Many job hunters don’t realise just how important social media is when they apply to a company. One stunning statistic is that almost half of employers have decided not to interview a candidate after reviewing their social media timelines.
Employers will often check what you write on your LinkedIn profile or post on other social media sites. It can tell them a lot about who you are and what your point of view is on a variety of subjects.
Watch What You Post
The first thing you need to cut out is contentious or inflammatory posts. That can include a wide variety of content, in fact, anything that could give a potential employer second thoughts. Pictures of you intoxicated at a party might seem fun at the time when you’re communicating with friends, but you need to seriously think about how these are going to look to your new boss.
Profanity is also a big no-no but so is poor grammar or obvious spelling mistakes. And if you’ve spent part of your Twitter timeline giving your last company a tough time, think how that’s going to look if someone is contemplating hiring you.
Our tip? If your social media accounts contain anything that might give an employer pause for thought, it’s time you had a search through your timeline and sanitised things.
Create a Serious LinkedIn Profile
People will often upload an image and their current CV onto LinkedIn and then leave it at that. This is probably the first place a potential employer will head when they want to find out more about you. Your CV has attracted their interest, and now they need to see if everything matches up.
Creating a strong online presence for your LinkedIn profile is therefore important. That means thinking closely about what you are going to put up and including value-added extras that create the right impression. Endorsed skills, written recommendations, samples of your work and a comment or two about your personality and preferences can easily bring an otherwise dull profile to life.
Creating Quality Content
One way to stand out from the crowd is to build a list of quality content. That might mean blog posts concerning your industry or it could include links to quality posts that show you have an interest and enthusiasm for the area in which you work. Having a regular blog, for instance, can help you populate your social media timelines with relevant and engaging material.
What is Your Emotional Intelligence?
Your social media profile shouldn’t be just about regurgitating relevant links like a robot. Many employers also look for the breadcrumbs that social media provides which highlight a person’s emotional intelligence – how much you engage with the world, where your values lie and how these important characteristics will match up to their company.
Ideally, you should see your social media as a whole and use it intelligently to demonstrate what kind of person you are. It can make a big difference, particularly if you get it wrong. As an extreme example, if you’re uploading selfies all the time, an employer might think you are something of a narcissist. If you are sharing interesting posts and demonstrating an understanding of demanding situations, then you will come across as someone who cares about the world and other people.
One of the biggest challenges that job hunters face in the digital world is getting that LinkedIn profile just right. At its best, it can act as a magnet for potential employers and add value to your initial CV application. Done badly it can tip the balance away from initial interest to flat-out rejection.
At ABCV Solutions, we can help you put together a LinkedIn profile that will impress employers. We’ll be able to work with you, find out what your goals are and the kind of jobs you are looking for, and then develop a profile that really hits the mark.
Contact the team at ABCV Solutions today to find out more.
