Did you know employers are looking at the social media profiles of prospective candidates? It’s true and these profiles are making and breaking deals across the nation. Think about it from an employer prospective and ask yourself if you would interview or hire someone. AtBlack Tie Exchange we want you and your social media messaging to be dressed for success. Here are social media tips for job seekers:
1. Spring Break 2004: Think the spring break beer chugging profile picture is appropriate? Not so much especially to a prospective employer. Have a professional head shot taken and use it as your profile picture.
2. Have it & keep it current: Recognize the importance of having and creating social media profiles is the first step. The next step is to keep the content current. Don’t create a Twitteraccount and never tweet or have a Facebook account and no friends on your page. That will make employers wonder about you.
3. You may need to unfriend people: Do you have friends who use foul language or language that you don’t want an employer to see? Most of us do. You may need to adjust settings on your accounts to prevent these people from being seen by professional contacts. Other options are to ask them not to use that language or to unfriend or disconnect them from your social media sites. While it might be difficult, keeping them in plain sight might cost you a job or promotion.
4. Create two pages or profiles: Have a professional profile for colleagues and professional contacts and another for friends and family. It is important to communicate the target audience for each page especially if you have cross over contacts. You don’t want your college roommate to share stories from back in the day on your professional accounts.
5. Keep it clean: A friend once posted, “My page is so benign some days it even bores me,” on a social media site. Set an example by keeping stories, posts and profiles professional even when chatting or responding to friends and family. This will help others understand your standards for social media.
We wish you the best in your job search and hope our tips helped you understand the importance of personal social media management.
