Social media plays an important role in today’s job market.
Job seekers use it to network
virtually in hopes of landing a job opportunity, and hiring managers are
increasingly using social media to check out their prospective employees. For
many job candidates, this fact can make the difference between getting hired
and seeing the door.
If you are on the job
hunt, follow these guidelines to monitoring your social media presence.
Maintain a Presence
It may be tempting to just delete all your social media
profiles or redefine your security settings to ?friends only,? but an absence
of social media is just as sketchy as a questionable profile. Hiring managers
know that nearly everyone has some sort of online presence these days, and the
absence of yours may make them think you have something to hide. Instead of
deleting your profiles, just focus on cleaning them up and keeping them that
way.
Consider the Company You Keep
Social media connects people with their friends, important
causes and companies, and these connections are visible to anyone with the
ability to see your profile. Keep this in mind before you ?like? an
organization that is counter to the one you hope to work for, and remember that
you may be judged by the company you keep before making any connections. For
example, if you want to land a position at a company with a conservative
reputation, it may be best to ?unlike? the more liberal organizations on your
list for the time being.
Curb the Check-Ins
Sure, it is nice to ?check in? at your favorite bars,
restaurants and clubs to meet up with friends, but think about the type of
message it sends to a potential employer. If you are checking in from the bar
frequently during the week or posting from the club during the wee hours, they
might get the impression that you are a partier who won’t recover well by
Monday morning.
Don’t Air Dirty Laundry
All employees are privy to some level of insider info about
their work places, but it has no place in social media. Resist the urge to air
dirty laundry about your former position, boss or company in a tweet, status
update or any other post. Your potential employer will assume you will spill
secrets at your new job, and that is a risk they won’t be willing to take.?
