What does your Online Presence Say About You?

We all know the impact that social media is having on the world - it’s everywhere and for the most part, everyone is using it in some way or another.  Social networking and being connected can improve your job search immensely.   It can also risk your chances of being hired if you are not presenting a professional online presence.  In previous blog posts, we looked at 3 different social networking outlets and the pros and cons to using them; hopefully you have had a chance to dabble in the new era and have been using your social media accounts to strengthen your job search! 

An important part of job searching is remaining professional at all times; we’ve seen that there are cameras and computers everywhere and at any given moment, your picture or comments or status updates, can pop up on Social Media websites without your consent – and it’s not just Facebook; once something is posted on the internet (and with limited security settings) its easily accessible to anyone, including hiring managers and recruiters who may be “google” your name (search) to get a better idea of the person you are!

Remaining professional is important in your status updates as well.  It may be beneficial to keep Facebook as a personal outlet and set your privacy settings appropriately to ensure you are not sharing your feelings with the entire world.  When changing your status on sites such as LinkedIn or tweeting on Twitter, make sure you are saying things that are relevant to job searching or the industry that you are interested in working in.  Don’t post anything that can be taken in the wrong way, is too controversial or that could damage your reputation.

Remember, social media networking is a great job search tool however, it is important to ensure your professionalism and to continue to incorporate other job search tools from your job search toolkit to broaden your search.

                                                                                                               -Sunny + Sassy