You might be thinking “what could Pinterest possibly offer my job search?” It’s a fair question to ask. After all, a social network that focuses on pinning and saving cute, cool, funny, and artistic images to boards doesn’t sound like the best place to go for career assistance.
But there are a few ways to creatively use Pinterest for your job search. All you need is the realization that a big social network will always have value and hidden gems. Here are a few tips on how to get started:
Learn about employers
We talk a lot about how important it is to find out the company’s culture before applying. After all, joining a company with the wrong culture can be a big mistake for your career. So when doing your research into a company’s culture, make sure to see if they have a Pinterest page.
What do they pin? What kinds of boards do they have? Are they trying to be serious and professional, or are they showing a friendly and bubbly personality? Are there images of their team or their products?
Take Uber Seattle’s Pinterest page as an example. They pin their blog posts, pictures of their drivers, and pictures of happy employees and customers from the events they host. They repin gorgeous pictures of Seattle, displaying a love of the city and its many sights and hidden gems.
All of this is a way for them to engage with their community of riders and put out a hip, modern public face. But it’s also a great way to observe the way they communicate, giving you an inside look at the attitude you can expect from their team..
By looking at a company’s pinterest, you can figure out their personality and their approach toward customers and employees, as well as the culture that their executives want to be associated with their workplace. That information can help you find out whether you’d be a good fit at the company, allowing you to better express why you want to work there in your cover letter and in interviews.
Learn from infographics
Infographics are nice pieces of short-form content that are designed to give you a quick, graphical overview of a concept. The best infographics not only inform, but also allow you to delve deeper into the subject by providing citations for where pieces of information are found. And while they are primarily used by companies as a way to drive interest for their websites and services, they can be highly useful as a way to learn more about any topic.
Pinterest is a gold mine of great infographics. You’ll find infographics with job seeking tips, as well as ones that let you learn about marketing, project management, business development - pretty much any skill you can think of. Search for infographics that are relevant to you as a job seeker and as a professional, and get to reading!
If you want to read more, make sure you look for the list of references at the bottom of an infographic. You can use those citations to find more information and expand your understanding of a topic. Finally, make yourself an organized and tagged board for all the infographics you find useful - you never know when they might come in handy when writing a cover letter or preparing for an interview!
Turn your experience into a board
There’s a lot to learn from people who design for a living, whether it’s design in print, digital, fashion, or various other fields involving artistry or creativity. If you’re one of those people, Pinterest is a great place to establish a visual presence.
Whether it’s collecting inspiring work for you to look at later or uploading images of your own work, you’ll not only have that information on hand yourself but be able to interact with others who follow your work or find your Pinterest boards when looking you up online. Pin accomplishments, design work, writing, and other professional experience to build a “secondary resume.”
When deciding how and when to direct people to your Pinterest, think about who you’re sending them to and if they’re likely to be a company that relies or interacts with Pinterest themselves. Pinterest, for example, lives and breathes creativity, and they’ll appreciate what you’ve done with their product but are probably also looking for people like you with a creative eye.
And even if you never actively send this along in an application, remember that it’s another great way for companies to find out more about you. After all, it will show up in a Google search if you tie it to your name.. So put in the effort required to make it impressive.
Find inspiration
Everyone’s job search goes off the rails at times. It’s a natural part of as difficult and strenuous an activity as job hunting. It might be a period where you’re not getting any interviews, or your interviews aren’t resulting in job offers. This can result in dissatisfaction with the hiring process and an overall sense of futility.
Staying motivated is crucial to a successful job search, and Pinterest is a great tool to help you keep upbeat. One of the most common topics people pin is motivational and inspirational advice. It comes in the form of quotes and inspiring images, and it can give you a nice boost to your day when you’re feeling down. Beyond that, whether you’re into fashion or pictures of pets or food, if you like something visual, you’re going to find it in spades on Pinterest.
You may never have thought to include Pinterest as part of your job search, but don’t let the social or casual nature of a product block your ability to see what might be valuable within it.