When it comes to hiring, recruitment, and general job search, the latest trend is using social media to find both candidates looking for a job and companies offering employment. Social media provides a variety of options and it’s a great way for people all over the world to connect and network. If you’re looking for a job, you can use different platforms like LinkedIn to find companies that match your skills and offer what you’re looking for. The truth is, using social networks to find a job is one of the fastest ways of getting employed today since the employers prefer this method of finding good candidates. Nowadays, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are your online ID and over 90% of employers use social media to screen candidates. Therefore, your profile plays an important part in your job search.
Since almost every employer today uses social media profiles of potential candidates as the main selection factor when they’re hiring, it became essential to polish up your profile and network to get hired. The first thing you should do is Google yourself to clean any content that could put you in a bad position. That means removing any online references to religion, politics, drugs, alcohol, and sex. This is especially important if you’re looking for a specific tech job, as positive online visibility and personal branding mean more to these types of companies. Even before you put your tech skills for resume visible online, the way you manage your profiles says a lot about your personality. Use Google to check your personal information and untag yourself from any photos that might be considered as negative behavior. Such behavior might significantly lower your chances of getting hired. Keep your profile up-to-date and do an incognito search by using a private browsing window. This is the essential part of polishing your social media profiles because it allows you to see unbiased results that aren’t affected by any Google personalization factors, such as logged in services or previous searches. You can also set a Google alert for your name so that you get email notifications each time your name comes up in Google search results. This is particularly useful because you can find out which companies are checking your online reputation.
Each social media account has two sides: personal and professional. If you want to give away an impeccable impression that you’re a skilled candidate perfect for hiring, the best thing to do is keep the personal separate from the professional. Never let personal content end up on a professional account. The best way to avoid this is by being mindful of what you post on your professional accounts. as personal and professional accounts should be two completely separate things. Topics such as your personal information, political and religious views shouldn’t be posted on your professional accounts. These platforms should be used for higher purposes, such as exchanging professional knowledge, engaging in conversations with your connections about technical interview preparation or technical interview tips and career wins. Everything that could help you get a job is a thing for your professional profiles. For example, if you know someone who got a job in a company you want to work for, asking them about technical interview questions might increase your chances of getting in. With that in mind, here is what you should and shouldn’t post on your social media accounts. What to post on SM: -Everything that gives away a good professional image of you. -Regular business updates. -Current events regarding your industry. -Travel photos and videos. -News about your industry. -Upcoming webinars, seminars, small-time courses, and conferences etc. What not to post on SM: -Personal and relationship issues. -Violent and vulgar language. -Religious and political rants. -Photos of you drinking or partying. -Complaints about your work or boss or staff you work with.
Being mindful of who can see your posts and shares greatly increases your chances of getting employed due to a clean social media slate. Therefore, you should take precautions to strengthen the security of your personal accounts. Many sites such as Facebook allow personalized privacy settings where you can choose who can see your content. Carefully select your audience, as this might end up costing you a job. A good way to improve your personal security is by limiting old posts so that anyone outside of your friends can’t see them. Since the cover and profile photos are open to the public, make sure they are appropriate. While such customization is recommended for your personal accounts, you want to be visible online to the companies that are looking for potential candidates. This means that your professional accounts should be public. Online presence and visibility are determining factors here and being fluent in social media is just a part of your technical skills on a resume that will look promising to your future employers. It’s important not to share too many career details but emphasize your job qualifications for the greatest impact. If you want to sell yourself professionally, you need to make sure that all the information you provide is accurate. Your social media profiles are your personal branding – many employers consider the way you present yourself online to be an important part of your social behaviour. Clean up and polish your accounts to present yourself in the best possible light and show the targeted companies why you are the perfect candidate for the job.
