Instagram Your Way to Career Success.

How to Use Instagram to Find a Job.
While LinkedIn continues to be the leading platform for job seekers, emerging sites like Instagram are fast raising in prominence too.

In the age of social media, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Instagram can be used for things beyond posting pictures of pets, recipes and vacations. With a little ingenuity you can use Instagram to not only establish your personal brand but also demonstrate your social savvy.

Here are five easy steps to tap into the power of Instagram to research potential companies, reach out to employers and claim your dream job.

1: Research and Engage.
Is there an ideal, dream company that you would love to work for? Browse through the company’s Instagram page, and you’ll get real insight into the company culture. Now go ahead and click ‘follow’ on its Instagram page! Engage with the company socially, ‘Like’ their photos, participate in contests and join conversations. And soon, you’ll integrate yourself into their social structure.

2: Establish Your Personal Brand.
Think of your Instagram page as a professional platform, one that is an extension of your personal brand. Companies and hiring managers love candidates who are passionate. So use your Instagram profile to tell your unique story. Also, you never know who will come across your profile, so put your best foot, and best work forward.

3: Be Relevant.
You can have fun with your Instagram pictures and posts. Just make sure what you post is relevant to your brand, especially if it is intended to enhance your job search. At the same time, be mindful of your privacy settings. Make sure that your Instagram profile is set to the public mode to help you network freely with other professionals or connect with companies.

4: Use Hashtags.
One of the most effective ways to get influencers to notice your Instagram account is by using hashtags. Use hashtags so that your photos show up in searches. Once you research a company to see what type of skills they look for in employees, then make sure to hashtag those skills whenever you tag the company in a post. You can automatically boost your picture’s placement in search results with hashtags.

5: Follow and Interact.
Once you’ve found the right company and the people to follow and, have uploaded and tagged the appropriate content, the next step is to interact. Make sure you post pictures and information that are relevant and correspond with their values as companies use hashtags to view the social conversation about their image. Demonstrate your knowledge about the company and admiration for their work, and always remember to tag them in the comment to ensure that they will see it.

This sounds clichéd, yes even today, a picture is worth a thousand words. Instagram has now become the site of choice for companies to interact visually with their customers, and could be a great way to help you in your job search. Employ a little savvy, use Instagram as a personal branding asset and land yourself a picture perfect career in no time.