According to new data released by job search engine Adzuna, demand for social media skills and knowledge is on the rise amongst forward thinking UK employers, with over 13,000 jobs around the country demanding candidates with specific skills and experience in this arena, a 66% increase on last year.

 Understandably so, TheEmployable reckons, since social media activity and marketing is becoming a bread and butter responsibility for SMEs, startups and established corporate businesses alike.

Facebook and Pinterest-related skills are the biggest risers, followed by LinkedIn, reflecting the increasing importance of a range of social media channels for forward-thinking employers. SEO skills, while still growing in popularity, saw a slightly lower increase in demand, potentially reflecting the importance of strong, unique social media activity and content, over a more formulated search engine optimisation strategy.

The analysis, from April 2014, also shows a surge in new language being used to lure top talent. There are currently 759 British employers looking for “gurus”, demands for 237 “wizards” and even 62 companies looking for “rockstars”. Demand for ‘gurus” (45%) and ‘wizards’ (77%) is soaring compared to 2013, while the hunt for “legends”, “superheroes” and “jedi” is in decline.

So, jobseekers, with buzz words like Jedi being used in job titles to advertise roles and social media skills and experience becoming more and more important to the UK employer, we think it would be a wise decision to get your CV and skills up to scratch with the new “force” of social media experience continuing to rise. May the force be with you – or Twitter, Pinterest, and the like, that is…