How To Optimise Your Social Media Accounts Before Applying For A Job

Social media networks have been described as your online shop windows to future employers. Large portions of your life are now available for everyone to view online, and it is now time to use it to your advantage. There are a few essential methods to optimize your social media accounts before applying for a job. Some methods are account specific, others are common across the board, but all will play a key role.

Who Do You Want to Be Seen As?

Across all social media accounts, there are a few important things to remember. The image across all accounts bearing your name needs to be the same. Try and use the same avatar; make sure all the information sections are the same and up to date, and above all else it needs to be a professional image. Companies will look you up before they call you and they don’t need to see the photos of the party that happened last weekend. Your social life doesn't need to be deleted from your accounts, but it is wise to make the things that could be seen as questionable unseen to some through your social privacy settings.  Make sure there are no typos, grammatical or spelling errors. Online first impressions are harsher than face to face first impressions, and poor language skills will reflect very badly.

Keep Your Accounts Current

Keep your statuses updated with personal achievements, links to industry relevant articles and events and links to your various accounts. Keep these parts of your profiles public. Public profiles that are updated often have a better chance of showing up in search results.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the first places potential employers will look before contacting you. Brand your profile for the job you are looking are for. Recruiters will often do specific searches, and if your profile is branded for the job you want, you are likely to show up. LinkedIn allows you to collect recommendations. Ask people you work with to write some for you. A good recommendation can often be the deciding factor.

Facebook

Build up your Facebook network by adding people you know professionally. Job opportunities are often shared through Facebook networks. Make a list of your target companies, and like their Facebook page. More and more companies are using Facebook to recruit, and often have tabs dedicated to career information. Also take note of tips to protect your Facebook account as you would not want your ex hacking in and sabotaging your chances.

Twitter

You need to use Twitter to your advantage and make yourself noticeable on your target companies twitter feed. Retweet their tweets and congratulate them on jobs or event well done. Make sure to tag someone from the company in your tweet to make sure you use it. Create lists on your twitter account. The stream of information is constant, and opportunities offered by companies are often missed. Lists only show the tweets from the members of that specific list, enabling you see anything that may be important. Suggested lists are: local recruiters, local job boards and great/target companies.

We use our social media accounts to keep in touch with friends and family, and keep up to date with what’s happening in the world. It’s time to utilise these networking opportunities at our fingertips and make them work for us. With just a simple tidy up of social networking accounts, the search for your dream job will be that much easier.