In 2013, nearly 80% of young people aged 15-24 in the UK use social media. They visit social networking sites on a daily basis for various reasons, including connecting with people and expressing their views. In particular, a number of young people say that social media has become their primary source of up-to-date information, including daily news and events.

So, what does this mean when it comes to job seeking?

Reprezent – a youth engagement social enterprise – spoke with 110 young people to find out how they were making use of social media to look for employment opportunities. They found that:

  • 80% of 18-24 year olds have used social media to look for work.
  • One in six visited social media first when searching for employment opportunities.
  • Twitter was the most popular form of social media for this purpose.

Nick (17) from Greenwich described social media's user-friendliness as one of its strengths for job searching. "The way hashtags are used... it makes it easier to navigate and find a wider range of opportunities. Twitter is great for searching as your search results are more local, like #InternshipLondon." 

Like Nick, a number of young people in the study felt that it was easier and more convenient to use social media to look for work as it was an integral part of their daily life. In addition, due to built-in sharing features like Twitter's retweet and Facebook's share, job vacancies on social networking sites have a wide reach, giving young people plenty of chances to hear about them.

A new strategy developed by some young people to optimise their job search was also revealed. Sonia (22) from Brixton explained how she used Twitter. "I don't have a LinkedIn account yet because I don't feel like I have enough experience to create one... but I use Twitter a lot to look for jobs. There is an area on Twitter where you can set up private lists which can only be accessed by yourself. I created a couple of lists and one of them is used to follow job vacancies. On that list, I included all the accounts that tweet about jobs I'm interested in. I get notifications on my mobile when new opportunities are tweeted on the list."

This strategy helps young people amalgamate opportunities advertised by different recruitment agencies and companies. By creating separate lists, they can also avoid job opportunities getting lost among other information. In addition, the study found that social networking sites were used by young people to directly connect with and get advice from industry experts.

These are only a few examples of how young people have created new ways of looking for opportunities using social media. It is clear from the study that due to its connectivity, immediacy and a plethora of up-to-date opportunities, social media is creating a unique platform for young people to embark on their journey into employment. The question now is whether companies, support services and government are responding to this change effectively enough to reach this generation. 

Related links

Reprezent: How young people search for jobs (full report)

About Reprezent

Reprezent  is a youth engagement social enterprise that offers broadcast, consultation and training services. Reprezent works with organisations, companies and the government to reach out and engage with young Londoners. They run London's only youth-led radio station, Reprezent 107.3FM, which gives them access to large groups of young people from across the capital. Reprezent was one of the Deloitte Social Innovation Pioneers in 2012. Follow them on Twitter - @weReprezent.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.