Social media is the medium for expressing our personal opinions on current issues and the window where we expose our lifestyles. How much weight do they have when it comes to getting a job?
It is common to read in the from some social media accounts the following: “The opinions expressed do not compromise the company I work for”This phrase has become the way to separate -in some way- personal life from professional life and take care of reputation. online. How effective is it?
The identity you build in the digital environment can be key, nowadays, when it comes to getting a job. This is the opinion of Cristina Juan Clos, a specialist in communication and marketing Digital: “It is easier for organizations to get an idea of the profile of candidates by checking their social media accounts. In English-speaking countries, the process of measuring reputation is online of a person already has a name: background checks. That is, a prior search through the platforms on which you are present to detect if you are the person they are looking for.”
In traditional CVs, it is common to include the contact information of work and personal references to help them form an idea of what you are like as a person in the professional and personal field during the selection process in which you are participating. However, digital platforms have also come to play a leading role in the idea that potential employers or contractors can find out about their candidates.
According to the study "Work trends 2019", made by Adecco Italy, all social media posts tell the true story of who you are and how you see things, and this is an added value for recruiters:
"ItIt is a fact that 55% of candidates believe that the image that emerges of them on social media does not represent their true personality. On the other hand, 72% of recruiters consider that personal profiles are a true reflection of a more complex reality, which is even more accurate than a static, tailor-made CV. So much so that 44% of recruiters admit that they have rejected candidates after having reviewed their social media profiles, even though their CVs were solid.
How to improve digital reputation?
There is a great possibility that companies consider reputation online to take it as a reference when choosing a new member for your team, that is why Iñaki Gorostidi, CEO and founder of the GUK agency, recommends the following:
- Clean up your social media accounts: Review your posts and clean up any that you think are worth deleting. It is also advisable to delete profiles that you are not using.
- Classify the profiles: Differentiate between your personal and professional accounts and identify which ones you should be on to find more job opportunities.
- Delete compromising information: It's not about cheating, but about being selective and not posting content that could harm you.
- Put a suitable profile picture: choose a good photo for your professional profiles such as Linkedin, Viadeo or Xing, which conveys responsibility and seriousness.
- Make a digital CV: Take advantage of all the tools offered by the Internet to create a modern, pleasant and even interactive CV. On the Internet you can find multiple templates to create a CV with infographics or video.
- Follow companies in the sectors that interest you: look for their profiles online to keep up to date with all their news. This way, if you end up having an interview with one, you will have the elements to handle yourself better. In addition, many of them usually publish their job offers there.
- Update the information periodically: You must include all changes or new information that you consider important and that may be of interest to employers, such as your work experience or your recent academic training.
Starting to see yourself as a brand and being aware of what you post on your social networks will help you recognize those actions necessary to stay current in the labor market and turn digital platforms into good allies for your professional development.
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