If you haven’t already noticed, applying for jobs has transitioned almost entirely online. Large private companies, government sectors, and even small locally owned businesses post open positions online and expect an application to be submitted the same way. So it makes sense that these companies are also doing their research on candidates primarily online as well. Having a professional online presence that aligns with your resume will keep your reputation in a positive light with employers. Here are some tips to help you before you submit your next application:
- Align Your Online Presence with Your Resume – Make sure your Nexxt Portfolio and LinkedIn profiles are up to date and match the information listed on the resume you plan to submit for the job opening. Fill in as much of the information as you can and secure references to publicly post on your profile. Recruiters, hiring managers, and HR representatives will almost always check your professional social networks for more information about you as a candidate.
- Remove Potentially Harmful Shared Information – With the exponential growth of social media and access to publicly shared information on the internet, you must be very careful about what information you post to your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts. Be sure to remove questionable photos, comments, or posts that could be considered offensive under the wrong context. You don’t want to give an employer any reason to question your legitimacy for a new job.
- Put Yourself in an Employer’s Shoes – Pretend you are doing research on yourself and see your online footprint from the eye of an employer. Google your name and see what comes up. Find out if there is any information on the web that you need to remove or ask to be removed. This exercise can help give you an idea of what impression you may be giving potential employers.
- Maintain Online Professionalism after You Land the Job – Just because you land the job or are currently employed does not mean you should ignore this advice. I have seen countless examples from news articles of people getting fired for sharing unprofessional information on their social media accounts. Make sure you become familiar with your company’s social policy.
It may seem daunting, but following these tips will ultimately help you in your job search today and in the future. Remind yourself to look at your next tweet, post, or share from an employer’s perspective before you click submit. Good luck!
What about when one has a common name? Some employers are so convinced they have dirt on the “John Smith” applying for a job that they are unwilling to accept the possibility of another “John Smith” posting online in the same large metro area.
I am an Indian christian jobless graduate
In my life I had face injustice and inequality throughout in India.
Getting job for minority is very difficult because of illegal and
corrupted political drama and partiality.
I need a job somewhere can you help me
Francis
New Delhi
I have on-line presence and belong to nurse sites where we blog about our work, we blog at a “decompression room”, basically, it’s not always positive, we,as nurses need to have some place to “vent” as this work experience is our “real life” and in real life things are not always positive, we learn from negative experiences,ours and others,so we should not be judged by a comment, or single picture, unless it is obvious, like sticking up your middle finger, or exposing yourself on-line, not good…..ever.