It’s true: Employers, both current and future, look you up online. And not just your LinkedIn profile–most of them will
also click any public social network links that are floating around. But don’t panic. With a little effort, you can polish
your profiles so your personality shines through and makes you a more attractive candidate to recruiters. Here are five
tips for leveraging your social networks to give your career a competitive edge. Keep it professional It should go without saying that if you have a penchant for posting sexy selfies, risqué party pics, and curse-filled tirades, you should lock down public access to your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profiles. Although the question of whether your boss can fire you because of something you posted on your own time is up for debate, you don’t want that photo of youat the business end of a beer bong to be the first thing that pops up when a potential employer Googles your name. But making sure your profile is “professional” is about more than scrubbing NSFW content. If your networks are family-friendly but also family-only, you may want to keep them private rather than public.
Engage with others Having thousands of Twitter followers is one thing, having
significant influence over them is another. Are you an
interesting, engaging online persona, or are you just collecting
followers? Employers can check this–sites like Twitter Audit
and Klout reveal if your followers are real and whether you’re
an engager or just a broadcaster. It’s better to have a small,
involved following than it is to have an ego-boosting number
on your page.
Show off your interests
There are hundreds of other candidates with your same
level of education, work experience, and job-related
skills. Demonstrating that you’re interested in a variety of
things–not just being a punctual, detail-oriented team
player–makes you stand out from the horde and helps
employers make a deeper connection with you. One
social network, Career Sushi, is designed to bring your
personal interests to the fore, but you can also showcase
them with your existing Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
accounts. Instagram photos that show varied interests,
such as cooking, attending sporting events, and traveling
show that you’re well-rounded and that you can balance
work and life,” says social media and marketing consultant
Jessica Hall.
Treat it like email
Social networks, especially Twitter, are inherently casual. But
as a general rule, you should keep your tweets and status
updates free of grammar and spelling mistakes, excessive
emoticons, and gratuitous netspeak. This is especially
