How a drunken night out on Social Media can stop you from landing your dream job.
When it comes to Social Media and our personal lives – there is only ONE thing to remember – Nothing is Private!
We live in an age where Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and YouTube provide platforms for us to keep in touch with family and friends, attend courses or consume content we like on demand. We are able to connect and plug in every second of the day and night! And because we can do it – so can everyone – including our future boss!!
Facebook offers us a personal account where we can share our lives with our family and friends. With the advent of
Facebook Business Pages and the monetisation of the platform, our personal Facebook account has now become our online resume! Our photos, comments and behaviours can now be scrutinised by our future clients or employers – and whilst that feels like an invasion of privacy – its actually a great tool to use to help identify us as THE key candidate for THAT dream job!
That Dream Career
If you are looking to create a career for yourself, if you are building a small business, launching an idea, looking to work with a dream company, your online presence can make or break your chances of landing that job!
Most employers, agencies and HR departments all use Social Media to screen candidates before they actually meet you. Your personal Facebook page or Instagram Feed can give a prospective employer a great deal of insight into how you present professionally, what your world view is, what your values are and whether, ultimately, you would make a good fit for their business.
Because of this – its good practice to be mindful about how you conduct yourself online!
Behaving badly on Facebook can reflect on your chances of working with some amazing people! So can that 2am drunken photo from the weekend, and any aggressive language about previous bosses will NEVER go down well with new ones!
Let’s take a look below at some of the ways in which we can use Social Media for good – and get the platforms to work for us!
Optimising your Social Media for personal and professional impact.
1. Because data can be juicy!
Here are the top level stats on how employers use Social Media to decide whether they will hire you or not:
• As of 2017 – 70% of employers use Social Media to screen candidates.
• 69% use Google to find out information about candidates
• More than half of the employers in the US won’t hire someone unless that HAVE an online presence (this trend will continue worldwide!).
2. Social Media is your new CV (almost!). That’s a good thing – use it wisely and it can open doors for you!
Social Media has changed the way all of us learn things about each other. Keeping in touch with family and friends is still the Number 1 reason people state for using Facebook, but for business, it can be a great way to reach more people. Many of us now use Facebook to ask for referrals, we use the Buy Swap Sell Groups to transact and Facebook even has a “recommendations” tab that pops up when you ask for them!
Our Facebook Business Pages (and Google Pages) all have review sections whereby your happy clients and customers can leave their thoughts. Your Personal Page has the option for you to complete your bio, fill in your work experience and share yourself on a professional level. Used with intention – your Facebook Personal Page helps make you more attractive to the people you wish to connect with!
3. Your future boss is not the enemy – just a HUMAN trying their best to deliver on their dreams!
Think about something that is REALLY important to you. Something that means a lot and you are going to need help making it happen. Who would you go to get the help?! Best Friends, a trusted family member, someone you have seen online who knows about it?
You will seek out someone whom you feel could help you the most and who would treat your idea with the same attention and care that you would. You would also stalk them on the internet if you didn’t know them!
AND THIS IS EXACTLY HOW A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER FEELS ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS.
They are looking for someone who can help them make good on the promise they have made to their clients. They are looking for someone they can trust and who will take care of the areas they are advertising for in a way that meets with their philosophy.
Its important to them to have the right person on the job.
They may be able to offer you new skills, a career path, a solid income and a workplace that you love going to – and that’s a great swap!
4. Its not about Freedom of Expression – it’s the balance of expressing yourself for the things you want!
Your personal page is you – and it should represent you – but considering you are ready for the workforce and depending on the industry you are entering – there are some things that you can include on your page that help identify you as you!
Don’t be shy to share the things that matter to you – but also consider the things that matter to the people in the communities you would like to be around. How can you share what you do and at the same time – what you believe in?
What is good to have your personal page?
DO share:
• Things that matter to you or things you care about
• Your family and pets and friends
• Holidays
• Quotes and beliefs
• Experience in the industry you are trying to break into
• Courses you are studying and your results
• Achievements – industry related or community related
• Positive aspects of your involvement in things
DON’T Share
• Political & Religious debate – unless these conversations are apart of a movement and industry you wish to enter
(why – because nothing is forever – unless you record it online – that sticks!)
• Illegal activity in any way
• Drunken nights out
• Provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos
• Racist rants
• Complaints about previous employers or co-workers
Use Social Media to highlight the BEST part of you!
Use your Best Friend for your rants – after all – that’s what they are for!
Always check before posting. If it doesn’t align with your career or future goals – think twice!
Leave me your thoughts on Facebook for Futures!
Tell next time
