The increasing role of social networking sites in the lives of college students can’t be undermined. It is of utmost importance to remember that the content on the social media can profile other’s opinion and perception of you. Don’t assume that an employer will only be checking you out on LinkedIn. Potential employers keep track of your online persona, be it Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+.
Social media sites become a key factor in the job search process by allowing the employers to get a peep of who the candidate is outside the boundaries of a resume or a cover letter. Even the employers provide crucial information about the companies that a job seeker should be aware of, the opportunity to connect with the other employees of the company. Also, one gets to know about the job openings right away from the profiles of these companies.
Half of all job seekers are active on social media sites on a daily basis, and more than a third of all employers make use of these sites in their hiring process. If you’re among the 89% of job seekers that use social networking sites, you’ll obviously want to be updated.
The optimistic part is that the hiring professionals are not just vetting your profiles online to find out the negative in you but they also look around for information that could give you a lead over others. Disappearing from the social networking sites by deleting all your accounts or setting extreme privacy settings may create an image that you have something to veil. Your profiles should give an precise depiction of who you are.
Deactivate your accounts from the sites that are not used frequently and are no longer useful
Ever so often, the employers choose to hire because the candidate’s profile conveys a professional image or the employer sees a positive attitude in the candidate’s personality depicted by his profile. Also, other people posting great references about the candidate help in making a positive image. While, some of the reasons why the employer decided not to offer the job may be because the candidate bad mouthed previous employers, lied about his /her qualifications or the profile showed poor communication skills.
Consider what social networking sites you use regularly and are necessary indeed! All I want to say is that you should create an affirmative and professional online presence by modifying your accounts on the social networking sites.