Last year Charlie Loyd, a satellite image enthusiast, perfected a new way to make maps with cloudless imagery and tweeted his work to five mapping companies. Within minutes he had a reply tweet, followed by an interview and eventually a job offer.
This story isn't as atypical as you may think. According to a recent survey, 45% of employers now use social media to screen job candidates. Likewise, jobseekers are increasingly using online profiles to find jobs, with 34% using Twitter to make first contact with employers.
While a good social media presence can lead to job offers, a bad profile can harm your job prospects or even jeopardise your current employment. In 2013 Paris Brown, Britain's first youth crime commissioner, resigned after she was publicly criticised for sending racist and homophobic tweets. Similarly, two NHS nurses were sacked last year after posting images online joking about patients' anatomies and toilet habits.
So, how can jobseekers avoid these pitfalls and instead use social media to help their jobhunt? How do you make your online presence appealing to recruiters and employers? Should your social media profile be kept private – or can it be a useful tool for finding work? Join us on Wednesday 26 November from 1-3pm GMT for a live chat with the experts. We'll be discussing:
• How to use social media to find a job
• Common social media mistakes to avoid
• How to screen what an employer sees of you online
• The best ways to reach employers on social media
The Q&A takes place in the comments section below this article. Taking part is easier than ever: you can create a free Guardian account, or log in using your Twitter or Facebook profiles to comment. Alternatively, you can tweet us @GuardianCareers or email your questions to charlotte.seager@theguardian.com who can post them for you.
Our panel
Joe Wiggins is a senior jobs community manager for Glassdoor in Europe and has 15 years experience in communications, social media and community management. He also launched one of the first online jobs boards in the UK.
Dasha Amrom is a founder and managing director of Career Coaching Ventures. Career Coaching Ventures provides consultations and advice on optimising social media profiling to increase clients' chances of landing a job.
Helen Pritchard is a social media specialist and founder of Blue Sky Digital. She advises brands, recruiters and jobseekers on how to master social media platforms to match the right person with the right job.
David Shindler is a social media careers coach, blogger and speaker, founder of The Employability Hub, author of Learning to Leap: a guide to being more employable, Digital Bad Hair Days and co-author with Mark Babbitt of 21 Century Internships.
Lis McGuire is a professional CV writer and the founder of Giraffe CVs. Lis delivers interview-winning CVs, and provides useful tips and advice through a weekly blog, as well as The CV Confidence Coach podcast series.
Anthony Sherick is managing director of Technojobs, one of the UK's leading IT jobs and technical recruitment websites. Prior to Technojobs, Anthony worked in IT recruitment before advising on a diverse range of start-up businesses.
Debra Wheatman is the founder and owner of Careers Done Write, a professional branding and marketing company. Debra's company provides service career consulting and writing services to help clients stand out, secure interviews and full-time employment.
Daniel Riches is a business strategist for digital and social media at Department for Work & Pensions. Daniel is currently working on a flagship social media trial, Find Share Connect. He is regarded as an influencer in the uptake of digital services and a advocate and supporter of digital inclusion.
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