We live in a digital world, and more often than ever employers are checking out the social media profiles of potential job candidates during the hiring process. Research from JobSite revealed that around 71% of employers admit to doing this.
If you are job hunting right now, would your social media presence be ready for scrutiny? Would your potential boss see anything that would embarrass you? Or worse, prevent you from landing your dream job?
If so, there’s no time like the present to give your social media a deep clean. Here are our 5 top tips:
Delete old accounts
There are thousands of social networking sites out there, with new ones launching every day. It can be hard to keep track of all your social accounts – especially for the younger people amongst us who have been using them since childhood.
Do you really need to hang on to that old MySpace account that you haven’t logged into since 2007? It’s best to clean up your social footprint, close down accounts that you don’t use anymore and keep your social profile as concise & consistent as possible.
Update your privacy settings
Log out of Facebook, go on Google and search for your name. You might be surprised at how much of your Facebook profile is fully visible to the public. Your Twitter profile is also open to the public by default, as is your Instagram account unless you set it to private.
There’s nothing wrong with having fun and joking around online, but anything that is meant for your friends only should be kept private. You might also have clean-up your friend’s posts that you’ve been tagged or mentioned in .
Make use of ‘professional’ social networks
Sign up to LinkedIn if you haven’t already and start building up a network, following influencers and demonstrating your skills & experience. Certain types of employers might also expect to see you on certain social networks – for example if you’re a developer it would make sense for you to be on Github, or if you’re a graphic designer you should be on Behance. Keep these sites up-to-date so that they match your CV.
Show your personality
Employers aren’t just interested in your professional skills, they also want to make sure your personality matches their company culture. Your social profile is a great place to show the real you – something that you might not have time to demonstrate during a 20 minute interview.
Of course you should delete or hide anything inappropriate, but that doesn’t mean you have to be all business all the time.
Be a thought leader
Following industry leaders is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse, but you should also use social platforms to voice your opinion and showcase your expertise in your field. This might not always be welcome on Facebook, but LinkedIn and Twitter are two ideal places to demonstrate your professional knowledge.
Your social media presence should show you off at your best. Follow our tips to keep it that way.
