As a recruiter I actively use FaceBook and LinkedIn to identify possible candidates and to learn more about candidates I meet. My clients use Social Media as well to vet candidates I send them. There is no escaping the reality that your Social Media profiles make a real impact on your ability to secure a job. This article by Lisa Quast at www.Forbes.com does a great job of discussing the pros and cons of Social Media for job seekers.
My husband and I have trained our three daughters on the importance of posting only appropriate information on any type of social media. This includes not posting certain pictures of Saturday night’s party on Facebook and not posting or Tweeting anything when they’re angry or in a bad mood. Now, managing your social media profile has become even more important – a 2012 survey demonstrates that your social media profile could make or break your chances of being hired.
According to the 2012 annual technology market survey conducted by Eurocom Worldwide, “Almost one in five technology industry executives say that a candidate’s social media profile has caused them not to hire that person.” Previous Eurocom Worldwide surveys had found almost 40% of the survey respondents from technology companies review job candidate’s profiles on social media sites.
While we’ve all heard about the increase in companies checking the social media profiles of job candidates, this survey provides the first evidence that prospective job candidates are actually being rejected because of their profiles.
Tips to build a positive social media profile and avoid being rejected by a potential employer:
Always follow the old saying about not posting anything that would make you embarrassed if it were published on the front page of a newspaper. Don’t use Facebook as a forum to vent on everything you hate about life, your job, someone else, or a company – talk to a friend in person if you feel the need to vent. Some people recommend creating separate personal profiles – one for business and one for family and close friends only – but this is not recommended because it can be next to impossible to manage.
Better for job seekers than Facebook is LinkedIn because you can create a highly professional profile by using LinkedIn as an electronic résumé. This includes writing a succinct profile summary, adding your current job information, past job experience, education, skills, awards, and even obtaining testimonials from previous managers, co-workers, or direct reports. If you author a blog that relates to business or your work, be sure to include the URL information. Then, you can encourage potential employers to review your information on LinkedIn.
With more and more companies jumping on the social media bandwagon, it only makes sense that searching social media for background information on potential job candidates will continue to grow. This will make it even more important that everyone actively manage his or her online persona.
Decide how you intend to use social media and to whom you will allow access (especially on Facebook). Remember, if you want to ensure a potential employer never rejects you, make sure your online social profile depicts the type of employee a company would want to hire.