Social media has been the biggest game-changer in the last couple of decades. From being simple platforms for people to exchange messages and pictures, to becoming the biggest platforms for online marketing and sales, social media has come up leaps and bounds. It is now an integral part of daily life, so much so, that it also affects the chances of us getting jobs. Yes, it is now a legit practice for recruiter to check social media profile of potential recruits. There have been cases where people have lost their jobs because of comments they have made or things they shared online. You have to be careful of your image on social media.
Use Social Media to Your Benefit
Many companies hire employees or agencies to manage their online reputation. This is called ORM (Online Reputation Management). This shows how serious companies are about their image. So why won’t they make sure their employees are also projecting a good online image. HR recruiters are now checking out potential employees’ social media profiles before or after interviews. More than half of the recruiters look at Facebook profiles, while a staggering 80% look at LinkedIn profiles. The higher figure is understandable for LinkedIn as this is a social media platform for professionals. What recruiters see online can affect their decision to hire you. The good thing with this practice is that you can use social media to your benefit. Here’s what you can do:-
- Be nice. Make sure all your posts and shares are positive in nature.
- Share posts that complement your good qualities, and portray you in a good light.
- Share educational things like videos, blogs, and articles that are related to your profession.
- Join groups and forums from where you can get employment opportunities.
- Remove of unfollow friends and acquaintances who share controversial things.
- Follow pages of companies you are applying to. You can use their social media pages to your advantage.
- Occasionally, share positive messages and quotes by successful people.
What to Avoid on Social Media
Since social media is a free platform, there is rarely any filter on the content one can find online. There are so many things you have to avoid to project a good image on your social platforms. Here are some of them:-
- Clean up your social media profile. Remove pictures that may be deemed inappropriate, or pictures of you slacking off during work.
- Remove posts that can be termed as abusive, racially charged, or sexist in nature. Just to be sure, remove all negativity.
- Avoid sharing political posts. It’s best to avoid showing your political affiliations on social media. Keep it to yourself.
- Avoid complaining about your previous employers.
- Don’t put status updates and messages rife with spelling and grammatical errors.
- Inconsistency across platforms. Make sure all the personal and professional information is consistent across all platforms.
- Overtly fake persona. It’s one thing to clean up for a profile, but to fill it up with fake things is completely different. Recruiters can spot fakeness.
What Recruiters Looking For?
Recruiters are looking for people who project a clean and professional image in their personal life as well i.e. their social media. They are looking for people who are serious about life and success. Also, companies look for people who share their ideologies.
Should people be judged for their online persona is a debate that will rage on for a long time. For now, make your social media presence does affect your chances of getting a job.