Manage your digital reputation for successful job hunting

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Manage your digital reputation for successful job hunting

Posted by Rob on July 29, 2013

Connecting with friends on social media and applying for jobs can seem like two mutually exclusive tasks on your daily to-do list. However, with the right planning and strategy, the two can blend and work together in your favour.

To be honest, I don’t use social media the way I used to anymore, mostly because I’ve reached the point where I realize how important social media is to your job hunt and career progression.

Take Facebook for example. Say you post a status on Facebook about your job hunt: “Does anyone know anyone who’s hiring?” If so, contact you, right?

Well, surely by now you’ve read about refraining from posting unflattering photos of yourself on Facebook because “you never know who might see them.” But also, we live in an age where networking is paramount. You have to always be critical about who can see the content you post.

What if your friend (or perhaps a barely-known acquaintance you met), “friended” you on Facebook does know someone who is hiring. Would your friend recommend you if they thought your digital reputation was not worthy? At the end of the day, they’re your referral and their reputation is on the line for anyone they refer! Not to mention that employers are using Facebook more and more to recruit employees which is more incentive to clean up your digital image.

I encourage you to reach out to the people on your Facebook friend list and see if you can tap into their networks, but remember, just because they’re your friends on Facebook, doesn’t necessarily mean they’d be willing to put their name on the line. It’s up to you to clean up your digital image by doing such things as:

Including a professional photo of yourself
Altering your profile section to be more formal, less casual
Removing your tag from unflattering photos
Adjusting your privacy settings so that employers can’t “Facebook creep” you
Limiting inappropriate conversations and rants on Facebook

Best of luck with your job search using social media. It’s becoming a lot more common and expected of you to have a strong digital presence. It’s up to you how you choose to manage it and represent yourself.

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