On the Job-Hunt? Polish Up Your Online Image
Dual Identity
Handing out CVs to prospective employers is one way for them to find out exactly who you are. But that’s only half of it – your social media accounts, and the content on them, can make or break your chances of landing a job.
Most of the time, you may be using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for recreational purposes, and they’re likely littered with a variety of content – photos of wild parties, for example, or perhaps your personal thoughts on the latest celebrity scandals. However, what you might find enjoyable might be regarded as unacceptable in the eyes of hiring managers or recruiters who are carrying out additional research on you.
Although it’s important to keep your personal and professional lives separate from each other, it’s also important to be self-aware when liking and sharing posts, tweets and photos online, especially as these could hamper your chances of getting a job.
Do a Clean-Up
In the event that an employer asks you to supply them with your social media credentials (or they choose to look you up online regardless), it’s crucial that your online image is as squeaky clean as possible, or at least suitable for viewing.
There are a number of ways you can clean up your accounts:
- Delete (or hide) Your Posts
Go through your older posts, select the ones you think are the most inappropriate or unsuitable, then delete them. Alternatively, you can hide posts, archive them, or play around with the privacy settings so that only you, certain people or no else can view them.
- Google Yourself
By Googling yourself, you can find results that may point to risqué accounts, posts or photos that you might have overlooked during the deletion/hiding process. Google your name alongside the websites you’re part of so that you can delete these posts and photos accordingly.
- Update Your Profile Picture
Make sure your profile picture and cover photo are clear, visible and suitable for work. After all, employers may not be impressed if the first thing they see is a photo of you knocking back a bottle of wine while wearing a unicorn onesie.
- Update Your LinkedIn Profile
Like you would with your CV, keep your LinkedIn updated on an active basis. Recruiters may want to read up more about your skills, accomplishments, etc, and about your current position and duties. For example, if you’ve recently completed a diploma course, adding this information to your profile shows recruiters that you’re not only serious about upskilling yourself, but that you also now possess skills that could serve them well if they were to hire you.
- Follow the Pros
Share, like, retweet and comment on quotes, articles, photos, videos, opinions and other related content from professionals and leading companies in your chosen industry. That way, it shows prospective employers that you’re serious and interested about that industry, and that you show potential to align with their own brand, thus increasing your chances of being hired.
- Deactivate Your Accounts
Whether it’s an old high school Facebook account or an abandoned Twitter account you made specifically to share your love for your favourite celebrity or weird memes, some social media accounts don’t need to be revisited – or seen by recruiters! To save yourself from embarrassment, deactivate your old profiles one-by-one.
Alternatively, if you really don’t want anyone to see your social media accounts at all, you can deactivate them altogether, but be warned: some employers who may want to view them may see this as a red flag. Carefully curated social media is better than none at all.
Housekeeping Makes for Good Hiring
It takes a lot of time, patience and energy to clean up your online image, but it’s worth the hassle if it means increasing your chances of getting noticed by potential employers and recruiters. You want your social media accounts to be a true reflection of the person you are today, and if you want to get your name out there, you need the right amount of polish to do so.