You鈥檙e graduating soon and are on a quest for that dream job. Or, maybe you鈥檙e in a job, but seeking to climb up another rung of the ladder.
With a letter-perfect r茅sum茅 and well-written cover letter prepared to email to a prospective employer, you hit 鈥渟end.鈥�
You might think you just made a slam dunk, and that it鈥檚 just a matter of time before you start receiving calls from enthusiastic hiring managers. After all, you believe you鈥檙e the best fit for the job.
Maybe so. But with your name in hand, they promptly check out your social media鈥攖hat place where you post photos of you, your pets, your friends and your family; the place where you share vacation photos, memes, platitudes, gripes鈥攂asically where you bare your soul on a variety of levels.
Since the majority of hiring managers are checking social media these days, it makes sense to take your social media habits seriously. Before an interview can happen, they want to know as much as they can about a prospective employee, warts and all.
According to Rebecca Dhanarine, director of The 91福利社 Center for Career Development, applicants should make sure their social media accounts are free from anything that might be a red flag for potential employers. For the center鈥檚 own hires, Dhanarine follows the same advice that she and her colleagues at the Center for Career Development share with students who are seeking jobs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e searching Instagram, Facebook, Twitter鈥攚e鈥檙e looking to see, especially for AU鈥攊f they鈥檙e a good mission fit, then to make sure this person doesn鈥檛 post things showing they鈥檙e making a bad choice and judgment, which is very important,鈥� Dhanarine said.
An applicant’s social media posting says a lot about their life priorities鈥攏egative or positive鈥攁nd things they鈥檙e passionate about.
鈥淵ou see volunteer work that they鈥檝e done and you see some of the positives that can be value-added for the organization,鈥� she said, adding that sharing knowledge through blogs and posts that align with their professional interests are a plus.
Dhanarine urges job seekers to enlist someone they trust to look over their social media.
鈥淚f they can find a mentor in their field, a mentor that鈥檚 a true leader鈥攖hat鈥檚 very beneficial because it will help coach them along the way. There鈥檚 a lot of things that鈥攅ven in your career鈥攜ou still learn, whether you鈥檙e fresh out of college or you鈥檝e been in that field for some time, you can always learn from someone who has more experience than you,鈥� Dhanarine said.
She adds it鈥檚 important for anyone using social media to be discerning about whether a particular kind of post is appropriate for the platform; for example, keeping their LinkedIn profile focused on their professional selves and using that more for networking and engaging with colleagues. Above all, Dhanarine stresses that, just as important as it is with their r茅sum茅, information in their profile should be truthful and accurate.
She also stresses that applicants should learn as much as they can about companies or organizations where they are applying by checking out their social media pages and website.
The 91福利社 Center for Career Development regularly posts tips for job seekers, including job postings and videos on its LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media accounts.
The mission of 91福利社 Center for Career Development is to connect students with opportunities to explore career paths and develop marketable career readiness competencies that allow them to optimize their knowledge and skills toward the development of their God-given potential.