Mind Your Social Media Manners: Presenting Yourself Online When Job Hunting

Social networking sites are great tools to connect with old friends, share photos and to present yourself professionally online. More and more recruiters are using social media during the hiring process to gain an extended view of a candidate which is outside the realms of their CV.

So if you are a fan of Facebook or are fanatical about Twitter, be aware of what you post online can affect your chances of securing your next job role.

So next time you login, consider these 5 tips of social media etiquette:   

1) Don’t Give The Wrong Impression
Complete as much information as possible when creating your social media profiles. Remember to use your real name and a suitable picture of yourself. If you are over on Twitter, ensure your ‘about me’ section represents yourself well on both a personal and a professional level.

2) Don’t Mix Business With Pleasure
If you are going to express a lot of personal opinion, make sure that your account is set to ‘private’ and be care who you ‘friend’ online,  including any future colleagues. For more open social media networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn, ensure that you keep the balance right of illustrating your personal interests alongside your professionalism.

3) Don’t Complain
Granted, things don’t always go to plan and you may have encountered a bad service from a particular company. Although tempting, try not to rant about this online; if a potential employer spots your complaint, they may view you as been unprofessional and negative. Instead, seek out the correct complaints procedure, where your issue will more likely to be listened to and resolved quicker.

4) Don’t Overshare
Although your profile maybe set to private, what you like and share on other accounts maybe visible to the wider public. Be careful not to express any strong views on controversial topics, as this maybe off-putting to a potential employer.

5) Don’t Drink and Type
Finally, if you are enjoying a tipple, don’t be tempted to login to your Facebook account, you may end up sharing things which you will regret the next morning;  by then the damage could already have been done. The same also applies if you are feeling overtired, angry or upset.