It is no secret that recruiters are increasingly using social media to find and vet candidates for open positions. In fact, a recent study found that 70% of employers are likely to check a job seeker’s social media profile before extending an offer. So, if you are currently on the job market, or if you a recruiter looking for top talent, it is more important than ever to make sure your social media presence is up to snuff. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Recruiters’ View
1. Social media can give you insights into a candidate’s soft skills.
When it comes to hard skills, you can usually get a pretty good sense of what a candidate is capable of by looking at their resume and work history. But it is often the soft skills – things like communication, teamwork, and critical thinking – that make or break a new hire. And those are precisely the kinds of things that you can get a sense of by checking out a candidate’s social media profile.
2. Social media can help you verify a candidate’s qualifications.
Let’s say you are looking at two candidates for a job, and they both seem equally qualified on paper. How do you decide who to hire? Checking out their social media profiles can give you some clues. If, for example, one candidate has listed “JavaScript” as a skill on their resume but their Twitter profile shows that they’ve been actively tweeting about JavaScript for years, that is a pretty good indication that they really know their stuff.
3. Social media can give you an idea of how well a candidate would fit in with your company culture.
Culture fit is important – we all know that. But it can be hard to get a sense of whether or not someone would be a good fit just by looking at their resume or reading their cover letter. That is where social media comes in handy. If you take a look at a candidate’s social media profile and they seem like they would be a good match for your company culture, that is definitely something worth considering when making your final decision.
4. Social media can help you find passive candidates who might not otherwise apply for your open position.
Sometimes the best candidates for a job are not even actively looking for one! If you find someone with an impressive social media profile who seems like they would be perfect for your open position, reach out and see if they are interested in learning more about the role. You never know – you might just end up with your dream candidate!
Candidate’s View
1. Do a quick audit of your current profiles.
Take a look at each of your social media profiles and ask yourself whether or not the content is something you would be comfortable with a potential employer seeing. If not, it is time for a clean-up. Delete any old posts that might reflect poorly on you, and take some time to curate your feed so that it presents a positive image of who you are as a professional.
2. Think about what you want your social media presence to say about you.
Your social media profiles should tell potential employers who you are as a professional. What are your strengths? What kind of work do you excel at? What industries are you interested in? By taking some time to think about what message you want to communicate, you can ensure that your profiles reflect the image you want recruiters to see.
3. Use keywords strategically.
Just like with your resume, it is important to use keywords on your social media profiles so that recruiters can easily find you when they are searching for candidates with specific skillsets. Make sure to include relevant keywords in both your profile bio and in the posts themselves. For example, if you are a marketing professional, some keywords you might want to use could be “social media”, “content marketing”, “SEO”, etc.
4. Connect with industry leaders and influencers.
One of the best ways to make sure your profiles stand out is by connecting with industry leaders and influencers in your field. Not only will this help you build up your own personal network, but it will also show potential employers that you are plugged into what’s going on in your industry and that you are serious about furthering your career.
5. Post regularly (but not too much).
It is important to post regularly on social media so that recruiters know you are active and engaged, but be careful not to overdo it. No one wants their feed bombarded with 20 different updates from one person every day. A good rule of thumb is 1-2 posts per day across all platforms.
Conclusion
By taking advantage of the wealth of information available on social media, recruiters can gain valuable insights into candidates’ qualifications, soft skills, and cultural fit – all of which can help them make more informed hiring decisions. By following these tips, candidates will be sure to impress potential employers and land the job they want.