Social Media: the new recruiter

Gone are the days when only an impressive resume can get you a job. Qualification is not anymore the prime factors for getting a job. Socially active and socially nice are two important criteria that have emerged with the growth of social media platforms. Hiring managers now look through candidate’s profile to check their character and personality outside the traditional method of interview. Social media is becoming the ultimate platform of career building, professional development and professional networking

In the traditional interview most of the candidates are not themselves. Just to get a job, the candidates only speak up things that are impressive. Most of them agree to whatever the interviewers have to stay whether they believe it or not. To stop this practice the hiring manger has opted for this new platform.

Each social media account reflects the exact image of the account holder. So the hiring manger can get a pretty idea about the candidate that he is interviewing.

Why social media platforms?

• To get an overview that how the candidate represents himself socially.
• To see a detail picture of the education background.
• To see how much the candidate is appropriate to work in the office culture.
• To see either they are into drugs and drinking.
• To have a hold on the candidate’s creativity.
• To see whether they have a personality that is fully developed in all aspects.
• To have a fare idea about their professional image.
• Communication skills.

So in one way social media is becoming a great help to the hiring manger. But in another way, for the candidates, the independence of using these platforms is slowing losing out. They have to be very careful in what they are putting out in front of the whole world.

What you should not do in social media platforms?

• Posting provocative pictures.
• Information about drinking or using drugs.
• Bad mouthing any of the employers.
• Wrong information about the qualification.
• Bad communicating skills.
• Discriminatory comments related to race, gender or religion.

In this context, Sullivan University director of career services Sam A. Mannino warns that you should also be aware of how you may post differently between social media sites, warning that platforms such as Facebook and Twitter may become tricky territory. “On these two sites, most individuals are less professional and more carefree; posting photos, quotes and links that they may not want a potential employer to see.”

How to control social media mishaps?

• Lock the questionable picture with privacy tool. This will restrict the viewers who have no permission of seeing the picture.
• Ask your friends not to upload anything that can be interpreted in a wrong way.
• Increase your security setting so that you can control whatever goes on in your timeline.
• If necessary open an account with your nickname, with no headshot. This will make your profile difficult to search.

In social media platform everyone posts their private things. It is just that you have to know what you have to show and what you don’t have to show to the world. It is a matter of a little bit of carefulness and you will have an impressive profile.

How to attract the companies you want to work in?

Share industry news relevant to the job- This will give an idea to the recruiters that you are very well aware of the industry you work in. It proves the interest of the candidate and shows how much he is enthusiastic to work in the concerned industry.

Engage with the conversations related to the industry– It proves your dedication and enthusiasm to work in the field

Using of right keywords in the status update– This will help the recruiter to easily find the candidate.

Mention the job title properly– It gives an overview to the hiring manager that what you exactly do in that particular company. It tells them about your ability to do something.

Using of a professional headshot in your account- The other pictures will be set to private so that it is not viewed to everyone.

Start your own blog about the industry– This way the hiring manger will understand that the candidate keep himself updated with all the latest trend of that concerned industry.

So you just have to deal cleverly with your social media profile to get a job. With a wise profile, you never know when the job is knocking your door.