How Important is Social Media for A Successful Job Search - CareerMetis.com

How Important is Social Media for A Successful Job Search Nowadays, in order to get hired, not only you should know the difference between resume and CV, but also be active on various social medium platforms.When it comes to searching for a new job, your online presence may be even more important than you think. In fact, almost 70% of companies use social media for recruiting and we are not only talking about LinkedIn.evalSo, when your potential employer says, ‘tell me something about yourself’, they probably already researched you and know more than you think. Thus, not having a social media presence could actually hurt your chances of getting hired.Did you know that 57% of employers are less likely to interview someone they cannot find online? Are you wondering why? There could be a lot of reasons.Maybe you have something to hide or you are not tech savvy. Do you even exist?In today’s digital world, it is just too weird that someone does not have a social media account. Your potential employers want to be sure that you know how to u se technology today and do it effectively. Thus, if you are looking for a job, you can’t be completely tech-free.What makes you stand out from the crowd in the modern world of job search? Problem-solving or administrative skills? That is not a correct answer.The truth is, for many employers, your work experience and skills will be very important, but your good online presence is even more crucial. For some professionals, social media could mean networking that will boost their career.evalFor others, it could mean the end of it. Many people are doing a personal SWOT analysisto plan their career while forgetting to take some time to improve their social media profiles. In fact, a lot of people have had their job hiring chances hurt by what they posted, shared or tweeted. Thus, if you don’t want to be a part of the latter group, then you need to know how exactly social media affects the hiring process.According to Brad Schepp Amanda Schepp- authors of thebook How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+, you need to make sure that each of your social media profiles looks professionally and your photos present you in a good light.They also mention that your potential employer will not only check your profile on LinkedIn, but also on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Basically, on every social media that exists. So, be prepared! It is important to have the same information about yourself on all your profiles. The story you tell on each platform should look the same. And make sure you are active on all the above-mentioned platforms as it might help you get an interview.So, why employers are using social media to research candidates?evalA survey, conducted by CareerBuildershows that 65% of employers want to see if candidates present themselves professionally. Almost 50% want to know if the job seeker is a good fit for their company.Another 37% want to know what other people say about the candidate. So, if you are among those job seekers who use soci al media daily, then you need to be careful about the information you are posting.Usually, people like to share their personal life with others, post lots of different photos or something that expresses their emotions.Yes, it is exactly what social media are made for, but it can be really dangerous if you are looking for a job. What you post on social media can tell your employee everything from your political views, level of stress-resistance to your crazy parties or even use of some illegal substances like drugs.Yeah, sometimes after a bad day at work we can have thoughts like ‘I hate my colleagues’, ‘I have the worst job ever’, or ‘why my boss is so stupid’, but it doesn’t mean that we have to post all of our thoughts on Twitter or Facebook. Those are terrible tweets, so it is better not to have such moments on the Internet at all. It all gives a company a good reason to fire you or not to invite you to an interview.An office worker Kimberly Swannhas been fired beca use of the bad comments she made on Facebook about her job and coworkers.A month ago, a friend of mine James uploaded pictures from his birthday party where you could see him drinking and smoking a lot. Also, some of his friends even commented that James was blackout drunk that night. They also laughed, put some emojis and downloaded more photos of drunk James. No big deal, right?So, a day after James applied for a job and was waiting for a call. When the company called him, they told that James has inappropriate content on his Facebook account and he can’t be a good fit for the company.Thus, they rejected giving him a position. However, now James realizes that it is not enough to have a good resume, but he should be really careful about his social media profiles. It is way better to use help from CV writing serviceand focus on keeping your posts ‘clean’ instead.evalAccording to the CareerBuilder, employers said they rejected candidates because of the next things: inappropriat e information, photos or posts; lying about qualifications; sharing confidential information from previous employers; poor communication skills; discriminatory posts related to gender, religion or race; bad-mouthing their previous employers; posting too frequently.So, it is better to clean up your pages as soon as possible.But, don’t think that your potential employers are only looking for some negative content. They also want to find some information that could benefit you. Most of them are just trying to find reasons to hire someone.So, you should not just try to hide or remove some content, but also focus on representing your skills and building strong social networks. You can promote yourself as a brand through social media, have a blog, network with others and show that you are active in your field.evalAs we have already mentioned, social media can give a company a reason to hire you. Imagine that they have to choose between two candidates. Thus, sometimes something your post can give a company a reason to choose you over another candidate.According to the CareerBuilder, 29% of employers found something that they liked on the candidate’s profile and invited them to an interview. According to the Social Media and Community Manager of The Muse Brooke Torres, having an Instagram account helped her land the job.She was hired after the CEO of the website found her Instagram account. She was really impressed by Brook’s creativity. Thus, social media can help build careers for creative people. In fact, 73% of job seekers were successfully hired with social media.Today social media has become one of the most important parts of the job search process. Companies use social media to take a deeper look at the potential employees.All in all, there are two ways social media can affect your job interview and your job search overall â€" positively or negatively. It can help you land a job or help get you fired â€" it is all up to you.Thus, if you want to land a job , then start improving your social media accounts right now. And remember â€" don’t post anything that could possibly embarrass you in the future.