The Impact of Social Media on Your Job Hunt

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When you are conducting a job hunt, there is a lot to manage. You slave over every last letter in your resume. You take the time to iron your interview shirt and pants. You go online to learn everything you can about the company you are interviewing with. You practice your answers and brainstorm good questions to ask at the interview. You work hard to put your best foot forward, but there are a few details that you might forget about. Those details are online.

Your digital footprint can have a significant impact on your job hunt. While you might think social media is just for fun, it’s important to remember that social media is a part of the process of job hunting today. What you put on social media can hurt your chances of getting the job you want if you’re not careful, and alternatively, it can be used to present yourself well to employers and make connections online. Here’s how to make sure your social media accounts are working well in your favor throughout the process.

Remember that the Internet is Forever

To begin with, you should be very aware that what you post on the internet is forever.  Those fun but maybe unprofessional vacation pictures can cause a potential employer to question your judgment.  Likewise, it might not be wise to post that story about what you got up to last weekend if it doesn’t reflect well on you.   You don’t have to be on point every minute of every day, but you don’t have document your unprofessional behavior and put it online for everyone to see.  It is very likely that potential employers will look you up online, particularly if you are one of the finalists for a prominent position.

Build a Curated Social Media Profile

The takeaway is that you should curate your social media accounts. Think twice about what you post and what posts from other people or organizations you repost. Clean up your profiles and delete anything that is extremely unprofessional. Deleting a picture or post doesn’t mean it might not be somewhere else online, but you can at least keep your own profile clean. Consider the way you express your opinions on controversial issues like politics and religion. You don’t have to stifle all your opinions on critical issues but be aware that they might be seen by potential employers and could impact your job search now or in the future.

Build Your Network Online

The flip side of watching what you post online is that can use your accounts to your advantage.  What you post can reflect well on you if you post the right things.  On social media, you have an opportunity to show off what you know and what your professional accomplishments are.  Did you attend a professional conference?  Those are the pictures you want to post.  Did you read an interesting article in a professional journal?  Post your thoughts on that.  Working on an interesting project?  Tell that story, if there is no confidentiality issue involved.  LinkedIn is a particularly valuable resource because it really lets you list your experience and professional accomplishments for other professionals looking to connect.  This can really serve you well when you are conducting a job search.

Work With a Top Staffing Agency in Middle Tennessee

Are you ready to find a new job? Contact the team of recruiters at All-Star Personnel today to get started on working with our team to help you find jobs in Tennessee.

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