How A Strong Social Media Profile Can Help You Get Hired

Most companies use social media networks when recruiting. Read these social media profile tips & increase your chances of landing the job.

Today, social media is very much a part of everyday life, and like many people, checking your social feeds might be one of the first things you do each day. But social media is no longer just for our personal lives, helping us to connect with friends and share experiences - it can be a valuable asset when taking the next step in your career. Many companies use social media as a recruitment tool for finding and screening potential new employees through social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

When it comes to finding a new role, here’s two reasons why you should have a polished social profile.

Social media gives employers insight into whether a candidate will be the right fit.

Social media profiles can offer recruiters insight into a candidate’s personality level of engagement in the industry and compatibility with the company’s culture, mission and values. When companies search for new employees. they are not just looking for candidates with the fight technical skills to do the job. They're also looking for someone who will fit into their existing work culture and team dynamic.

The pages and groups you follow, the things you post and share, and even the comments you make on other people’s content can give recruiters an impression of your personality and values, so be mindful of this when you’re on social media. Along with being conscious about what you’re posting and interacting with on your networks, it’s also a good idea to check your privacy settings to make sure you’re clear on how visible your profiles are to others. Most social platforms make it quick and easy to change your privacy settings with immediate effect, so that you can ensure your profile has the level of privacy that you’re comfortable with.

Sourcing and screening via social media is now a key part of the recruitment process - and candidates without social profiles could be missing out.

Statista data shows that more than 90% of companies use social media for hiring, mainly through Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin - and with research showing that one in three employers have rejected candidates based on their social media profiles, you’ll want to perfect your profile before starting your job search. Your social media profile can speak louder than a plain CV, so it’s essential your profiles are sending the right message to potential employers and not giving them a reason to think twice about hiring you. As well as using social media to assess job seekers during the hiring process, recruiters also use it to find passive candidates (people who are not actively looking for a new job) - so if you don’t have a professional social profile yet, you could be missing out on potential job offers.

Now you know why your social profile can help - or hinder - your job-hunting success, here’s some pointers for perfecting your profiles.

Keep your social profiles consistent and up to date

Don't assume a potential employer will only check your LinkedIn profile - although it's the preferred network for up to 95% of recruiters, they will also tap into other networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and even Instagram and YouTube depending on the market and brand. For this reason, be as consistent as possible across all of your profiles, keeping your information accurate and up to date on all networks

Use a current, high resolution photograph with your face clearly visible, a consistent username (your full name where possible) and professional email address, and link between your accounts e.g include your Linkedin profile URL in your Twitter bio.

Ensure your comments and content are appropriate

As a rule, if you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying a certain comment to a manager or colleague, you probably shouldn’t be sharing that opinion on social media either. When cleaning up your profiles, it’s advisable to check older posts and activity, removing anything that could paint you in a negative or questionable light.

Review tags regularly

Review the posts and photos you've been tagged in, and untag yourself from anything unflattering or controversial. This could include photos of wild nights out - although you don't need to pretend not to have a social life, giving a potential employer the perception that you live a party lifestyle could make them worry that you'll be unreliable at work.

Use keywords to highlight skills and achievements

Make your profile more of an employer magnet by highlighting professional accomplishments along with relevant skills and work experience. Most of the terms you have on your LinkedIn profile are searchable by other users, so adding relevant keywords to your profile can help recruiters find you. Start by optimising your professional headline, which is the most highly indexed part of your profile, and then add keywords to the other sections of your profile to ensure that you are as visible as possible to potential employers in your industry - or the industry you’re looking to move into.

Join career relevant groups

Social networks are full of pages and groups that can connect you with like-minded professionals and offer industry insights along with the latest news in your area of interest. Although there is no harm keeping up with a few ‘just for fun’ groups (who doesn't like cat videos?), following some career-relevant communities on social media can help employers to build a picture of your interest and involvement in the industry you work in, and suggests you stay up to date with key trends and developments.

For more career advice, check out our other candidate blogs here. If you need help updating your CV or to find out about our latest roles, contact your local Adecco branch and connect with a recruiter today!

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