​Tips To Get Your Socials Ready for Your Job Search

Like most of us, you are probably familiar with social media, and you most likely have an account on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and/or Instagram. Social media is a great tool to find jobs, connect with professionals in your local area and make connections around the world. Are you free to post whatever content you wish? Yes, but bear in mind the consequences of anything you post online for others to find. Anything a hiring manager reads or sees that could make you look less hirable to a specific company, could be a reason you are not granted employment—plain and simple. Here are some tips for getting your social media accounts ready for your upcoming job search to ensure your success.

When examining your current social media accounts, you want to take a closer look at what types of information you are sharing with the general public. A great way to see what other people can find out about you is by Googling your name and seeing what comes up. Once you’ve conducted a thorough search, you can begin to alter your privacy settings, delete old or outdated accounts, and clean up anything you would not want hiring managers or recruiters to see.

One of the main things to keep in mind is you want to put your best foot forward online, just like you would in person. Making the best first impression of yourself online is especially paramount, because frequently these searches are done before your initial meeting.

Some things to avoid or delete would be posts or statuses about drugs, alcohol, partying, any use of profanity, and anything controversial that could be used against you. Try using the lens of judgement of “Would I want my grandma to see/read this?” before posting a revealing photo or a graphic caption.

Some best practices to start or continue would be updating your LinkedIn profile, making sure your grammar and spelling are robustly perfect, engaging in industry-related conversations online, participating in current trends, starting a blog with content related to your field of experience, joining Facebook or LinkedIn groups, using keyword strategies in your profiles, and keeping up with what other professionals in your field are doing. By leveraging your social media to advance your personal brand, you can help yourself stand out among other candidates. Start using your social media like you already have the job you are applying for.

When it comes to LinkedIn, make sure you have a great quality photo to start with. Professional headshots are absolutely worth the investment, but if you would rather opt for a cheaper route, have someone take a photo of you dressed in business professional attire in front of a neutral background, preferably with some nice natural lighting. When completing your profile, make sure to be detailed with your job position descriptions. Write about your responsibilities and your achievements while at each job. Express how your employment brought value to the company itself through metrics and other benchmarks. Don’t leave your bio blank or only in a few words. Be confident with how you write about yourself-- it’s your time to shine and sell yourself to any profile visitors. It’s also a good rule of thumb to list at least one or two accomplishments at the top, list some general day-to-day responsibilities, as well as some software programs you have experience with using. In addition, your bio needs to be a short paragraph about your years of experience, what industries you have worked in, and what you want to do in the future.

Some other general social media tips are use your real name, don’t use social media to communicate with potential employers, use your accounts as jumping off points that lead to a portfolio website or other places online where people can get to know you better, as well as show your personality through work-related humor and memes to show you are a human being. Hiring managers want to see if you would be a good culture fit as well.

Here at OakTree Staffing, we are passionate about helping you succeed in your career journey. We want to give you the tools to advance and make you a better candidate. Visit our website www.oaktreestaffing.com to create a candidate profile, upload professional documents, search for jobs on your time, and learn more about potential opportunities we have available.

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