- Nick Elvin
While the nation may be addicted to social media, the nation’s employees are slow to use it to sell themselves to future employers, according to new research carried out for young people’s development charity Brathay Trust.
The data reveals that over 27 million Brits use social media on a daily basis, but only a quarter (26%) sell themselves through social media to improve their careers and only 19% use it for their own career enhancement.
With 65% of those responsible for hiring staff using social media and a further 12% saying that a good social media presence impresses them, the country’s job hunters could be missing out by not including vital information on their social media profiles.
Only 19% have included fundraising activities, 17% volunteering, 13% coaching and mentoring, and 12% team building exercises and leadership roles on their social media profiles.
With 75% of job seekers saying that they look to take on as much extra training or courses to enhance their CV, Brathay Trust is calling on employees to do more to celebrate the skills they have.
Godfrey Owen, chief executive of Brathay Trust said: “With employers increasingly using social media to recruit, it is a great medium for people looking for promotion or a new job to enhance their career. But social self selling isn’t just about talking about qualifications and experience, it is also vital to include soft skills such as volunteering, leadership, coaching or mentoring on CVs and on social media profiles.”