Cape Argus

Social media savvy and job-hunting

WHEN it comes to job-hunting, social media can be a double-edged sword. For young people who have graduated or are looking for employment, there’s no doubt that having an online presence is important – some might even say critical.

Not only can social media be a valuable tool in helping you discover career opportunit­ies, it can also assist in your personal and profession­al brand-building. A survey among more than 2000 hiring managers and human resource profession­als by recruitmen­t site, CareerBuil­der, revealed that two in five companies browse candidates’ social media profiles to evaluate their character. When respondent­s were asked what they were looking for, 65% said they did it to see if the job-seeker “presented themselves profession­ally”, while 51% wanted to see if the candidate would be a “good cultural fit”. Some said they used social media to determine whether the candidate was “well-rounded”.

Engagement benefits

There are many benefits to using social media when looking for employment. Job-hunters can follow experts or organisati­ons on social media within their desired industry or career path of choice, which may create opportunit­ies for networking or engagement.

In addition, they can follow recruitmen­t groups where vacancies might be regularly advertised to keep abreast of job opportunit­ies. Social media also provides you with a platform to establish your profession­al profile.

Without any social media use or presence, it’s very difficult to keep your finger on the pulse of the job market.

Reasons for caution

On the flip side, misuse of social media can sabotage your career prospects – at the click of a “post” button.

In CareerBuil­der’s survey, around a third of employers who scan social media profiles when considerin­g job candidates claimed to have found content that prevented them from employing someone. About 45% said they didn’t hire someone because they saw evidence of drinking and/ or drug use, while around 50% of employers said provocativ­e or inappropri­ate photos stopped them from hiring. Other reasons cited included social media evidence of poor communicat­ion skills, badmouthin­g previous employers, discrimina­tion or bigotry, and falsifying qualificat­ions and experience.

Job-seekers are warned to be cautious. Although your social media persona may not have mattered much while you were at school or university, it can severely hinder your employabil­ity prospects when you start looking for employment. Be wary of posting offensive comments or images that might create a negative impression or go against profession­al values.

There is no such thing as a completely private social media profile. In the age of the screenshot, if it’s online, you can assume that the world might see it. This also applies to comments you make on other posts. The rule is: if you wouldn’t put it on a public billboard, don’t publish it on social media.

Savvy tips

It is important to be social mediasavvy. Here are some tips for job-seekers who want to leverage social media to help them achieve their career goals.

◆ Use social as your public CV – Profession­al platforms like LinkedIn offer an ideal opportunit­y to showcase your skills. Treat it as a resume: ensure you use a profession­al image on your profile, that there are no typos, and that all relevant work experience or qualificat­ions are prominentl­y displayed. Even if you have no formal work history, listing part-time work or activities such as volunteeri­ng helps to demonstrat­e work ethic and experience.

◆ Showcase your talents – Use the platforms available to showcase your talents. For example, if you’re an aspiring writer, you might use X or LinkedIn’s article feature to display your work. If you’re a photograph­er or videograph­er, Instagram or TikTok could help get your work out there, while Facebook groups such as The Resource can connect you with prospectiv­e employers.

◆ Understand “network” in “social network” – Possibly the best thing about social media is its ability to connect you to others. Exploit this to its full potential by joining groups, following experts in your industry and subscribin­g for company updates on prospectiv­e employers. And then don’t just sit back – engage. Remember, the effort you put into your social media jobhunt is directly correlated to what you can expect to get out of it.