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Yes, it is hard for some people to believe, but WhatsApp can help you find a job. Unfortunately, the vastly popular social media solution can also hurt job seekers by scaring away potential employers.

If you are seeking work these days, you need to understand how social media such as WhatsApp can affect your job hunt. Not only can WhatsApp connect you with more potential employers but it can also affect how those that do the hiring view you.

Job seekers need to be very careful with social media because how they use it and what they say can make them unemployable in a worst-case scenario. The reverse is also true; saying or doing the right things on WhatsApp could help you get a job.

How to Use WhatsApp to Find Work

WhatsApp can be a powerful tool for finding a job because at the end of the day, a search for employment is all about networking. WhatsApp is one of the most powerful networking tools ever created; it can help you network with people all over the world.

That means one of the first things you should do when you start your job hunt is tell everybody you know on WhatsApp that you are looking for work. You should tell them what kind of work you want, where you want to work, and what experience you have. You need to do this because networking is still the way many people get jobs.

Unfortunately, there are still many employers that will only hire people they know or those recommended by somebody they know. Even in today’s world, many people value personal connections and word of mouth more than credentials and resumes.

One reason why you need to network is to get your resume or job application out of the pile. A personal connection such as a recommendation from a friend or a family member differentiates your resume or application from the rest. It reminds the potential employer that there’s a person behind the paper.

There are some apps that can help you build a resume for social media. These include Smart Resume Builder/CV Free for Android and Resume Star for the iPhone. These solutions can help you create a PDF version of your resume that can be sent through apps like WhatsApp to potential employers at the push of a button.

Make sure that you tell everybody you know on WhatsApp—friends, family, business associates, clients, casual acquaintances, everybody—that you are searching for a position. They may not have a job for you, but they may know somebody that does. Your hair stylist might have a hiring manager in your industry as a client, and you might not realize it.

Therefore it pays to make sure that everybody in your WhatsApp has a copy of your resume. You never know who they might show it to.

Beyond Networking: What Information to Put on WhatsApp

Beyond networking, you need to know what information to put out on WhatsApp. Your resume is obviously a good place to start, but it is only the beginning. You might also describe your experience and your accomplishments.

For example, you might send out some examples of projects you’ve worked on or completed. This could be papers you completed in school, reports you’ve written for your job, or examples of your success as a salesperson. A writer could send out samples of articles and a photographer pictures she has taken, If your work involves something visual, such as drawings, put pictures of those up online. A person seeking work as a baker might put up pictures of cakes or cookies she has made.

A hairstylist could put up pictures of hairdos she has done. A dog groomer could put up some pictures of dogs she has groomed.

If you are looking for a job that involves speaking or one-on-one contact such as teaching or sales, you might put up a video clip of yourself giving a sales pitch or teaching a class. Another great idea is to prepare an “elevator pitch”—a 15- to 30-second soundbite in which you try to sell yourself to a potential employer—and put it on line.

Another great way to set yourself apart would be to put up some videos singing your praises; for example, a clip of a former boss saying what a good worker you are or a satisfied client praising your services.

Presenting actual evidence of your videos and success and getting it out there is still one of the best ways to find a job. If you can demonstrate that you can do the job or, better, do it well, employers will be more likely to pay attention.

What Not to Put on WhatsApp

WhatsApp can be a double-edged sword for jobseekers because putting the wrong things on the app can drive away potential employers. Something to remember is that you are presenting an image through social media.

If you present an unprofessional image, you could drive away potential employers. Some things that jobseekers should avoid putting on social media include:

• Pictures that show you in an unflattering or unprofessional light. This could include images of you drinking or partying. In particular, be careful of images of alcohol, drugs, or tobacco or references to those things.

• Religious or political opinions, particularly ones that could be construed as offensive or radical.

• Criticisms of others, particularly former employers. Nobody likes a whiner or a crybaby.

An example of something you probably do not what a potential employer to see

• Anything that could be construed as proprietary information from a former job, such as business plans, accounting data, or sales figures. This could be illegal, and it could tell a potential employer that you are irresponsible.

• Humor. Remember, what you consider funny could be offensive to somebody else.

• Pictures that make you look unprofessional; for example, an image of you wearing a t-shirt and shorts at the office or goofing around. People are visual beings; they believe what they see even if it is fake.

• Images of leisure activities, especially those that make you look lazy or irresponsible.

Something to remember is that a potential employer could see almost anything you put on WhatsApp even if you intend it to be private. Therefore one good strategy for jobseekers is to create a second WhatsApp account simply for your job hunt. Only send out information you want potential employers to see, and restrict personal communications to your personal WhatsApp channel.

Having a little discipline in your social media use can help you project the image you want potential employers to see.

The numbers indicate that WhatsApp has become the world’s most popular and successful messaging solution, with around 900 million users around the globe. Even though it is not that popular in America, WhatsApp has become incredibly popular in many different countries.

This means WhatsApp could be the world’s first truly global communications medium and global app. Its appeal seems to be universal, cutting across cultural and national boundaries. This is one of the reasons why Facebook was willing to pay $19 billion for WhatsApp in 2014, according to The Wall Street Journal.

When asked why WhatsApp was so valuable, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg had a simple answer. He said the solution’s value was in its ability to reach one billion users. Zuckerberg also told reporters that he thought WhatsApp was actually underpriced at $19 billion.

WhatsApp’s Popularity Across the Globe

A quick look at the percentages of Internet users in certain markets that send messages via WhatsApp shows that Mr. Zuckerberg could be right. WhatsApp is now the most popular and successful messaging application in an incredible variety of countries.

Statista calculated the percentages of Internet users that also used WhatsApp in many countries and came up with the following figures:

• South Africa, 78%
• Malaysia, 75%
• Argentina, 75%
• Singapore, 72%
• Hong Kong, 71%
• Spain, 70%
• India, 69%
• Mexico, 67%
• Italy, 62%
• Netherlands, 61%
• Germany, 57%
• Brazil, 56%
• Saudi Arabia, 56%
• Indonesia, 52%

As you can see, WhatsApp has successfully penetrated and dominated some of the world’s largest markets and done it in a little over five years. The app was launched around six years ago, in 2009.

WhatsApp is also very successful in very different countries. It seems to be as popular in Saudi Araba, a conservative Islamic society, as in a liberal European nation such as Spain or the Netherlands.

So Why Is WhatsApp So Popular Around the World?

There are several features that give WhatsApp its universal appeal. It is relatively cheap and easy to use, and it allows for free messaging across borders and between nations.

Another reason why WhatsApp is so popular is that it can be accessed via mobile phones, which are the most popular means of accessing the Internet in many countries. Only around 8% of Americans that have widespread Internet access via computers use WhatsApp, while around 69% of Indians that rely upon mobile phones to reach the web use it.

Some countries, like South Africa, simply lack the kind of Internet infrastructure found in the United States or France. Yet they have wireless access almost anywhere. A person that wants to send a message in South Africa knows that there is a signal almost anywhere, but the nearest broadband connection could be 20 or 30 kilometers away.

What Do People Use WhatsApp for Around the World?

The uses of WhatsApp vary greatly around the world. It has been used to send out political advertising in Tanzania , to operate a concierge service in India, and for a wide variety of con games in Spain. Some Muslim men in India have even tried to use WhatsApp to divorce their wives. British newspapers are using WhatsApp as a new means of disseminating newsfeeds to social media.

In India, there has been a whole wave of startup businesses devoted to WhatsApp. In Italy, WhatsApp has been at the center of a wide variety of divorce cases because it is widely used for infidelity. The Independent reported that WhatsApp evidence was used in nearly one half of the divorce cases in Italy.

“Now WhatsApp, which is being used widely and has encouraged the return of the Latin lover,” Gian Ettore Gassani the president of the Italian Association of Matrimonial lawyers told the Times of London. “Lovers can now exchange risqué photos of themselves, and we have seen adulterers using the service to maintain three or four relationships – it’s like dynamite.”

WhatsApp Ravages Telecom Business in Persian Gulf

Another use for WhatsApp is to increase the sales of mobile phone service. Ooredoo Kuwait, a telecom company in the Persian Gulf, has been giving away free WhatsApp to customers as a means of increasing its market share. Anybody that buys service from Ooredoo Kuwait can access WhatsApp without paying the $1 fee, Gulf Business reported .

One reason why the telecom is taking that step is that messaging solutions such as WhatsApp have deeply cut into the revenue that telephone companies make from calls and texts. Nobody is paying for Ooredoo Kuwait’s messaging anymore because everybody is apparently using the much cheaper WhatsApp.

Another reason why Ooredoo Kuwait is giving WhatsApp away is to get people to use more data. The company hopes that those that get free WhatsApp will send more videos and other messages out and need more data, which it will sell them.

Major users of WhatsApp in the Persian Gulf include expatriates, who utilize the solution to contact family in Europe and India. Using WhatsApp is cheaper than making a regular phone call or sending a text, and it can even be free if you send it through a free Wi-Fi connection.

This means that WhatsApp can make massive changes in business as well as social life. This simple app can destroy marriages and upset entire industries because it is so cheap and easy to use.

WhatsApp as a Disruptive Force

As you can see, WhatsApp is far more than just an app. It is a highly disruptive force. This messaging solution is capable of disrupting everything from business to marriages, and it can change society as it does.

Naturally, if WhatsApp can disrupt marriage or business, it can affect other spheres of life. One has to wonder what effects WhatsApp will have in the worlds of politics, religion, and entertainment.

That means WhatsApp is not only all over the world but it is capable of changing the world in dramatic ways. It looks as if Zuckerberg’s claim that he underpaid for WhatsApp is absolutely true. This app is worth far more than $19 billion because it is capable of changing the world by connecting people.

Staying in contact with friends and family without spending a fortune can be one of the hardest parts of international travel. That is why many seasoned travelers rely on WhatsApp, which can help travelers stay in touch at a low cost.

You need to be very careful when you are traveling because phone service providers charge up to 5¢ apiece for text messages. They often disguise the charge by offering a deal like 50 messages for $10; that sounds good until you realize that some people can send up to 50 messages a day.

You will be charged every time you ask your friend to check on the plants at your apartment or send a picture to Mom back home. That means some travelers can end up spending up to $10 a day on messages or more; if your trip lasts two weeks, that adds up to $140.

To make matters worse, some companies offer minimum data plans that start charging more if you send more messages than in the plan. AT&T, a large American phone company, actually charges $30 per 120 megabytes of data added when you travel.

Message for Less with WhatsApp

Fortunately, nobody needs to pay those rates now that WhatsApp is available. Since WhatsApp uses little or no data, it can enable a person to send out a virtually unlimited number of messages on a basic data plan.

A person can send up to 22,000 messages using WhatsApp and a basic $30 120-megabyte data plan, Triphackr.com reported . Since WhatsApp only costs $1, that means you get 22,000 messages for $31.

You should be careful because this means just basic messages. If you send out a lot of photos or videos, you can quickly burn through your data plan. Yet if you are just sending texts, you should be able to send all the messages you want.

It Can Work on Almost Any Phone

More importantly, with WhatsApp, you can send messages through virtually any Internet connection. That means you will be able to message even if you buy a local phone or a SIM card with a data plan for your phone once you reach your destination.

Since WhatsApp works across platforms, it can work on a wide variety of phones, including Blackberries, iPhones, and Android devices. More importantly, WhatsApp is designed for the world’s most popular smartphone operating system, Google’s Android. That means it is more likely to work on that cheap phone you buy at your destination.

If you usually buy a new phone when you visit a different country, WhatsApp is definitely for you. Since it’s designed as a cross-platform solution, WhatsApp will work on almost all of the latest model smart phones.

Another Way to Use WhatsApp Abroad

There’s another reason why you should use WhatsApp when you travel abroad. You can use it off of your phone or virtually any computer with an Internet connection as long as you use WhatsApp Web .

That means you can use it to stay in touch through your laptop or tablet if you bring it along. You will need to download WhatsApp Web and install it in order to take advantage of this service.

WhatsApp in the Air

It can also work on Wi-Fi, which means you can use it from your phone by dropping into an Internet café or even on an airliner. One the biggest advantages WhatsApp provides travelers is that you can sometimes use it in the sky.

In the United States, around two thirds of the airlines now offer some sort of Wi-Fi service, PCMag reported . Two large American carriers, Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines, now offer Wi-Fi on most of their flights. Another large U.S. carrier, United, now offers Wi-Fi on most of its international flights.

That means you should be able to use WhatsApp on the plane if Wi-Fi is available. If you are not sure if Wi-Fi is available, simply ask the flight attendant. He or she should be able to tell you if connectivity is available and how to connect to it.

It should be noted, however, that even the best Wi-Fi connections on planes do not always work because airliners move and sometimes move out of range of the signal. Carriers are spending a lot of money to upgrade Wi-Fi service, but the level of connectivity they offer is far from perfect.

Save Money with WhatsApp and Wi-Fi

On the ground, you can save money by staying at a hotel with Wi-Fi or taking advantage of Wi-Fi hotspots. You will save money because WhatsApp enables you to send messages for free as long as you have a direct Internet connection, such as the one provided by Wi-Fi.

You can also avoid higher data charges by waiting until you have a Wi-Fi connection available to send out bigger files, such as photos and videos. If you only send texts when you are not on Wi-Fi, you can conserve your data plan while you are traveling.

When you travel in the United States, you can often find free Wi-Fi at some restaurants, including the Starbucks coffee shops and many public libraries. Wi-Fi hotspots are also available in some public places such as shopping malls.

Another good suggestion is to ask about Wi-Fi when you check into a hotel or hostel. Many hotels offer it as an amenity to attract more guests.

Is It the Best Travel App Around?

Many observers, including Guardian writer Siraj Datoo, believe that WhatsApp is the best app for travelers because it lets her send out large numbers of texts for free no matter where she is.

If you travel and you like to text, you need to download WhatsApp. It could be the best possible solution available to today’s travelers. If you already use WhatsApp, you should be able to use it at no extra cost wherever you can find an Internet connection in the world. That means travelers should never have to pay to message again.

Staying connected is easier than ever before when you use WhatsApp. It is a perfect alternative to both expensive long distance calls and costly messages.