Although you might not use Pinterest right now, it’s likely you’ve at least heard of it. Springing up in 2009, it has become a juggernaut of social networking, currently taking third place behind Facebook and Twitter as most used on the planet. Already there are over 20 million people using it on a daily basis.

It’s a vast resource that graduates should be taking advantage of, especially if you’re in the design crowd or other form of visual media, such as photography. If the job market is proving difficult to crack, then you’re going to need all the help you can get. Here are a few ways Pinterest can aid you in your quest to land that career and increase your employability.

Complete Profile

As Pinterest should show the very best of you, so should your profile. It should sound as creative and amazing as possible, which will increase the chance of it getting read. Remember, your profile is a statement about you. You and your experiences. It’s all very well telling people you like to travel but this is Pinterest. Show that you like to travel. Pin images of your travelling with unique and interesting descriptions. Make people want to look at them.

Create interesting boards

This is pretty obvious. No one likes a boring board. But a smart thing to do if you’re interested in a particular career is to create a board that focuses on this subject. By searching for things that relate to your desired field, you can pin them to boards and create a great page that inspires you, and possibly others too.

Similarly, another idea linked to this is to focus your searches on companies or people you actually are interested in working for and would like to understand more. Create boards that highlight these groups and their influence on you.

Professionalism is a virtue.

Your profile states you love to travel. That’s brilliant and images of the snowy Alps and the Moroccan desert will certainly impress. What won’t are images of you throwing up after a melon fishbowl cocktail in Malia. Remember, potential employers may view your boards, so be completely professional and ensure your images and designs match the appearance that you want to portray.

Get engaged

Of course, you are not being asked to pop the big question to a loved one. Simply put, studies have shown that pages and boards that regularly engage with their visitors are much more successful and therefore much more likely to get noticed. If comments are made about your photographs or designs, then reply back. If someone repins your pin, then follow them and thank them for their interest. By creating this community, you’re increasing the likelihood of meeting potential employers.

Graduates are often going to suffer from the vicious circle of ‘No job, no experience, no experience, no job’. By utilising this social networking tool to its full potential, you can really make yourself stand out from the crowd.

ABOUT AUTHOR:

Rachel Hurley works as a writer for Appliances Online.

{Images via Pinterest}