Magazine: Employees sell themselves short because they’re not social media savvy

Social media is now an integral part of our lives; more than half of us have a Facebook account, millions view videos on YouTube, and an estimated one in five people are on Twitter.
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Dale Power Solutions

Yet while we are addicted to social media on a personal level, new research1 to mark the finale of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge shows when it comes to work, we’re not using it to sell ourselves to future employers.

Over 27 million Brits use social media on a daily basis - yet only a quarter (26%) sell themselves through social media to improve their careers and just 19% use it for their own career enhancement.

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With 65% of those responsible for hiring staff using social media and a further 12% saying that a good social media presence impresses them, the country’s job hunters could be missing out by not including vital information on their social media profiles.

Only 19% have included fundraising activities, just 17% mention volunteering, only 13% acknowledge coaching & mentoring and just 12% have talked about leadership roles on their social media profiles.

With 75% of job seekers saying they still look to take on as much extra training or courses to enhance their CV, experts have called on employees to do more to celebrate the skills they have.

BRATHAY APPRENTICE CHALLENGE

Apprentices from Dale Power Solutions and Sellafield Ltd have jointly been named the country’s apprentice teams of the year following a gruelling seven-month challenge against the country’s leading apprentice employers and training providers.

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The Brathay Apprentice Challenge, the official search for the apprentice team of the year, is supported by the National Apprenticeship Service and saw eight finalists raise over £41,000 for nine charities. In the past four years the Challenge has raised over £136,000 for charities across the country.

Dale Power Solutions raised almost £2,000 for St Catherine’s Hospice and completed a community project, which included refurbishing a local shelter in South Cliff Garden. Sellafield raised nearly £9,000 for North Lakes Food Bank while also supporting the food bank through volunteering.

The logistical and team building Finale held at Brathay Trust’s Windermere headquarters tested the teams individual and group strength mentally and physically. It also developed their leadership, team building and communication skills.

Dale Power Solutions and Sellafield Ltd narrowly beat Plymouth City Council and a team from Pera Training and Emfec Group into second place. Nottingham City Homes finished third with Redrow Homes, British Airways and HSBC also competing in the finals.

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The eight finalists were selected from 50 teams and 700 apprentices who entered the Challenge. Since January, the teams have staged more than 300 school visits to talk about the benefits of apprenticeships, recruited over 100 employers and delivered 47 community projects.