Social media when used inappropriately can come back to haunt you and jeopardize a job offer or even your current job. It’s important to be careful and consider what you shouldn’t do, as well as what you should do, when using social media to job search.
DON'T:
- Think You Can Post What You Want.
There are more than a few people who think that employers should judge you on your work skills, not on what you post online. That's how it should be, but that’s not how it is.
Employers are checking out candidates on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. If you post it, I guarantee someone will read it and that very well could be the wrong person i.e. a hiring manager.
Here’s an example of what can happen when you aren’t careful about your privacy setting on Facebook. I received photos of a third party from one of my Facebook Friends. She was able to send me photos of her friends, because they didn't limit who their photos were shared with. I was able to see photos of someone I didn't know on my Facebook page simply because the person wasn't careful about his privacy settings. If I was an employer, I wouldn't have been amused at that particular set of photos and they wouldn't have helped the candidate if I was considering him for employment.
- Tweet Like Nobody is Reading.
Take a minute and search Twitter for “I hate my job” or “I hate my boss” – you’ll be amazed at how many people don’t mind sharing that information with the world. Maybe they don’t know that every single tweet shows up on Google or maybe they don’t care.
Even if you hate your job, but you want to keep it, be careful what you post. If you post it, someone will read it. That’s a guarantee.
There is a school of thought that says you should connect with everyone when you’re spending time on social networking. I don’t agree with that logic. Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to connecting.
The first question you should ask yourself when making connections while job searching is how can the person I'm asking to connect help me? The second question is how can I help them? Before you ask someone to connect, consider what you have in common - have you worked in the same field, for the same company, have you done a similar type of research, did you go to college together, or what have you? That common bond, regardless of what it is, is what's going to help with your job search.
- Think Networking is a One Way Street.
Networking works both ways – the more you are willing to help someone else, the more likely they will be to help you. Take some time every day to reach out to your connections. Write a recommendation on LinkedIn, offer to introduce them to another connection, share an article or news with them.
Giving to get really does work - your connections are more likely to return the favor when you've offered to help them.
© Copyright Alison Doyle, 2009. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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