Social Media – Friend or Foe in Your Job Search?
Social media is everywhere. Some wonder if it is a friend or foe in your efforts to find employment. The truth of the matter is that it can be either, or both, depending on how you use social media and how potential employers use it. Your social media profiles and who you follow on social media reveals more about you than you may realize.
How to Make Social Media Your Friend During the Job Search
Your social media feed reveals a lot about you as do who you follow. Avoiding controversy is often the better part of valor, especially if your goal is to appeal to a wide variety of employers. That means you should avoid commentary that is controversial as well as that may appear as confrontational. Take arguments, grievances, and statements that appear intolerant private and keep your feed as neutral as possible.
Also, run through with a filter to clean up the language on your posts and profiles. You want to appear as a professional and your future employers will want that too. Remember, once you’re hired, you represent your company and anyone who knows you’re an employee.
Finally, go through your pictures and look for anything that might appear controversial. Make sure there are no compromising photographs that may show too much or that may make you a liability to the companies you wish to work for.
Don’t forget to include things in your social media that make you appear to be a consummate professional in your chosen industry. This includes links to journals, articles, and cutting edge research as well as industry positive news and reviews. Ultimately, you want your social media to be a job-finding machine during your job search and after – as many employers now have clauses in employee contracts about social media behavior and activities.