Don’t make a hashtag of your employment chances

Social media can get you in a professional pickle. Use it wisely, says Jessica Moore

(Alamy Stock Photo)

According to the Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey 2015, 92 percent of companies use social media as a recruitment tool. Fire off an application and you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll be all over you on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – so heed the lessons learnt by your predecessors.

Back in 2008 – when the world was far less au fait with social media than it is today – Virgin Atlantic sacked 13 flight attendants for criticising their safety standards and describing passengers as ‘chavs’ on Facebook. Countless have fallen foul of a dodgy post since, often resulting in demotion or dismissal. Job-seekers’ CVs, meanwhile, find themselves in the virtual trash.

The big social media no-nos include, obviously, anything that may be interpreted as offensive, abusive or unprofessional – whether that’s a comment you make yourself, an image you post, or anything you ‘like’, comment on, share, reTweet or otherwise link yourself with online. Set up personal social media account with less obvious name and carefully managed settings if you want to air your views freely.

Otherwise, tread carefully. Watch your grammar and spelling on public profiles, don’t swear, avoid bad-taste jokes, and think carefully before publishing those drunken holiday photographs. Never criticise a boss or complain about a colleague either; prospective employers take a dim view.

That’s the cautionary tale. The far brighter side of this story is that 56 per cent of recruiters say they find some of their best candidates through social networks, says Jobvite. Use this to your advantage. Increase your chances of being headhunted by including details of your education, work experience and skills on your profile and peppering it with keywords to ensure it pops up on a search. Show that you’re passionate and abreast with industry news by joining relevant groups and ‘liking’, ‘following’ or otherwise marrying your social media accounts with relevant links.

On LinkedIn, set up job alerts and connect with any potentially useful contacts – ideally getting endorsements from them too. On Twitter, search for specific keywords and hashtags, and Tweet about developments within your sector. Know what potential recruiters are interested in, too: Jobvite says 74 per cent want to see the length of your average job tenure and 34 per cent are looking for mutual connections.

All in all, be aware that social media has changed the nature of recruitment, providing more opportunities for you to highlight your skills and convey something of your character and interests. Just use a little common sense; post with recruiters in mind.