Facebook, and LinkedIn are now part of our common social media
vocabulary. But wait…there is a newcomer to the scene, BranchOut, the
Facebook application for professional networking. You should leverage
the power of this FREE technology to beef up your social media presence
and increase your visibility to potential employers.
Employers more than ever are checking out candidates prior to interview and hire; in some cases employers are using social media as a screening tool to narrow their pool of applicants. Even though there is debate over the potential liability with these employer searches, its use is on the rise.
Let’s take a look a couple professional networking sites and how they might be used to support your Internet job search:
Career Networking on Facebook: BranchOut - This application is new to me; it’s the Facebook version of LinkedIn. The power of this app is your connections; when your friends join your network, you gain access to your friends (and their friends) network of people and their employers. The sales pitch for BranchOut is “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know!” Branch out also allows you to “endorse” people (provide references), post notices to your network, follow companies and contains a job board as well. When I accepted the BranchOut app, all my stored Facebook information about work history/titles/employers transferred over to my professional profile, which made my profile set up a snap.
LinkedIn - If there is one social media site more closely related to job searching online, it would be hard to find. Not only can you pile up recommendations from relevant professionals, but you can also craft effective headlines and status updates that reflect your current status or your background. Potential employers can also search connections/candidates by a skill set to find a sub group of registered professionals. In my opinion, the real powerhouse of LinkedIn lies with joining “groups;” there is a group for everything and anything professional. By joining groups, you are connected to hundreds/thousands of professionals who provide sound advice, job leads, discussions threads, best practices, up to date techie knowledge and breaking industry news. Job postings are becoming more and more prevalent on LinkedIn as well.
Professional Social Media Rules of Thumb
Employers more than ever are checking out candidates prior to interview and hire; in some cases employers are using social media as a screening tool to narrow their pool of applicants. Even though there is debate over the potential liability with these employer searches, its use is on the rise.
Let’s take a look a couple professional networking sites and how they might be used to support your Internet job search:
Career Networking on Facebook: BranchOut - This application is new to me; it’s the Facebook version of LinkedIn. The power of this app is your connections; when your friends join your network, you gain access to your friends (and their friends) network of people and their employers. The sales pitch for BranchOut is “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know!” Branch out also allows you to “endorse” people (provide references), post notices to your network, follow companies and contains a job board as well. When I accepted the BranchOut app, all my stored Facebook information about work history/titles/employers transferred over to my professional profile, which made my profile set up a snap.
LinkedIn - If there is one social media site more closely related to job searching online, it would be hard to find. Not only can you pile up recommendations from relevant professionals, but you can also craft effective headlines and status updates that reflect your current status or your background. Potential employers can also search connections/candidates by a skill set to find a sub group of registered professionals. In my opinion, the real powerhouse of LinkedIn lies with joining “groups;” there is a group for everything and anything professional. By joining groups, you are connected to hundreds/thousands of professionals who provide sound advice, job leads, discussions threads, best practices, up to date techie knowledge and breaking industry news. Job postings are becoming more and more prevalent on LinkedIn as well.
Professional Social Media Rules of Thumb
- Be consistent – make sure the information from each social media site and your resume match. This is a “red flag” for employers if information is inconsistent.
- Be current – make sure you have the most current information on each site at all times. You never know who is looking.
- Use all the tools at your disposal – each site has different options, applications and widgets available to showcase your skills. Take advantage of these features to show your uniqueness and versatility.
- Especially during times of employment search, your social media sites need to be clear of vulgarity, alcohol consumption, partying, nudity and other fringe behavior. You may wish to remove religious and sexual preferences off your profiles if you feel they may lead to purposeful or accidental discrimination. These sites MUST remain professional – an interview or potential job offer may hinge on it.
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