How to Protect Your Social Media Account When Job Searching?
These days, searching for a new job starts online, and often this is the only place some people trust to find opportunities. Job searching on the Internet using Social Media can be done from the comfort of your own home, in a coffee shop or at a restaurant. It definitely beats the old-fashioned way of driving to different organizations, going to the nearby office supply store to gain access to a fax machine, and sending hundreds of emails out to employers just to get your resume seen.
Chances are you’re now using social media to help secure job leads, since this is the latest trend. This isn’t to say that looking for a job through social networking is all good. Since it’s no secret that recruiters and employers are researching job applicants through social media, information and photos on your social media account that you don’t want employers to see should be properly secured during your job hunt.
Here are ways to protect your privacy when social networking to look for a job:
Keep Separate Personal and Professional Accounts:
If you dislike having too many boundaries in what you can see or do on your social media account, it may be a good idea to have two social media accounts, one for professional purposes and the other for personal. Maintaining two accounts can be a temporary situation while you search for employment. Linkedin is the popular choice for many professionals who want to connect with employers and find employment. You can use sites like Facebook, Myspace or Twitter for personal social networking.
Don’t Post Information You Don’t Want Employers to See:
The social media platform has become a place for people to openly share their opinions and thoughts. Unfortunately, certain language can sometimes be offensive and rude to others. If you only have one social media account, remove any of these types of postings, messages and even photos from your site while you’re job hunting. This is the best way to keep unwanted information from being viewed by recruiters and employers.
Use Privacy Features:
Take full advantage of the privacy features offered on your social networking account. When you aren’t careful with your privacy settings, employers will be able to see all of your postings, connections and photos. If the content on your social networking site is questionable to an employer, this may not be a good thing. Limit the amount of photos you post to your site and make sure they’re decent-looking.
The same rule applies to social media networking as it did to the older ways of looking for a new job. What you don’t want employers to hear and see, don’t make it available to them.
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