More people are online than ever. Facebook boasts around 2.9 billion monthly active users and TikTok rises to 1 billion. Social media is no longer a tool for just family and friends as its personal and professional use becomes the standard. Knowing how to navigate social media for your job search can give you an advantage in landing the job you want. You can build social media into your job search strategy with these tips.

1. Develop your social media presence

• Google your name and its variations, including misspellings, in incognito or private mode to check your online footprint and track what is being said about you, especially if you have a public platform.

• Focus on one or two social media platforms and keep them updated weekly. On average, the daily user spend 147 minutes online. Being active on social media can be time consuming and splitting your attention can impede your updates.

• Close or deactivate old accounts that you are no longer using to make sure that these are not posing any security risks and to protect your personal data.

• Clean up your public account and ensure your user handle is professional and appropriate.

• Check your privacy settings and permissions. Depending on the platform, you can manage what activities and media from your account that your audience can view.

• Polish up your profile and curate your feed or timeline by liking and sharing relevant posts, as well as giving professional insights. Figuring out the right posting quantity and schedule is a key part of your strategy, with a recommendation of an average of three to five times posts a week but no more than one or two times per day across different platforms. Too many posts can frustrate your audience and is one of the top reasons users will unfollow an account.

• Celebrate and acknowledge your achievements, experiences, and milestones on social media to improve your confidence, credibility, and visibility.

2. Initiate and sustain online connections

• Join groups for more focused and open discussions in your area of interests with like-minded individuals. Build trust by interacting with other members, asking questions, and giving opinions. Groups are also a great place to gather resources and post news, collaborate, and attract attention. Get more consistent reach by putting in effort with your group interactions.

• Identify peers, experts, and leaders in your field to follow and engage with their content. Connect with individuals at all levels to cultivate a broad and comprehensive perspective and experience, as well as build a mutually beneficial relationship.

• Focus on quality instead of quantity by building genuine relationships with interactions that matter. Approach online networking like an extension of in-person interactions by utilizing your people and communication skills in your online exchanges.

• Personalize messages instead of defaulting to a generic template when making initial contact. Keep your message brief, no more than a paragraph.

3. Reach prospective employers

• Follow organizations that you are interested in to be current on their status, keep up with their updates, and know of their recent events. You can also get a better understanding of their outlook, mission, and values. If the organization's leadership keep public accounts, consider how their posts reflect on the organization's brand.

• Look up reviews and ratings from current and former employees for insight on the company culture and also read responses to gauge how concerns are addressed.

• Read related local stories, forums, and business journals related to the company.

• Establish contact through email for a more professional approach, especially if you are initiating contact for the first time.