Want a job? Get social.
We always hear this phrase.
Today, being social means your online presence on social media platforms. Having an online profile is important. In a survey, around 47 percent of prospective employers said that if they couldn’t find a job candidate online, they were less likely to call that person in for an interview. [Source: entrepreneur.com]
Young engineers often ask me, “‘do employers really pay attention to social media when you apply for a job?’ The short answer is yes and it makes a big difference to you even getting an interview.
As per a CNBC report, more than 70% of hiring managers use social media accounts as a screening tool. Many then find reasons not to offer you a job. The top three turn-offs cited are provocative or inappropriate content, posts about drinking or using drugs, and discriminatory comments.
Now the question is:
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- How do they find you on social media?
- What do they look for in your profiles?
They do both, and they do them well.
A simple Google search is enough to get everything you do on public forums i.e. social profile results, reviews you have written, queries you raised, articles you published, and what not.
The new world of online recruiting reviews all your activities on public forums to gauge profound character insights such as how willing you are to participate, what types of teams you work best with, how others perceive you, and how do you react to others.
They can also go to sites like LinkedIn and Facebook and do a search with your name, location, job title, company, etc.
What do they look for?
Recruiters and hiring managers concentrate their efforts on two sections of your Facebook page — your “about me” section, and your photo albums.
About Me: to see how you describe yourself and if it matches up with how you have described yourself in your resume.
Photos: You probably figured this, right? They will want to see how you represent yourself. For example, “if you are at a party, do you represent yourself in a dignified way?” or, “do you post things that others would consider inappropriate?”.
Note – Many recruiters use Facebook to vet candidates after the interview process.
Who’s There: Your professional network (colleagues, supervisors, recruiters, hiring managers, etc.)
What to Post: Keep it professional – share articles of interest for your industry, blogs if you write, status updates that let people know you’re exploring new opportunities, and profile updates i.e. adding a new certification you earned.
Beware: as per the Careerbuilder survey, 48 percent of managers monitor current employees’ social media activity hence showing interest in a job post might impact your current employment.
Tweets
Recruiters will be checking to see if you share useful information, if you share information relevant to your field or if you just tweet/retweet to fight with others. If you’re applying for a job, take a look at your tweeting history and consider deleting anything that won’t show your best.
The message
Use your social profiles as a tool to stand out in a positive way and showcase your personality.
In fact, as per a survey, more than 44 percent of employers have found content on a social networking site that caused them to hire the candidate. [Source: Careerbuilder.com]
So, think of your social media accounts as a new kind of CIBIL report.
At Maven Silicon, we train our engineers for each and every aspect related to Job interviews and Cyber Vetting is one of them. We guide our engineers to maintain a positive online profile and be watchful about their social media behavior as a part of the Business Communication Module | VLSI RN Course
