Social media tactics that can boost your career prospects

Written by talentspa on .

In a time when companies are using social media to find the right candidates, not having a strong social media presence or the right kind of social exposure can impact your chances of finding a new job. A recent survey revealed that around 7 in 10 companies make use of social media channels to market new roles and screen prospective candidates.

So, how can you use LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to enhance your searchability and elevate your career to new heights?

Developing your personal social media strategy

Have you searched yourself online?

We have all Googled our names at some point. What do the results show? It’s important to browse through all your social networking accounts and remove potential red flags. Why? Because 77% of recruiters rely on Google search results to find background data on potential candidates, not just LinkedIn alone. And, about 35% of them reject a candidate because of what they find about them online.

This means that you are potentially just one inappropriate search result away from saying goodbye to that amazing job offer you were longing for. So, instead of leaving your fortune to fate or Google’s algorithm, take matters into your own hands and delete any controversial or otherwise career damaging information.

Do you have undesirable or scandalous pictures on your profiles?

A picture says a thousand words. And the words they convey can make a big difference to your professional future.

If you thought your profile picture and tagged photos won’t play a part in a hiring decision, you couldn’t be more wrong. According to Jobvite’s Recruiter Nation Report, almost 50% of recruiters view pictures of alcohol consumption on social media negatively. The wisest thing to do is to select a suitable image as your display picture across all social media profiles and monitor tagged pictures closely. Remove pictures which show your “too personal” side so that they are beyond scrutiny-reach of your potential employer.

Secondly, ‘detox’ your social media accounts by setting all your new posts to private and limit your audience for old posts. Take advantage of privacy settings and be safe by removing the clutter!

Wrong usage of language

Tweeting on current topics or posting a long comment on social media can be tempting. Similarly, joining and commenting on public forums for a stronger visibility is important too, but are you paying attention to the language you are using? 72% of recruiters view spelling typos negatively on social media. Likewise, 63% found profanities on social profiles to be a huge turnoff, while bad grammar raised a red flag for 66%.

Put yourself in the shoes of a manager; why would you want to hire someone for formal communication who has improper language skills? Polish your social media posts and make use of spell checks or grammar tools for error-free updates.

Airing dirty laundry on social media

We all have those ‘I-cannot-take-it-anymore’ moments at work. However, putting your complaints out there for the world to see can harm your career prospects more than you think. A CareerBuilder survey found that 36% of employers have rejected a candidate because they found the candidate posting unflattering remarks about their previous organisation or colleagues.

Likewise, complaining about clients can have equally poor effects. This kind of behaviour shows your company in a bad light (or you as a candidate). Potential employers might come across such rants and decide against making that offer since you indulged in unkind remarks about your previous firm. A word of advice? Avoid posting anything of this sort.

The job market is highly competitive and ignoring your alternate resume (your digital reputation) can cause you to lose out on good opportunities. This is where TalentSpasteps in to make your job search easier. Get insights and hiring trends from the new age online recruitment specialist. Join our conversation on Twitterand Facebookto know more.