By: Carla Rivera

Social media is not just a place to keep up with your social circles; it can come in very handy when looking for a job.  At the same time, it can be the reason you haven’t gotten your dream job.  In today’s technologically savvy world, we tend to forget how public social media can be. When you are looking for a job, this is something that you should definitely keep in mind because employers look at social media pages when considering a new hire. This does not mean that you should go hide all your profiles, it means, turn social media into a tool and use it professionally.  Here are a few tips:

1. Demonstrate your strongpoints across social media outlets. Be sure to show if you volunteer or do charitable work.  If you like organizing or coordinating events. Make sure this is visible across all outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Have you received any honors lately? Have you been selected to lead any group or organization? If so, be sure to publish this as it is something to be proud of and can further demonstrate how you would be an asset in any working environment.

2. Fill in your LinkedIn profile completely.  Linkedin is a great tool to use when looking for jobs but it is important to keep your information updated to give your prospective employers a glance of who you are without having to look so hard to find it.

3. Profile picture should be professional all across the social media universe.  Do not hide behind a flower or a cute animal. This does not help your personal image. Make it one that would represent you and where you want to be. Try to stay away from group shots as your profile. There is a saying that says to dress for the job you want that comes in really handy here. Employers like seeing you and this is a great opportunity to show off how professional you really are.

4. Steer clear from using Social media as a place to badmouth an employer or institution.  Twitter has become very popular because of how small it has made the world. It is easy to vent at companies or even restaurants when you food wasn’t delivered correctly.  Although it does seem harmless behind a computer to “chirp” away any negative feelings towards a company, keep in mind that tweets are public.  This is true for any site. Venting publicly only puts you in a negative light. Just think, if you were considering hiring someone, would you want someone that would give you a hard time publicly each time they were having a bad day?

5. Manage your privacy settings where possible.  Keep your family pictures private. Take advantage of the privacy settings in sites like Facebook where you can manage what is posted publicly and what your friends and family can see. Also, in Facebook, set your privacy settings so any photos of you posted by others, will not show up on your timeline unless you approve them.

6. Be mindful of humor. Are you addicted to memes? Memes are photos or sayings that are replicated or in social media terms, shared, reposted or retweeted.  A lot of the more popular ones include retro cartoon characters with funny sayings.  Remember that not everyone takes humor the same way so be cautious when posting or sharing these quotes, jokes or ideas.  Different perceptions have a way of leading to misconceptions.

7. Use social media to stay in touch with your field or profession. Do not be afraid to interact with sites that may portray you as an expert. There are plenty of blogs out there that you can subscribe to so that you are up to date with news regarding your field of study

8. Connect to your Keiser University Alumni Association via Social Media.  It is easy to stay in touch with your Alumni Association over Social Media. Like any pages or subscribe to newsletters for information about upcoming job fairs or networking events.

9. Google yourself and stay tuned to what is public about you. What are people seeing when they search you? Occasionally look back at your posts or tweets and be sure this is what you want representing you. If an image or post does not show you in a professional light, take it down.

10. Let people know you are looking. Use social media to help you connect to opportunities. You never know how small the world is and someone in one of your networks may know of someone in the industry you are looking to work in.