Recently, I got an invitation on LinkedIn to connect with one ‘Geornny Walker’ (pardon me if you read this Geornny) but it was a bit surprising. Why would one have such a name on such a professional site? If it was a social platform like Facebook or Twitter, it’s completely understandable. While Facebook is known to foster personal relationships (never mind that I don’t know a sixth of the people in my friends list), LinkedIn focuses on professional networks and twitter is a bit of both.
Ever filled in an online job application form that prompted
you to give your twitter/ Facebook/ LinkedIn profile? I have, severally. Before
I do so, I always try to mentally go through my head hoping I did not post
something incriminatory. Recruiters are constantly shifting from normal
paradigms of official interviews and contacting referees as a form of background
check. Many recruiters opt for going through your social profiles to get
a better feel of who one is because frankly speaking, we can all pretend during interviews with pleasant behavior, calculated answers and a courteousness that we
normally don’t possess.
So, is someone really who they portray to be on online
social circles? Everyone has that one friend who cleaned up their profile so
that they may specifically appeal to their professional colleagues. I know of people who constantly update being in fancy places they are not...in short; they create
a personality that may not really reflect who they are but suits them.
It’s easy to be someone you are not on these social sites. You can choose to
be the inspirational one, the bully, the mean one, the relationship expert,
the happy one, the fashionable one, the preacher or the grumpy negative one.
This is why some recruiters will not entirely put basis on online profiles.
When recruiters ask for social platform links, they
aim to see a much more private aspect of the prospective employee’s life; a kind
of background check. They get a glimpse of who you are outside the confines of
resumes and interviews. It also helps them to see if a candidate’s personality
would fit in their company and as mean as it may sound, weed out candidates who
seem not to fit into the company culture. While some may view it as
invasion/violation of one’s privacy, no one is really stopping them.
Having a look at a candidate’s profile will
give a bit of insight to their character, who they are: Do they constantly post
inappropriate jokes or photos? Who are they following on twitter? Are their
posts full of depth or lack it completely? Do they follow market trends or news
related to their industry? What kinds of groups do they like/follow on Facebook?
Have you begun doing a recollection of the number of
selfies you post? Or the picture where you were holding a big blue moon bottle,
or when you were exhaling some sheesha? Relax (a bit), results show that 54% of
recruiters will react negatively to typos compared to 47% reaction to alcohol
references. It turns out that the worst mistake you could do is having spelling
mistakes and poor grammar. “Xo Xtop thiz kind of non-xense”.
Of course discriminatory remarks related to gender,
religion, race and tribes won’t be painting any sort of good picture. Posts of a sexual nature, references to
illicit drugs, and many mentions of alcohol consumption will not help you
secure the Company’s Public Relations Manager position either.
Might you guess the most suspicious of them all? Someone who
cannot be traced on the internet, nowhere; a social ghost. When you do not have
profiles on Facebook, twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn, a bit of suspicion kicks
in. Do you exist? What are you hiding? Are you not relevant? Second in line are
the lurkers, those who have profiles but rarely engage in any discussions or
post anything.
For those actively seeking employment, how can you use social
sites as leverage?
On Twitter
- Always follow companies you aspire to work for and their employers (hope the latter does not sound like a form of stalking). Through following them, you can watch out for job listings or postings and who knows? It may be your big break.
- Have a strong profile with coherent, grammatically correct tweets. Follow what is happening within your industry and voice your opinion about it.
- Reaching out to people you want to network with is vital. Make conversation, share opinions, give insight... although its only 140 characters, space is never a constraint on the internet.
- You can also choose to be proactive about what is happening in your job search journey. Again, you never know, someone may chip in with valuable information
On LinkedIn
- Optimize your profile by filling your professional Headline with specialty keywords that are catchy, exciting and related to your field.
- Ensure that your profile is completely filled out and flawless. Exhaust your resume completely, not forgetting to include information such as volunteering efforts, memberships or affiliations with professional bodies
- Ensure you join industry groups to connect with recruiters seeking industry-specific candidates
On Facebook
- Some recruiters use Facebook groups, corporate Facebook pages and advertisements to post jobs and source for candidates. It would therefore be wise to follow groups and pages that specialize in promoting jobs. Be on the lookout for the Ad platforms as well.
- Wishing you worked for a certain company? The law of attraction actually works. Envision working there as you like their company page and follow up on the updates about the company, job offers and most importantly, always engage.
- Check your privacy settings and ensure that you are traceable and when searched, your profile comes up.
- Be careful about what you post regardless because at the end of the day, you being a brand of your own, what you say or do directly reflects to who you are as a brand.
This said, candidates aren't expected to hang out on social
media crossing fingers to have job opportunities and employment conversations. It’s
just a matter being a good mannered person with positive vibes and a bit of professionalism.
There is nothing vain about 'googling yourself'. I Google
myself all the time. If you haven’t, do so and watch what pops up...Do you like the person the internet portrays you to be?
