According to this article, Twitter is the "best job search tool you're not using" (Che, 2015).
While much less structured than the obvious choice, LinkedIn, "Twitter offers a strong network of people in various fields, and companies and hiring managers are increasingly sharing open positions on their accounts" (Che, 2015). By improving you're profile, participating in industry-related conversations, and creating a network of connections, you might be on your way to finding a dream job. This is especially true if that dream job happens to be in marketing or social media. Create a personal brand for yourself!
While LinkedIn and Twitter might help in your job search, some of your other social media accounts may do some serious damage. Have a couple wild nights back in college? Make sure those Facebook posts don't haunt you in your professional life. While it may not be ethical, or the policy to look at a candidate's online presence, it has been my experience that... they do. And who wouldn't? Our social media profiles offer a glimpse into our lives, the unfiltered, non-suit wearing, real version of who we are.
According to a recent study, "93% of hiring managers will review a candidate's social profile before making a hiring decision. And that review matters: 55% have reconsidered a candidate based on what they find, with most (61%) of those double-takes being negative" (Davidson, 2014). Apparently drug-related and sexual posts are among the worst offenders. Frequent alcohol use and spelling and grammar mistakes also count against you.
My advice when looking for a job? Delete any incriminating posts or photos and set your profile to private. Look at your profiles from an outside perspective. Do a Google search of yourself. What are you presenting to the world? If you happen to somehow be connected to the hiring manager's best friend and they still manage to see your profile, is it true to you and the brand you are trying to present? If not, you might want to revaluate your social media activities or the types of jobs you are applying for.
References
Che, J. (2015, Jun 6). Twitter Is The Best Job Search Tool You’re Not Using — Here’s How You Can. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/16/twitter-job-search_n_7571260.html
Davidson, J. (2014, Oct 16). The 7 Social Media Mistakes Most Likely to Cost You a Job. Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/3510967/jobvite-social-media-profiles-job-applicants/
Hi Aimee,
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t agree with your post more when referring to a person’s social media platform positively reflectively who they are when actively job searching. Unfortunately, in today’s society social media is a big ball of fakeness. Your advice to delete an incriminating post or photos is helpful to active job seekers. I found it interesting and surprising how often employers seek out social platforms of job applicants before making a hiring decision. Even more interesting, employers take into account spelling and grammar of a personal social media page.
Hi Aimee!
DeleteI think it is a wise suggestion for job seekers to make their profiles private and remain professional online. Privacy settings are definitely a key factor and while we continue to touch on what someone should NOT do or post on social media, there are a few "Do's" as well.
According to a recent study by Career Builder (Brooks, 2016), only 21% of employers that look through their applicants social media pages are actually looking for reasons NOT to hire the applicant. The majority (60%) were actually using social media as a way to confirm the applicant's qualifications.
If they cannot find anything at all on the candidate, the survey implies that "more than two in five employers (41 percent) say they are less likely to interview job candidates if they are unable to find information about that person online (Nikravan, 2016). In fact, by having a social media profile (used appropriately and professionally), it could actually help you in getting the job. The study revealed that there were a few top reasons why applicants were chosen because of their social media presence;
The candidate's background information matched the job qualifications.
The candidate's site conveyed a professional image.
The candidate's personality came across as a good fit with company culture.
The candidate was well-rounded and showed a wide range of interests.
The candidate had great communication skills (Brooks, 2016).
References
Brooks, Chad. (2016, May 11). Social Screening: What Hiring Managers Look for On Social Media. Business Daily. Retrieved: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2377-social-media-hiring.html
Nikravan, Ladan. (2016, Apr. 2016). Number of Employers Using Social Media to Screen Candidates Has Increased 500 Percent over the Last Decade. Career Builder. Retrieved: http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?ed=12%2F31%2F2016&id=pr945&sd=4%2F28%2F2016
Hi Aimee, great post. You gave great advice! When applying for a new job, I always double check that my LinkedIn is up-to-date, and I check that my social media profiles are cleaned up, but I have never thought to do a simple Google search of myself! In fact, after I was done reading your blog post, I searched for myself on Google and my internet footprint is much larger than I imagined it to be! There are some pictures and news articles dating back to 2008 - almost ten years of information is out there! Like Ste-Aria, I also found the number of employers that seek out the social platforms to be surprising. I found a great Huffington Post article by Susan Joyce (2014) that explains the resume-submission-to-interview-invitation process and states:
ReplyDeleteStep 1. Resumes are received and screened into two groups (“possibles” and “no”).
Step 2. Someone opens up a browser, and begins Googling the “possibles” which are then screened into three groups (“more likely” and “less likely” and “no”) based on what is discovered - or NOT discovered.
Joyce, S. 2014. What 80% Of Employers Do Before Inviting You For An Interview. The Huffington Post Blog. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-p-joyce/job-search-tips_b_4834361.html
Hi Aimee,
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your post this week. It was a different take on the topic my group posted about and fun to read. Its so interesting that so many hiring managers look at social media before officially committing to a candidate. I have to say I am no different. I search my candidates first too before hiring them officially. What I found most interesting however is that, in really a job applicant like anyone of us, is dammed if they do and dammed if they don't. Real Simple (I know its not a trade publication, but this article was very insightful) published an article "How Social Media Can Affect Your Job Search" by Vanderkam in which she quotes “If you’re nowhere to be found on Google, employers may question whether you have kept up with the latest trends or are qualified for a job that requires minimal digital skills,” says Dorie Clark, a blogger for Harvard Business Review. I think this is so relevant in 2017. Previously a candidate could have gotten away with saying they were private or didn't engage in social media, but how can they say that in 2017? If you don't engage, the technology and knowledge passes you by, and employers know it.
Lena
Vanderkam, Laura. How Social Media Can Affect Your Job Search. Real Simple. Retrieved from http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/job-career/social-media-job-search
Thanks for the feedback! So surprising to see the processes that hiring managers use. This is definitely something all job seekers need to keep in mind. It's also a great point that having no social footprint can be a detriment. It makes you wonder, what is this person hiding?
ReplyDelete