If you are conducting a job search you can be sure your prospective interviewers will look at your social media. This can include everything from LinkedIn to Facebook and Instagram. They will scan through your photos and decide if they like what they see. However, there is more to it that jobseekers should consider. Our clients often come to our resume services asking questions concerning their online presence. Check out a bit of expert advice.
What are Hiring Professionals Looking For?
A recent study conducted by SHRM, Society for Human Resource Management, found that 43 percent of employers use social media and web searches to screen potential job candidates. This same survey found that 36 percent of the companies excluded candidates for what they found.
The million dollar question – What are hiring officials looking for when they comb your social media accounts? The obvious is your personal details. They want to see if you appear to be a reliable, moral candidate for the role you could potentially fill. However, there is more to it than that. They don’t just want to see your about section and photos. They want to know if there are major red flags present in your social media postings, if you actually do exist online, what kind of followers you attract and if you have mutual connections. At our resume services we suggest you do a search of yourself on private settings. This will give you insight as to what other will see.
Red Flags
Your social media is your own and you are free to post as you see fit. However, it is important to keep in mind that posting certain things can get you disqualified for jobs. Some people think that simply heightening privacy settings will do the trick. The truth is, if you have mutual connections, hiring managers or recruiters will be able to see all your content. Having extremely private settings in itself can be a red flag, as well. Even worse, if a Google search of your name brings back nothing at all, suspicions will increase. Red flags on your accounts can include extreme political views or excessive political rants, an excess of risqué behavior, bad language, signs of drug use and immature behavior.
Using Social Media to Your Advantage
There are plenty of tricks you can use to leverage your social media presence. First and foremost, use your accounts to display accomplishments, industry knowledge, helpful extracurricular activities and favorable photos. A recruiter or hiring manager would be pleased to see you share helpful knowledge. Finding out that you volunteer or excel at skills in the industry could make you look like the great asset you are. If you participate in your child’s school robotics team, take panoramic photographs of your hiking experiences or partake of world travels, these and the like can show that you are both skilled and cultured.
Contact Our Resume Services
In most cases, candidates don’t have to worry about red flags and unfavorable behavior on their social media. Instead, they should be sure to use social media as leverage to display favorable information about themselves. If you have more questions concerning your online presence and how to improve search value for your name, be sure to call our resume services. We will be happy to share our expert advice.