I am so excited to bring you a blog post today from a very faithful and devoted CCG reader AND Get Ahead Club member, Hailley Griffis. Hailley is a dynamic communications professional, passionate about sharing knowledge. You can read more about Hailley on her blog, HailleyGriffis.com.
Have you ever thought that your Twitter profile could land you a job offer? I assure you it’s possible, I’ve had it happen to me! Best way to make that possible? Keep your social profiles looking hiring-friendly and professional.
Here are some tips and tricks to make sure that your social media profiles accurately reflect who you are and why a potential employer should want to know more about you:
1) Appearance
I consider social media profiles to act like a preview to who you are. They allow you to share things that are important about you and people get an idea of what you do etc. That is why it’s important for people to see a clear and professional photo of you. It is perfectly ok to grab a friend with a semi-professional camera (or even an iPhone), stand in front of a white wall, wear a collared shirt, and go from there.
In some cities there are also photography groups (I use Meetup to find them) who occasionally need “models” for head shots (you get to keep the photos!). On top of a professional photo, on every profile there is a section for you to talk about yourself a little bit, the spiel you put there is referred to in the business world as an Elevator Pitch. Have a descriptive, intriguing, well-written elevator pitch ready in a moment’s notice to spread across the “about me” sections of any profiles. Make all of those sections consistent so that people can find you across networks.
Include relevant information that speaks to your skills, abilities and interests so that people can go to your profile and immediately get an idea of who you are, what you’re good at and how to get in contact with you or learn more.
2) Content
What you put out to your social media profiles largely affects how people perceive it. Are you tweeting about things that are of interest to you and attracting other like-minded individuals? Social media is the place to participate in communities and stay up to date on your favorite topics. It is such an excellent tool for people looking to connect with other like-minded individuals, why not take advantage of it?
On any social network, make sure you’re sending out content that is relevant to the fields you’re interested in. This will attract other people in that field to your profile and if they are impressed they might also look for you on LinkedIn or check out your portfolio, the possibilities are endless!
- On Twitter: Use relevant hash tags. It’s actually really interesting to see how the use of hash tags can boost your social media profile. If you start hash tagging things that are trending that day, or popular topics in your field, more people are able to find your tweets and profile and learn more about you that way.
- On LinkedIn: I specifically use LinkedIn as an online resume. The important thing is ensuring that the information that you are putting out there is accurate. Here are a few ways to keep your profile full of relevant content and looking great. Update LinkedIn with every new career development and ensure you have a strong summary. Also, make sure you get recommendations and endorsements.
- On Facebook: Seeing as you’re usually only connected with friends on Facebook, the content you put out there is up to your discretion (think about whether or not your employer is a friend though!). Facebook is also a great way to get in touch with other people by joining groups and liking pages that appeal to you and can connect you a whole new network of people.
3) Activity
This final part is fairly straightforward. Once you set up an account, keep them active! Don’t set up a Twitter or LinkedIn account and never post or update your account. While I believe that everyone can benefit from social media profiles, there are lots of people that prefer not to be on them. If you know you won’t be active on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, it might be better not to have an account, than to have an inactive account. Try to post updates on the social media profiles that matter to you, at least once a day, without overloading the people that are engaging with you.
