In today’s market with Social Media being the center of everything from personal to professional it is critical to understand how your personal profiles are interpreted by potential employers and/or their Talent Acquisition staff members while searching for a new job. Here are 5 tips that will help you stand out during your job search:
- Delete photos and/or content that includes unprofessional activities, arguments or inappropriate shares. While this should be “common sense” there is a serious misconception that people have. The general public thinks they can say whatever they want on social media with zero consequences. This is the farthest thing from the truth. Many people DON’T get the job due to inappropriate content on their social profiles.
- Political views are a sensitive subject. The political climate today is intense. Remove all political statements, beliefs, shares and arguments from your social media profile. Think about this: Half of the voting public will disagree with your views. This may discourage a hiring manager or recruiter from considering you as a viable candidate.
- Do not post any unprofessional talk about past employers or co-workers. This can cause future employers to steer away from you. They may view this as you having an overall negative “loose cannon” type attitude. They would not want you to post this type of message about them in the future.
- Keeping your LinkedIn profile professional is key. If you think about LinkedIn as a platform, its nature is professional networking. Their statement about what they are is: “Connecting the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” Keep this in mind as you create or edit your profile.
- Use Social Media to research the company you are applying to and insure your resume is tailored to the company’s needs. Be specific and highlight the skills you possess that are skills the future employer is seeking.
Remember, you will represent a future employer. In today’s market your social profiles are your public resume. What impression would you like your future employer to have of you? Social reputation makes a significant impact. Create an authentic and genuine social presence and avoid the pitfalls of early and unnecessary disqualification. For additional articles please visit our blog at: Pearl Interactive!
About Michelle Vance
Michelle is a Talent Acquisition Consultant at Pearl Interactive Network, and has been involved in recruitment for over 25 years. She has been exposed to diversity-focused recruitment as well as civilian-focused recruitment; with some of the largest known employers and smaller entities. Both of her sons served our country during 911. Her brother is a disabled veteran and her sister-in-law was a double-amputee. She has a passion to ensure accuracy in the veteran & disability recruitment space, and hopes her unique perspectives offer enlightenment within this hiring arena.
Written by: Michelle Vance