Whenever you first hear of someones name being told in a story, that sounds familiar to you, what is your first instinct? Take the time to ask the person telling the story to give you a brief description of the person? Generally not; we sign onto Facebook and look them up. By doing so, we not only see what the person looks like, but we can also see which friends we have in common, which usually leads to how we might know the person. Employers do this same type of research while determining future employees.
It is vital that we would use the old saying ,"Don't do anything that you wouldn't mind if your grandmother found out", while promoting our name on social media outlets including facebook and twitter. Being that both of these are both used for more personal use than for business purposes, it is very easy to slack on keeping them "clean". On other social media outlets including LinkedIn and WorldPress, which are highly looked at from a professional standpoint from employers, it is important that you 100% completed with your page, and also 100% confident in the material that is posted. The majority of employers will not take the time to look at the page unless it is completely finished.
Because of day-to-day new innovations, the competition level is increasing at a high rate. In Dan Schawbel article, 7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media, prospects are using these social media outlets in order to create a better brand image for themselves in comparison to the competition. By uploading an online resume onto YouTube, you are showing the employer that you are technology friendly and willing to try new options in order to set yourself apart from the rest. Employers are also catching onto this trend by having online job interviews via Skype. Your lack of interest or knowledge in this field could honestly become a huge disadvantage to you in this day and time!
On another post I agreed with the blogger on the fact that employers shouldn't be so harsh in judging a Facebook profile of a prospective employee because most of the time it is used solely for personal use. However, you mentioned that the first thing we do when we hear about someone else is search them on Facebook and find out everything we can just be looking at their pics, status', wall posts, and other information and we base our judgement on that person just on what we've seen from their page. Yet we are expecting an employer - who will be investing their company, time, and money into us - not to judge so harshly. Maybe I, and all of us, should re-think how we expect employers to react when they see things on our pages that don't reflect us positively.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that people should try and keep everything "clean" on their social media sites. We never know who might be looking at our profile so we shouldn't post inappropriate content on our profiles. You also made a good point that we should be honest on our Linked in sites, and be confident in the information we post. Linked in is being used by professionals who are looking for employees so we should make our linked in site professional and up to date with our current information.
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud when I read the first couple lines of your post! It's so true. We don't even need people to go into depth about a someone's background because we can usually find some information out via Facebook, Twitter, etc. You mentioned Skype interviews as well. I've had multiple friends have job interviews via Skype for positions like camp counselors or internships. Not only is it utilizing new technology but it saves companies time and money by not flying multiple candidates out for interviews. It's not just about not posting photos or status updates that our grandmothers wouldn't like. I think it's also about not doing those things in the first place. Just as we must brand ourselves via social media on a consistent basis, we must monitor our accounts just as much. Great job and great insight!
ReplyDeleteYou made a good point about being technologically savvy...it really is an advantage these days, especially for those of us job searching! I have realized this recently when updating my LinkedIn account. I put a link on there of this blog since I now know how to create and use one...it's a great way to show future employers of skills! Also, I made it a point not to add a link to my Twitter account until I sort of "master" tweeting...I'm still working on this but I want to be a confident Twitter user before listing it as one of my strong skills!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is very important that you complete your profiles 100%. If you choose not to disclose particular information then potential employers could view this as a sign that you have something to hide. This could cause them to question your integrity and maybe even pass you up for a job opportunity. Completing your profile to 100% shows potential employers that you are devoted to your social media networking. It impresses people when things are complete, professional, and detailed. In my opinion, the more detail - the better. Obviously these details need to be relevant and absent of 'fluff', but the more you reveal to people online, the more they know about you and the more they will be impressed about your accomplishments and capabilities!
ReplyDelete