Engaging with other people on the social media can help you get a job of your dreams. Recruiters and hiring managers these days make it a point to check the social media activity of all the candidates for a given position.
A hiring manager would want to look for potential red flags in your social media activities. They would be interested in knowing how popular or engaging you are, and about the audience you have built for yourself on various social media sites.
More importantly, the recruiter will want to find out how you carry yourself on the social media. So if you are somewhat of a troll and generally act unprofessionally on Facebook or Twitter, you might as well kiss your chances of getting your dream job goodbye!
So, how to behave on the social media? How to use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook effectively, in a way that would boost your chances of landing a coveted position? Let’s find out!
Optimize your LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn is the most important social media site for professionals and your LinkedIn profile is generally the first thing a hiring manager will look at, along with your resume. Make sure that your LinkedIn profile is correctly updated with your latest work history and educational qualifications, and it is the same as what’s written on your resume and cover letter. Optimize your LinkedIn profile and try to get as many connections as possible. Try to engage more people, join several different groups in your industry, write blogs and generally be engaged and active.
Be careful on Twitter
If you have a Twitter account, use it to get in touch with potential employers and to get a sense of how it’s like to work at a particular organization. Twitter is a great place to monitor all the conversation about a company that you are interested in and decide for yourself if that is where you want to be. But a lot could go wrong on Twitter. Employers hate Twitter trolls more than anything. Don’t abuse anyone on Twitter, don’t use foul language or post sexually explicit material. Those are the sort of red flags that hiring managers look for.
Establish a presence on Facebook
Facebook is the world’s biggest social network, and you should be on it, simply for the reason that everyone else is on Facebook. Not being on Facebook would raise questions and hiring managers would wonder if there is something amiss. Be engaging and interesting on Facebook and interact with as many people as possible. Post a lot of content that is relevant to your niche. Avoid posting anything that can be deemed to be too personal. Even if you do make sure that your personal content remains private by turning on the appropriate settings. Facebook is a great place to get in touch with potential employers and meet people who can make a lot of difference to your job search.
Start blogging
You should definitely have a blog of your own, which is relevant to your industry or to the sort of positions that you are applying for. Having your own blog shows that you are serious about your role in the industry. Use the blog to showcase your knowledge and expertise, and communication skills. If you are not sure where to begin, you can start blogging at LinkedIn Pulse, which is watched closely by potential employers.
Avoid politics on the social media
There is no way to tell whether an employer would agree with your political views or not. So, to stay safe, avoid all talk of politics on the social media. Instead talk about sports, movies or family. You shouldn’t reveal too much about yourself on the social media. Some things are best kept private.
Avoid These Common Social Media Mistakes When Looking for a Job
We can’t blame you for using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We strongly suggest that you should be active on the social media, especially on LinkedIn.
Everyone is on the social media these days. Being on the social media is fraught with risks, as your potential employers would study your activities on various social networks closely to look for red flags, if any.
However, it doesn’t make sense to go “off the grid” which means going offline or deactivating your social media profiles, as that would raise questions in the employer’s mind.
Not being on the social media, when everyone else is on it, would make you stand out from the crowd, but in a negative sense, and perhaps hurt your chances of finding a job quickly.
Yes, you should certainly be involved in various social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but you should be careful enough to avoid the basic social media mistakes made by many job seekers. Let’s see what they are.
#1: Failing to keep your professional profile updated on LinkedIn and elsewhere – Is your LinkedIn profile updated with your latest educational qualifications, degrees and certifications, and with your recent professional achievements and work history?
That’s good, but make sure to keep your LinkedIn profile up to date with the latest developments in your career. Hiring managers won’t appreciate it if they find that you have not updated your professional profile on LinkedIn and elsewhere, such as on Facebook and Twitter. They will begin to think that there is something amiss.
It is also important not to misrepresent yourself on your social media profiles, to say something that you are not. This is the same as lying on your resume and is seen as unethical.
#2: Trolling, being offensive to others – Trolling may be a lot of fun on Twitter, but if you are serious about getting a job, you should avoid it completely. Don’t do anything on the social media that other people would find to be offensive, such as using profanity and sexually explicit language. Don’t do or even suggest anything illegal on the social media, this could really hurt you later.
You may consider your sense of humor to be funny, but there are a lot of people that find some of your jokes to be deeply hurtful, especially if they refer to certain ethnicities, genders, nationalities or religions in negative terms. Be on your guard on the social media because a hiring manager will certainly be watching.
#3: Not engaging with other people – The whole purpose of social media is to have conversations with other people. If your social media accounts are devoid of any sort of interactions, that would make your recruiters wonder if they are missing anything about you. You should try to engage others on the social media in a friendly and polite manner and not keep to yourself. You should aim to build an audience, and form connections with other users, especially on LinkedIn.
#4: Being critical of present or past employers – It has become fashionable for people to vent out their grievances at the workplace on Facebook or Twitter. This has to be avoided at all cost, as hiring managers or recruiters don’t like it when they see a candidate bashing their former employers or coworkers.
This makes them wonder that you could behave in the same manner with their organization, if they were to hire you. Now, don’t make the mistake of assuming that you can say what you like by making your social media settings private. No, things have a way of getting out on the social media. Just don’t say anything negative about your present or past employers or coworkers on Facebook.