Take control of your personal brand

By Genevieve Hancock

Social media is everywhere. Whether you are posting photos or articles, uploading your résumé or reading and commenting on news briefs and #hashtags, the trend is inescapable and can be a powerful tool for communication. All forms of social media can affect your job search — not only the ones directly related to recruiting and job searching tools. This impact can be either positive or negative, and is one that you can ultimately control. But you must be diligent. 

Positive Impact

Recent increases in efficiency can be leveraged from growing technologies, and having a social presence can positively affect emotional intelligence. Many employers want to see a professional social media presence when researching candidates for different positions.  Further, social media can be a good indicator of how a candidate behaves outside of the workplace. While potential employers want an employee who is savvy in new and updated technology, they also look for key indicators of negative behaviors. Some key ways to show that you have political and social media prowess are:

• Avoiding “taboo” topics, such as profanity, drugs, or excessive violence (see below for more detail).
• Being respectful of other races and religions.
• Disengaging in arguments that are disrespectful.

Understanding your privacy settings is also important. Make sure that everything is not public and filter what you say that employers can see. While they may love all of your photos of that summer trip you took, there are also the photos of that college party not-so-long ago where you drank just a little too much. Most social media formats can be set to allow your connections to see everything, while also blocking personal data and posts from outside viewing. This may not be the best approach for professional social media sites, though, as those should be more heavily edited, rather than set for privacy, as they serve as an online footprint for your résumé.

Taking the time for both a personal and professional social media review can benefit you by showing that, as a potential employee, you care about how you present themselves to the world, and that should also translate to personal responsibility and accountability in your responsibilities for a new role. Further, it can also increase your likability when it comes to recruiters scoping out potential connections on professional social media sites.

Networking is another way you can ensure that your time on social media is put to use for your job search. Professional social media networks are great for this, but also consider your friend network. Make sure you are communicating what you are looking for, and your network may recommend you for a potential position or introduce you to someone at a company you admire.

Negative impact

There are many things you can do on social media that hurt your job chances if they were to be reviewed by potential employers. Disrespect of other races and religions or genders could make an employer think twice, or involvement with illicit or illegal topics such as drugs, violence or an excessive amount of profanity.

Directly discussing your job, current or future, could also affect your role. No one wants to see how you insult others you work with, or even clients, or how you “feel you would not like the position you interviewed for but would like the money.” This shows unprofessional behavior. Vent to trusted friends, and if needed then directly address a repeated behavior or action that is bothering you, rather than using social media to air your frustrations. Take the time to search for yourself with a few search engines to find out what organizations your name is associated with or if there are any unknown “skeletons” in your closet. Any knowledge about your name and what a potential employer could find can be helpful to head off, especially if the information is incorrect.

A hiring company wants to ensure — as most potential candidates do — that they and their organizational culture are a good fit, as well. If a company is looking for forward movement that is based in technology and most of the articles you have shared or promote on your social media sites are anti-technological growth based on health effects, then they may consider you to be a bad fit for the position. Whether the company aligns with your values and initiatives is something to consider in depth during any job search, as it could mean the difference between just another job, or devoting yourself and feeling fulfilled in your career.

Conclusion

Social media use can be used to your benefit in a job search, but it is good to make sure you know what is out there. Avoid posts that can damage your reputation and ensure the best side of yourself is seen publicly. Make sure to limit any damaging or controversial items and that your forward movement is aligned with the company’s initiatives. While social media can be a fun toy, it can also be a tool for the perception of your own personal brand.

Genevieve Hancock, CPA, is the director of technical accounting for Brown & Brown Insurance in Daytona Beach, Fla. Genevieve is passionate about developing leadership skills and mentoring accounting students and young professionals and is a member of the VSCPA Disclosures Editorial Task Force and the Young Professionals Advisory Council. Find her on LinkedIn.