How to Use Social Media to Your Advantage

If you want to turn a new leaf this autumn, it might be worth cleaning up your online act… which means deleting any scandalous photos from your recent holiday to Ibiza! The last thing you’ll want to do is jeopardise your chances at a promotion by posting questionable content across social media. Therefore we’d advise you take a two-phase approach, by cleaning up your online act and using social networking to your distinct advantage. Here’s how.

 

Check your privacy settings

Make sure your privacy settings are set accordingly. It’s extremely common to not know what it is people outside of your friends group can see. Oftentimes a profile picture, photo album, or status update might be set to public, completely unbeknownst to you. This means if an employer or colleague finds your profile, they’ll have the ability to view what might otherwise be sensitive material.

Luckily, this is an easy fix. To target security flaws on your page, you can go into your Facebook and view it as a visitor to gauge what is public and what isn’t. Once you’ve determined any holes in your privacy, you can bridge these quickly and easily in your account settings.

Check your Facebook privacy settings here

Read Facebook’s guide to privacy

 

Don’t overshare

Make it a point to not overshare on the off-chance that a manager or colleague does gain access to your profile. Had a crazy weekend at your friend’s hen do? That’s all very well and good, but it’s best not to broadcast this openly (and if you do, make sure it’s to the right circles).

 

Create a professional email

Your email client as well as your username can say a lot about you as a candidate. Email addresses like partygirl@clublife.com can crush your credibility, so set up a more appropriately named account for business-related messages.

 

Google yourself

Check what pops up when you search Google, then take a closer look on the biggies like Facebook and Twitter. Try to look at your photos from an employer’s point of view and remove or make private anything that could work against you.

Set up a Google alert

Sign up to Google’s free alert service to keep tabs on your online presence and receive an email every time your name pops up on a website, blog or news page.

 

Find out what your company’s social media policy is

This point only applies to people who work in certain sectors (e.g. education, government). This can vary, as some companies/organisations/institutions might have none to speak of, while others might be downright fascist about the matter. If they have a hard and fast rule like no Facebook whatsoever, you don’t want to be caught out and sacked for simply because you were unaware. Most likely it won’t be so extreme though, and they’ll just stipulate what we’ve already covered – like don’t post inappropriate material, and be sure to check your privacy settings. Easy!

 

Get connected

Visit LinkedIn to create a flexible personal profile and build up a valuable network of business contacts. Recruiters often use the site to search for candidates, so make sure your details deliver. Think of your profile as your online CV and pack it full of skills, qualifications and  experience, as well as the keywords potential employers may be searching on.

Also be sure to read up on what your LinkedIn photo can say about you. 

Get recommended

Business networking sites like LinkedIn allow contacts to endorse you, making your profile even more powerful. Online referrals add extra oomph to your application, so don’t be shy about asking colleagues and employers to sing your professional praises.

 

Build an online platform

Blogging can build a buzz around your name and position you as an expert in your field. Setting up is simple and free and, thanks to loads of online advice, you can learn the ropes quickly. When you’re up and running, aim to create a loyal following and catch the eyes of potential employers by linking your posts to Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

Put Twitter to work for you

Twitter can be a valuable tool in your job search. Stay in the loop about new roles with the site’s ready-made job services and take a proactive approach by following leaders in your field and searching for other users who work in your ideal company. Keep things current by posting regular updates on your job search and demonstrate your knowledge to hiring managers by tweeting about industry news and research. And don’t forget to invite followers to learn more about you by visiting your LinkedIn profile.

 

Why not check out our other social media careers advice to make sure you've got everything covered?