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In this day and age, most people have some form of a social media account. This includes your potential employers. They too have the ability to sit down and scroll through your accounts, unveiling all of those boring vacation pictures. Aside from following the obvious rules (e.g. don’t post lewd pictures, too much vulgarity or alcohol in the frame), here is a short list of four ways to promote yourself as a more exciting new hire.
Follow the Leaders: Follow popular figures in your industry. Twitter offers the ability to monitor major companies with a great deal of information. If a company were to take a glance at your Twitter feed and see that you are retweeting and tweeting about new trends in your field, it shows that in your personal life you continue to care about your work.
With that said, who follows you and who you follow says a lot about you and your online personality. Certain celebrities may be associated with certain political issues that may make your potential employer feel uncomfortable. Just remember that there is a certain level of couth that needs to be kept in an office. Retain your filter and remember that first impressions can make or break your chances. This brings us too…
Post Often, Post Well: Everyone knows people who love to post every meal they’ve ever eaten or like to update you every time they get in or out of their cars. This is not interesting. Your potential employer doesn’t want to sort through your posts to find something that actually peaks his or her interest.
Paper is a great app for Facebook that allows you to not only search through your own Facebook feed but also see things that are trending throughout categorized lists. Utilize other similar sites that share interesting or funny articles to keep you intriguing. Your employer will expect that your personal feeds will contain non-work related content. It will also show that you have a personality and can enjoy yourself.
Stay Relevant: Keep your posts topical and interesting. You are entitled to your opinions, but find a way to present them in a less biased manner. If you have certain political views, stick to posting links to credible news outlets that are simply reporting on the issue and not taking a stance.
Your employer has his or her own opinions that may differ. It’s more enticing to an employer to see that you are interested and topical, but do not get wrapped up in your own emotions too frequently. Clients and coworkers will not be entrusted to a hothead.
Promote Yourself: It’s not shameless to talk about your capabilities or skills on social media. Employers love confidence. They also enjoy being able to notice your capabilities right away.
If your field requires a certain amount of artistic ability, don’t be afraid to post your work. deviantART is a great site to showcase your abilities and tweet the link to your account every time you have completed a new piece. People will eventually take notice.
Other fields of work may not be visual, but don’t let that stop you from posting about it. You may be promoting a new event with your company. Instagram a photo of either yourself on-site or the company’s logo, or just plain state that you are there and excited about it.
Remember these tips and apply your own judgment. Stay smart and utilize the brain you’ve been given and you’ll surely make a lasting impression.
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