In today’s social-media-centric culture, there is more to your identity than how your conduct yourself in public or what a piece of paper reports about your financial and criminal records. Social media pages in some cases are actually viewed as more honest representations of a person because many people don’t use censorship or discretion when updating them, often posting content that would embarrass or discredit them if seen by the wrong eyes.
Responsible employers now will probably look into a potential employee’s online presence, and use social media sites like Facebook or personal blogs to make final decisions. The good news is that you can use this fact to your advantage.
Be Responsible
While it’s understandable to want to post everything that is important, funny, or remarkable to you on a Facebook page, know that what you upload to Facebook might be seen by someone you wouldn’t necessarily want to see it, so conduct your Facebook activity with the same caution and restraint that you would in person.
Your Facebook page can also be blocked to people outside your friends list, so if you just can’t help yourself from posting unprofessional things, make sure to restrict access to your page.
Become an Authority
Facebook is one way that a potential employer can try to learn more about you, but Facebook is only one way. Blogging can be a very powerful tool in looking for a job and can speak great volumes about you and your personal life, for better or for worse.
If you maintain a blog, again, be professional. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your potential boss to see – but don’t stop there. Try to establish yourself as an expert and an authority in your field. Connect with people on LinkedIn to build a following, and then write about your passion in an insightful, professional manner that would catch your employer’s attention.
Make sure to blog consistently, and more importantly, to interact with your peers and other enthusiasts. If you don’t have a blog, now would be a great time to start one. Just make sure you follow these guidelines, as well.
All of this will inform your potential employer that you have a great passion for your field, are knowledgeable enough within it to be helpful to others, and that you are a part of a network of professionals with similar interests, which will great increase your chance of getting hired. Remember, who you are online is almost as important as who you are in person, so create an online presence that will dazzle and impress.
Christopher Roberts (14)
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Hi Alvina,
Yeah, it is absolutely amazing how internet has changed everything even when it comes to jobs. Fortunately most of it is for the good. So many great tools that enable anyone to get themselves out there, in front of potential employers. Thanks.
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Nice points, having reputable profiles on Facebook, linkedin is very important now a days. Many employers now use LinkedIn to find potential employee for their business. I think not everyone like to make their blog but at least you can create a professional and impressive FB and LinkedIn profile.
Hey Alvina,
It’s very important to separate social media sites and personal blogs from your profession. You gave some great tips on how to remain professional and establish yourself as an expert through sites like LinkedIn. Creating an online presence that impresses is one of my first priorities, thanks for sharing.
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A personal profile and a social one can’t hurt…
Good ideas John
Well, I run a security blog where myself is a Software Engineer specialized in IT security. I had a friend who runs a games development blog while he is a games designer. I agree that a blog can build a person’s profile today. We have to take it seriously so that our reputation will not spoil due to improper writing or a blog which has not been update for months.
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Linkedin is the most favorite site for employers and you can easily make your reputable profile on it. But for Facebook, it is somewhat difficult. As a person you can’t resist yourself to post some funny updates on Facebook which is not good for your reputation sometimes. So concentrating more on Linkedin can give you better results.
Why not just make the funny stuff private?
Hi Alvina,
Your points are very valid. The internet has brought a whole new world to us. I’ve really been relutant about using the social networks. Though I have a facebook twitter account I rarely use them. But after much thought and seeing that the social networking sites are truly the go thing right now, I’ve recently joined Google+ and LinkedIn. Despite my tight schedule I’m thinking of spending more time on them in the days to come.
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I still need to join Google +
Will be glad to add you to my circle once you join!
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great post there the stuff about making sure your blog is consistent and establishing yourself as an expert in your field is very good advice which i am trying to implement myself
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May be I am wrong, but I think that I would like my future employer to know my private life which I have on Facebook. I can say that in my professional life I am very strict and demanding and in reallity I am calm and peaceful and I think it can influence my general professional image.
The things that we post on Facebook and on the Internet in general are our responsibility. I don’t think we should be posting anything, pictures or messages, that we are not going to be proud if some stranger sees it. If we can’t help it, then there are always restrictions we can do to set it in a way we can choose just who can view them. Then again, a lot of people are neglecting this.
You are on point with this post. With the way things are today you can bet that they will check out your social profiles as well as your references.
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