For years career coaches and career centers have stressed networking as an important part of the job search strategy.  Social media has kicked up networking to a whole other level.

Per Capterra, in 2014 a whopping 94% of recruiters were either using  or planning to use social media for recruiting.

It makes sense then that you would be using social media in your job search as a networking tool.  While it may be overwhelming to use social media in your job search, below are some tips to help make it more manageable.

Do's for Social Media in Your Job Search

LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are not just for photos of your latest meals or trip to the beach and TikTok is not just for dance videos.  These days, you can use these platforms to:

• Join groups

• Follow people in industries of choice

• Show your interests

• Demonstrate your professional expertise

• Research companies and industries

• Get job alerts or notification about things of interest

• Learn about new resources

• Honor people whose work you admire

• Bridge the gap between your professional life and personal interests

• Promote ideas you value

• Communicate with friends or like minded people

• Advocate for an idea, your school etc.

• Search for hashtags that relate to a job you’re looking for

• Follow your dream companies to see postings for new opportunities

As you engage social media in your job search, remember that these social media networks all have their own advantages and disadvantages.  For example, on LinkedIn, you can actually get endorsements and references as part of your profile.  You can literally build an inventory of your professional life.  Twitter's 140 characters, on the other hand, allows you snapshots of professional or personal life mixed in with in with your commentary on current events and breaking news.  You can use lists to sort people around your interests.

However you choose to use social media in your job search some of the general networking rules still apply.  Be open to meeting new people, be willing to share and connect others and remember that it is not who you give to that you will get from.