I am amazed by some of the things people say about their job on the news feed of my Facebook. I have heard insults about the company someone works for, insults about coworkers, and someone on my Facebook is even keeping a journal, so to speak, where they talk about the stupidity of a specific coworker daily. I find these entries hilarious, as does many people. If a day is missed, people start asking for an update on this coworker. My point is, that people don’t realize how fast something they post can get around and that it could very easily wind up being seen by the people or companies in which it wasn’t intended to be seen by.
Companies aren’t just using social networking sites to hire job seekers, but also to monitor what their current employees are doing. It is not a good idea to be caught saying bad things about your company, job, boss, or co-workers on Facebook and other such media. Instead, you are supposed to be portraying a good image for you and/or the company you work for.
At first companies were against most of the social media available and forbid employees to be caught on these types of websites while at work or during company time. Now however, these same companies recognize that social media can be used to their advantage and that is why the use of social media by companies is on the rise. Social media can help companies in so many ways.
After reading the article How Social Media Can Help (Or Hurt) You In Your Job Search, by Jacquelyn Smith, it opened my eyes to all aspects of social networking. This article has clearly described how important it is to keep a professional image at all times. I have decided that this information should be passed along to the many people who don’t know how closely monitored their profiles may be. My hopes are that the information I pass along will also open other peoples eyes and help them to create and portray a better image of themselves on social networking sites.
Approximately 89% of all job seekers are active on social networking sites and of these, half are active daily. This serves to prove how important social networking sites are becoming, but do the users of these sites understand how detrimental the image they set forth on these sites can be. My thoughts are not entirely since 34% of employers who checked social profiles have found provocative or inappropriate content that caused them not to hire job applicants and 45% chose not to hire job applicants because of evidence of drinking and/or drug use. Other reasons that have disqualified job candidates from being hired because of their social media profiles include poor communications skills, bad mouthing previous employers, lies about qualifications, and discriminatory comments involving race, gender, or religion.
Companies aren’t just looking for the negative aspects of your social networking site, they are looking for the positives. A survey conducted by CareerBuilder concluded that 29% of hiring managers found something positive on a job candidates profile that drove them to hire that candidate.
I recommend setting up a more professional networking site and keeping other sites such as Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter on the highest privacy setting possible to avoid letting people you don’t know into your life on such a personal basis. Be careful adding coworkers to your personal social networking sites. Sharing your personal information with them could be disastrous if you are competing for a promotion or have a clash of views that might initiate a bad relationship. I suggest using professional networking sites to share with coworkers or the people you do not know on a personal level. Professional networking sites are also one of the best ways to network for a job. I have a few professional networking sites that I suggest you try. I have listed them in order from my favorite to my least favorite:
I also have some suggested professional networking sites that you could try, but that I have not tried:
For job seekers and employees alike, you will want to portray yourself in an inviting manner. Show your qualities as a good writer in your posts. Do talk about your activities because it shows that you are a go-getter. To engage in a meaningful way, it is important to connect with other people in your industry to participate in group discussions and share your expertise. Follow companies in your field to be connected to and notified about open positions and other news. Always keep in mind that employers are looking for information that is not available on your resume.
Blogs are not uncommon for a business, so don’t forget to check out their blog before you apply for a job there. Company blogs can be found on the company’s website. This is another great way to find out what the company is all about before you apply for a job with them..
The results of a recent HR trends survey concludes that the use of social media by HR Personnel will increase significantly. Companies are using social media for an unbelievable amount of activities, from background checks and hiring, to communicating benefits and employee recognition. Social media can have a direct effect on whether or not you are hired by a company since an amazing 69% of HR managers use it for recruiting. In order to show you the many ways that HR is using social media, Figure 1 below illustrates the results of the recent HR trends survey which includes the tasks and activities that HR uses social media for, as well as other HR trends. My hope is that this will give you enough detail to see the variety of ways that companies are using social media for.
Figure 1: The HR trends survey results are well illustrated to provide a clear view of what HR is using social media for.
Figure 1 Source: : Ceplenski, Chris. “How Does HR Use Social Media?.” HR Trends Survey. BLR’s HR Daily Advisor, 14 October 2013. Web 9 November 2013.<http://hr.blr.com/images/infographics/social-media-2013-survey.png” alt=”BLR’s 2013 Social Media Infographic” width=”600″ height=”1990″/>
Sources:
Ceplenski, Chris. “How Does HR Use Social Media?.” HR Daily Advisor. N.p., 14 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.
Smith, Jacquelyn. “How Social Media Can Help (Or Hurt) You In Your Job Search.” Forbes. N.p., 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
Kolin, Philip C. Successful Writing At Work. Third ed. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012. 155-56. Print
Human Resource Management 
