Don't let social media hold you back

When it comes to finding a new job, you may have polished up your CV, but have you done the same for your social media profiles?

CareerBuilder research has revealed that 60% of employers research potential candidates on social media, and whilst only 21% of hiring managers surveyed stated that they use social media to find a reason not to hire someone, it still pays to spend a little time getting your profile into shape. So what’s the best way to start?

Remove anything you wouldn’t want your boss to see

It’s a simple one, but delete or hide any posts or photos that could be considered inappropriate or might give people the wrong impression of you. This includes anything you may have been tagged in too.

See what everyone else does

You may want to adjust your privacy settings so your profiles are only visible to friends. On Facebook you can see what your public profile looks like by selecting ‘view as’ from the three dots at the top of your profile. You can also do this on LinkedIn by clicking ‘view profile as’.

Heighten your security

To make your Facebook profile private, select ‘privacy’ within settings. From here you can edit who can see your posts, contact you or look you up (including through search engines). You can adjust your privacy settings on individual posts, photos or albums through your profile page too.

On LinkedIn you can also change the way your profile looks to people you’re not connected to. Use the dropdown arrow next to ‘view profile as’ to manage your public profile settings and change what’s visible.

You can protect your Tweets by going into security and privacy within your Twitter settings, and switch your Instagram profile to private through the options cog on your profile.

Be accurate

When it comes to LinkedIn (and increasingly Facebook), consider your profile to be another version of your CV. Make sure your employment and education history is correct and up-to-date, along with simple information such as your current location and contact details. It’ll ensure you’re found by the right people for the right jobs.

Google yourself

Finally – worried you may have an old profile or blog post you’d forgotten about? Run a quick Google search of your name (along with any nicknames you regularly use) and don’t forget to check images for anything that may need to be deleted.

If you’re looking for a new job and need any support from the QCS Staffing team, contact us today.