Are you on the job hunt? If so, you’re probably thinking about how you can increase your chances and stand out to recruiters by cleaning up your social media, turn your personal accounts on private mode, and update your necessary professional profiles such as LinkedIn. Even if you are not currently looking for your next perfect position, all professionals should be mindful of your current online presence, and how to maximize your appeal.
After speaking with some of our top recruiters and leaders within Knowledge Services, we found that searching for someone on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram is easy and quick, and one of the first places recruiters go to learn more. Here are a few tips to help you stand out in an excellent and professional manner.
What Your Profile Picture Says About You
First, you must have one. The likelihood of getting chosen for an interview if you don’t have a real and updated profile picture through your social media platforms is slim to none. Employers like to associate a face with a name, and a put–together, semi-professional picture is best. This can be easily taken with your cell phone with a blank canvas backdrop. Recruiters know that some professionals have not had the chance to take a professional headshot, and that is completely understandable.
Another tip is to make sure that your profile picture is in color and avoids other individuals in the picture. Always make sure your picture is clear and you’re dressed business appropriate as well.
As for your personal social media accounts, you’ll want to be mindful of what your current employer can see and think about your future employers as well. With social media’s current environment, it is important to be reminded from time-to-time on what is public for anyone to see and know about you. There are many solutions to making photo albums private or archiving certain posts that you’ve made in the past.
Update Your Contact Info
Some positions that employers or recruiters are looking to fill is immediate. If it is difficult to get a response from a candidate, the recruiter is likely to move on to the next best applicant. Because of this possibility, it is imperative to always keep your email and phone number up to date and can be very clearly found on your resume and applications.
Our recruiters also gave us a tip to put your email on display on your LinkedIn for prospective employers to reach out to you if they think you might be the right fit for a potential job.
Have a Clear Summary / Objective
Think of your LinkedIn summary or objective as a career ‘About Me’ highlighting your professional achievements and career interests. This can also feature your personal brand and how you want the professional realm to see you.
In these short few sentences, you can dive into your specialties or industry experiences or proficiency and provide a short summary of your current role or past job positions and your community involvement. This is a great place to showcase what type of employee you are and what your professional ambitions are.
Professional Recommendations
Recommendations are particularly important in certain industries and companies with an often-endless number of applicants. Many times, recruiters might have a large stack of resumes to review and having a referral from a colleague might give you a “leg up” against the competition.
Some of these tips might seem simple, but many would be surprised to know what goes overlooked online. KS suggests to go take a look at your LinkedIn page and make these quick updates that might help you land your next job! Then review what can be seen on your personal social media accounts that your current or future employer might raise an eyebrow to. Always remember – what’s posted online lives forever!
