Nowadays, you can’t do stupid things and not expect to get caught. Similarly, the power of the Internet doesn’t allow people who do smart things to go unrecognized.
Employers are watching us on social media, and so are employees.
Last year, a research done by Harris Interactive and commissioned by CareerBuilder.com found out that 45% of employers have used social networking sites to screen potential employees. I was also asked once for my resume not by paper but by LinkedIn only.
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Your digital footprints can land you opportunities or strip you of them. Social sites are your dynamic resume, and like any resume, you write them with care.
DO: Show them what you’ve got
If you are looking for business or job opportunities, you got to show what you’ve got. It doesn’t matter what platform you use – a blog, Facebook or Twitter. We have seen pros teaching make up techniques on YouTube, finance students offering tips on blogs and foodies giving reviews on Facebook and Twitter. We can expect many more Justin Bieber and iJustine getting spotted for their talent.
DON’T: Leave them with any dirt about you
Employers are validating your paper resumes by checking on you through Twitter and Facebook, so you better be telling the truth. Calling in sick? Make sure your boss doesn’t catch your partying photos on Facebook when you are supposed to be in bed. Want to spew vulgarities and talk bad about your boss on your blog? Think twice.
Don’t hide from social media, embrace it
You might think that social media is robbing you of privacy. But instead of hiding and making yourself unsearchable, use social media to your advantage. Besides displaying your capabilities, you can check out your interviewers before meeting up with them. Know the kind of person they are so nothing comes as a surprise. Befriend your prospective company or boss to get noticed even before they see you in person.
From Chicago Business:
Ms Fisherman, managing partner of the Chicago office of BGT Partners, an interactive marketing firm with headquarters in Miami, says that candidates who initiate contact with BGT Partners on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn have an advantage in the hiring process because of those interactions. She expects to hire 10 new employees in Chicago in the first quarter of 2010 and says that many of the candidates she has met online have gotten her attention.
