CVUK Talk – ‘How Social Media Is Paving The Way For More Creative Job Applications’

There’s no denying the positives that have come out of the rise in the use of social media, (after-all CVUK’s love for all things social media is no secret) and it seems it’s not only companies that are benefiting from sites such as Twitter and Pinterest.

Businesses from all industries are reporting a change in the way potential candidates are replying to their ads for new job roles, and are citing social media as the reason behind this change. There’s no shortage of stories in the news about the rise of unemployment and the struggle that graduates face finding work each year, so it’s not surprising that young people are taking a fresh approach to job hunting and getting creative when it comes to their C.Vs and applications.

At the beginning of the year, six months before I was due to graduate, I sat in a lecture dedicated entirely to producing a ‘creative’ job application that in no way involved a simple paper CV. It seems we weren’t the only ones being advised against the typical method as more and more job hunters are creating exciting new ways to catch the eyes of future employers.

The use of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram has given people a new platform to use their creative talents, creating boards and Facebook pages as alternatives to a simple CV layout. With over 150 million monthly users on Facebook, over 25 million on Pinterest and more than 187 million LinkedIn users (with an average of two new registrations per second) there is a bigger chance to connect directly with people within the industry and showcase your experience without the need for a CV.

Although there is strong competition in all industries, the competition facing people searching for work in creative industries such as fashion, graphics and dance has reached an all-time high and employers are looking for creative minds who will sell themselves instantly, saving them from searching through thousands of identical job applications. I myself have seen things such as gift boxes matching brand aesthetics with the contents of a CV imprinted on the inside and a spoken reading of the persons CV recorded onto a CD. Of course this way of getting yourself noticed is always a risk and the company should be researched fully before deciding on an alternative way to present your work. Sending a rap of your work experience into a bank probably wouldn’t go down too well.