PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with the Australian Government‘s jobactive website to make sure their ace job search site is on yo’ radar. There’s over 100,000 positions listed on the site – many of ’em entry level, casual and part time roles that can help get your foot in the door. Every career’s gotta start somewhere, so get yours going by heading HERE.
Your ‘rents never had to worry about getting Stacy, the hostess of the party you went to last week, to delete bent-outta-shape photos of you from Facebook. LUCKY THEM, but for us, that’s what our lives have become: a constant tying-off of digital loose ends.
Add job hunting into the mix and the struggle to keep a somewhat-clean online presence becomes harder. Why? Well, your opinion of, “That photo isn’t tooooo bad,” normally doesn’t match up with the opinion of – who could have been – your future boss.
According to CareerBuilder’s ‘Annual Social Media Recruitment Study’ in 2015, 52% of employers used the interwebs to screen applicants. With over half of those surveyed saying they’re going Veronica Mars on your butt, it’d be best to just ditch social media altogether, right?
WRONG.
“More than two in five employers (41%) say they are less likely to interview job candidates if they are unable to find information about that person online,” states the report. Additionally, 21% were specifically looking for negative information about a candidate if they’re on the fence about their application. We can’t win, can we?
It’s not all doom-and-gloom, though, with 60% of ‘em chasing positive reinforcement about someone’s qualifications + 56% sussing if they’ve got a professional persona.
Yep, it’s a bloody jungle out there, so we chatted to the team behind the jobactive website (obvious authorities on all thangs employment), about what aspects of your online self to whack in the bin (+ what you should swap ’em out for) across Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
BASICS
“Just remember the internet is forever,” says the team behind the jobactive website.
“You need to be particularly vigilant if your social profiles use your actual name and are related to the email address you use when applying for jobs. Even if you delete that ill-advised Twitter rant you went on, the chances are it has been cached somewhere and it can be found.”
“Speaking of being found – Google yourself. It’s a pretty quick way to see what your name is attached to. Also, don’t forget to image search your name.”
What belongs in the bin?
“Consider using the nana rule – if you wouldn’t want your nana to see it or read it, you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see it and you probably shouldn’t post it. Avoid offensive language and anything that indicates illegal activities.”
CareerBuilder’s survey also further broke down what’ll harm your odds of winning a job. While they’re applicable to all forms of social media, they’re particularly relevant to Facebook.
“Provocative or inappropriate photographs – 46%
Information about candidate drinking or using drugs – 40%
Candidate bad-mouthed previous company or fellow employee – 34%
Poor communication skills – 30%
Discriminatory comments related to race, religion, gender, etc. – 29%”
If there’s anything on your wall that even remotely feels like it could be allotted to the above categories, bin it. BIN IT NOW.
Can good ol’ Facebook help people get a jay-oh-bee, or just hurt the process?
“This really depends on what you post on Facebook and what your privacy settings are. You might feel very passionately about certain topics but not everyone will agree with you. Ranting is fun and you are entitled to your opinion but it could make potential employers question how you would fit in their organisation.”
“On the flipside, you can use Facebook to join or follow groups and communities aligned with your career goals. Being a part of these networks can open you up to opportunities.”
Privacy settings: private / public?
“This is a personal choice. You just need to understand that if your profile is not locked down whatever you do online is visible to anyone who wants to see it.”
What belongs in the bin?
“Deploy the nana rule. Also think beyond the pictures you post to the comments you make. Nobody wants to hire a troll, so avoid being inflammatory or just plain mean on the internet.”
Can the ‘Gram bolster your odds of securing a job, or hurt ’em?
“It really depends on what type of job you’re trying to get. If it is something in the creative field or in fashion and beauty then Instagram could be a great place to showcase your talent or network with people in the industry.”
Privacy settings: private / public?
“There’s no harm in having two accounts – one private and one public. The public one can be curated to display your best side and the private one can chronicle your not-so-best side..”
What belongs in the bin?
“Keep LinkedIn professional. No weekend updates, no pics from your snowboarding trip to Japan. Treat it as a living, breathing resume.”
What should peeps have on their LinkedIn?
“A comprehensive job history. If you can score endorsements, that’s great. Think about sharing articles on LinkedIn that demonstrate you keep up to date with the happenings in your industry, or join relevant groups. If you are a confident and competent writer, consider blogging to show thought leadership. Add a headshot so that potential employers know you are a real person (PS – don’t forget to wear business attire).”
Profile pic / bio: what’s the go?
“Your profile pic should show you in professional dress and your bio should be your 30 second elevator pitch about what makes you great.”
We hope that this’ll help get your digital crap together, beautiful job-seeking humans. If you’re chasing more help for getting your foot in the door, then we’ve got just the thing for ya.
jobactive draws job ads from job sites including CareerOne and Adzuna (which is around 100,000 posts ‘n counting), saving ya the hassle of jumping from site to site. Additionally, jobactive’s the home of Harvest Trail – a harvest job hunting tool that hosts positions year ’round across Australia. Heck, you can even plan a working vay-cay across the country using the tool.
All this awesomeness and more can be found HERE at the jobactive website.
Photo: Shirlaine Forrest / Getty.
