their posts. When commenting, be sure to say something relevant that corresponds with the company’s values. By doing this, you can show your knowledge and admiration for what they do. You could even ask a question in the comment section to strike up a conversation with them.
If you are feeling up to it, create a compelling post on your own Instagram page and then “tag” the company. This will get their attention directly; just make sure the post is relevant to them. It’s an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and interest in the industry, and it can show the organization if you would be a good fit.
Overall, Instagram is a great way to draw attention to your personal brand, develop relationships and initiate connections. Be sure to follow Kavaliro on Instagram to keep up-to-date with the latest happenings with our business!
IT staffing firm, Kavaliro, has offices in Tampa, Fla., Charlotte, N.C., Orlando, Fla., Washington, D.C., Jacksonville, Fla. and Petaluma, Ca. and can make sure you find the right people for any important role. We are ready and waiting to help you anytime and look forward to hearing from you. Be sure to check us out on Facebook and LinkedIn for more professional tips and tricks.