Navigating the Hiring Process: Social Media Savvy for Job Searchers

The beginning of any modern job search is an honest assessment of your social media footprint. These days, the first thing everyone does is Google a candidate, and you want to be sure that your results are coherent, compelling and appropriate.

AppleOne has been in this business for 50 years and while it used to be that a resume, professional references and your interview were the only tools HR had at its disposal to assess you as a person, times have changed. Now, we find savvy hiring managers uncovering all sorts of personal details about candidates on the internet – and dismissing otherwise slam-dunk applications because of it. Don’t let your social media indiscretion sabotage your career search. Taking a few simple precautions can make all the difference.

Privacy

Set your personal social media profiles to their maximum level of privacy. That means that your personal friends are Facebook will be the only ones who are able to read your posts and view your profile.

Removing questionable content

If there are pictures of you in public circulation, or ill-advised Tweets still on your feed, now is the time to remove them. Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets have specific terms of use for requesting removal content of other folks’ unflattering content about you. But for the most part, a simple untag or delete does the trick. In the future, don’t post anything that you wouldn’t want a potential employer to read.

Customizing your job history

Setting up your Linked in profile is another matter. Here, you want to be visible, but in the right light only. If you’re beginning a job search for work in a marketing department, you should remove job history and info related to being a bartender. Likewise, if you have professional contacts listed that may no longer remember you (or want to give you a good review), reconnect with them or delete the entry.

Make sure your profile is as filled-out as possible, with a good headline, a personalized URL, a strong list of keywords and a compelling personal summary.

Add a picture

Your LinkedIn picture is very important. Studies indicate that profiles with a picture are seven times more likely to be viewed than profiles without, so make sure you have one. It should be well lit, reasonably well framed and focused, and should showcase you dressed for work, smiling and looking professional.

Social Media Survival Checklist:

• Drunk photos and politically incorrect Tweets removed
• Personal social media profiles set to maximum privacy
• LinkedIn profile complete and customized to match your job search
• Sharp, appealing, professional photo added to LinkedIn profile

For more information, please download Leverage Social Media in Your Job Search, a free brochure from AppleOne.