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Avoiding Mistakes in Social Media during Your Job Search

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By this time, we all know that wild party photos are not really suitable for posting online during a job search. When recruiters and hiring managers are looking at your online presence, they want to see a valuable addition to their company, not a valuable addition to the office football pool.

However, even the best intentions may go awry online. Beware of these mistakes in using social media during your job search.

  • Posting unprofessional photos on LinkedIn and similar professional sites. Make sure your photo is professional, a headshot taken when you are dressed appropriately for your chosen career.
  • Using texting abbreviations and not worrying about grammar and spelling. Your communication skills are important to any employer. Maintain high standards for your writing wherever it appears and proofread, proofread, proofread.
  • Posting negative comments about your current or former employer and fellow employees, no matter how justified they are. Your future employer is looking for someone with a positive attitude who is able to work well in a team.
  • Aggressively arguing political, religious, social and other opinions. Yes, you are entitled to your opinions. But when you are job hunting, you want employers to concentrate on your accomplishments, education and skills, not on your positions on controversial subjects.
  • Indulging in over-the-top bragging about yourself or laughter about your own follies. People do tend to reveal all in sites like Facebook.  A little bit of reserve is helpful while you are job hunting. Let your employer find out about you gradually.
  • Neglecting to make personal contact with your network. Although you should mine your contacts on social networking sites, face-to-face contact is also essential. At networking, industry, Chamber of Commerce and similar events, you will meet people you may never reach through your social networks, and you will be able to hone those personal skills that will be important during job interviews.
  • Wasting time. Social networking is seductive. You start out on Twitter with every intention of following job leads and become distracted by tweets about your favorite book, movie star or hobby. Time passes and you are no further on your job search.
  • Contradicting yourself. Make sure that the information you give on your resume, cover letter or email, LinkedIn account, Facebook page and so on is consistent. When contradictions occur in dates, the names of employers, contact information and so on, recruiters and hiring managers begin to wonder if they can trust your information and if you are attentive to detail.
  • Not using social media at all. Yes, social media can have drawbacks. But employers are looking for employees who are comfortable with technology, at least to the extent of using word processing systems and email. By appearing on at least one social media site (LinkedIn, for example), you are showing that you have kept up with the computer age.

Let Robin’s Resumes® help you with a great resume; then we can help you back it up to the hilt with the correct social media message.

 

Resume Q&A: Short Answers to Big Resume Questions

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This post considers some questions that job seekers recently asked online:

What does “lying” mean on a resume?

You are lying when you make up jobs, dates of employment, responsibilities, education or any other fact. You are not lying when you leave things out. Your resume is not your life story. It is a marketing document; it markets you to employers who are looking for someone with your skills and achievements.

Do you have to have your home address on your resume?

Because email and cell phones have made it much easier to connect with job applicants and because relocation is not the huge hurdle it used to be, many companies don’t care if you omit your home address on your resume. They understand that they are more likely to reach you by email or phone and that you might have privacy concerns.

Be aware, however, that some companies interview only local candidates with local addresses. If you are concerned about this or your privacy, consider using an address you rent from a mailbox supplier, such as Mailboxes, etc. or UPS. This way you can have a “local address” while you conduct a job search.

Do you have to be on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to get a job?

It can help–many people have connected with recruiters and companies using social media–but it is not always required. If you are on social media such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, keep your online information consistent with your resume and completely professional. Using social media the wrong way (for example, to rant against your former employer) could cost you your chance at an interview.

Based on my discussions with hiring managers, many employers and recruiters search LinkedIn for candidates for jobs they are not yet advertising. In addition, once you are identified as a potential candidate, many companies will specifically search LinkedIn for your profile. If your profile is not there, they may reject you as a candidate. Therefore, having a LinkedIn profile gives you the best chance to get a job.

Robin’s Resumes® recommends you get a professionally written LinkedIn profile for your job search. We can do this for you when you order a package from us. Just ask me for one when you order your resume and other career marketing documentation, and I will be glad to quote you the price.

Social Media Helps Your Job Hunt–If You Use It the Right Way

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Recently the National Labor Relations Board determined that a company’s employee cannot be fired for criticizing the company in social media such as Facebook. However, this important decision supporting freedom of speech does not extend to job candidates.

Social media can be a great tool for promoting your talents and skills. I regularly help clients create a “brand” for themselves by making their LinkedIn and Facebook presence consistent with their professional resume. By the same token, an unprofessional online presence can undermine your entire job search.

When you are seeking employment, be very careful about using social media to criticize your former company; the companies where you are applying; or the industry in which you want to work. Whether your forum is Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or your own blog, do not bemoan your lack of work or rant about annoying interviewers. Any negative attitude is likely to prejudice future employers against you.

Do not discuss or show pictures online that reveal job or family difficulties, personality conflicts, inappropriate behavior or any other personal matter while you are job seeking. Way back in 2006, a CBS News Correspondent revealed that employers looked at online profiles when evaluating a candidate and used those profiles to determine whether they would hire. They still do.

What Employers Want–and Do Not Want–in Your Resume

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You are struggling to understand what employers want in a resume: What will make them stand up and take notice? In many ways, what you leave out is just as important as what you leave in.

Employers and recruiters welcome a resume that shows:

  • You have the skills to handle the job.
  • You will contribute something in addition to skills, as demonstrated by achievements at your current job (“chosen employee of the month,” “saved company $1500 in recycle costs”), volunteer work and work-related courses.
  • You take pride in your work, as shown in part by the care you take to create a presentable resume.

What employers and recruiters do not want in a resume is:

  • Your life history. Focus your resume on the requirements of the job. Employers and recruiters want to know that you can handle the job you are applying for.
  • Excuses. If you do not have job experience, stress education. If you lack one skill, stress another and your ability to learn.
  • Inconsistencies. Always tell the truth on your resume. Also, if you use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any other online site, make sure you appear in a professional light at all times and that the information on those sites matches the information on your resume.

If your resume is giving employers too little of the right information and too much of the wrong, please contact me. I have solved resume problems for countless people and I can help.

The Internet and Your Resume

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Paper resumes are still with us, but more and more job hunters are posting resumes online at social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and at sites like VirtualCV that specialize in publishing resumes. They know that more and more recruiters are searching online for job candidates.

If you are a member of LinkedIn, you can include the address for your LinkedIn profile on your resume—but you should first make sure your LinkedIn profile is professional. If you employ a professional resume writer to write your resume, ask the same person to write your LinkedIn profile. You gain several advantages: consistency, reinforcement of the main points in your resume, and an opportunity to elaborate on details. You will also want some strong recommendations on your LinkedIn profile.

If you belong to Facebook, Twitter, or other social media groups, now is the time to take down any photos, tweets, or personal information that you would never bring up at a job interview. Social networking sites do not belong on a resume; but recruiters and interviewers know how to find them, whether you want them to or not. You may want to mention a Facebook business site on your resume if that is relevant.

Recruiters are also looking at resumes created on resume publishing sites or with WordPress or similar software. Some online resume tools allow you to choose among privacy settings; incorporate the online resume in Facebook and LinkedIn; and add audio or video. Be careful of overwhelming your resume with gimmicks, however. Your accomplishments, achievements and work history should still be paramount.

Again, a consistent approach is vital among all your paper and electronic resumes. I can help you with a resume package that makes your resume stand out, no matter where recruiters find it.

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