Landing a new job is no easy task, especially in Silicon Valley or the Peninsula, but does your lack of social media presence and outdated LinkedIn profile make it even harder? Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. If your resume was so lucky to land in the “maybe” pile the next step for the recruiter or hiring manager is usually to Google you. What will they find? If the answer is nothing, that’s not good. “According to a 2015 survey from CareerBuilder of more than 2,000 employers, ‘35-percent of employers say they are less likely to interview job candidates if they are unable to find information about that person online.’”

Problem

Some people even feel that finding nothing is worse than finding a couple of inappropriate photos. “Everyone knows by now that drunken party pics, profane posts, and inappropriate Tweets can cost you a job or a job offer. But did you know that having no social media presence at all can be just as damaging?” Recruiters want to verify that you are who you say you are. Think about it this way, if you were looking for a contractor to redo your bathroom would you choose one without an online presence of any sort? Unless they came highly recommended and you’d seen their work, probably not, because you would want to verify them.

Solution

So, if you are new to the social scene or are just returning to it after some time off, you can start slowly, but purposefully. For job seekers the most important social network to be on is LinkedIn, make sure to upload a nice photo and complete your profile, if a recruiter doesn’t Google you, they will likely try to look you up directly on LinkedIn. The second and most obvious social media site you may want to sign up for is Facebook. Facebook isn’t a professional site per se, but you should still be wary of what you post. There are a myriad of social media sites you could sign up for, such as Twitter, Instagram, Vine, etc., but the point is to be visible and up-to-date, so if you are new to this its might be best to pick just a couple to maintain.

If you are returning to social media after a hiatus make sure to not only update it but clean it up.  Remove harmful photos and update old your information so it’s useful. Confirm that all your pictures and posts are how you want to represent yourself to the public.  If your hiatus stretches to your employment us that space to list any side projects you worked on or volunteering efforts you contributed to.

If you are new to the job hunt, give us a call, we have AIRS certified online recruiters who can help you.