Social media can be a great way to promote yourself to potential employers and can greatly assist in your job search.
Your social media profile may be the first time an employer finds out about your life outside of work, but some people remain naively unaware of how they may be portraying an unflattering version of themselves to both existing and potential employers.
It’s common for employers to check a person’s profile before offering them a job. Therefore, it is a good idea to check your on-line presence before you start applying for jobs.
Check out our 7 top tips to ensure that you’re not putting off any potential employers by your online brand:
1 – Google yourself
Begin by searching online to see what would appear if you were googled by an employer. Check images to see what is publicly available. This will give you an understanding of which sites you need to adjust your privacy settings on.
2 – Check your privacy settings
Ensure you set them so that only people you know can see more than your basic profile. You can control when someone else tags you in a photo or comment!
3 – Be mindful of spelling and grammar
This may not matter to your friends or family when commenting or posting, but could affect your job chances so be mindful
4 – Check your profile picture
Does your public profile picture portray you appropriately and how you would like to be seen by a prospective employer?
5 – Delete old accounts
Keep a track and on top of your online presence by deleting accounts that you no longer use
6 – Be aware of your social media usernames and email addresses
Do these represent how you want to be seen by employers?
7 – Set Google Alerts
You can set up google alerts for your name, or something more specific relating to you so that you are sent an alert each time someone mentions you.
Whilst there can be pitfalls to using social media, it can also be a very useful tool for promoting yourself to potential employers. Sites such as LinkedIn can be very useful in this regard. You can upload details of your work experience, skills, expertise, education and qualifications, connect with people you know, and network with people in the industries and job roles you are interested in. But don’t forget those more personal social media sites where your life outside of work can be seen.
Looking for a make the next step in your career? Check out our latest vacancies here: https://www.glurecruit.co.uk/jobs/