Why Your Social Media Presence Can Help Your Job Search

Up until now, you haven’t really needed social media and rarely use it. You may not even have social media profiles! But if you’re looking for a new job, your lack of social media presence could harm your job search. Here’s what you may be telling prospective employers when your online persona is virtually nonexistent.

While not everyone is into social media, not having any social media presence could make a potential employer think you’ve got something to hide.

To help reassure the hiring manager that there are no red flags in your social media, consider locking any existing profiles down, even if you rarely use them (except for your LinkedIn profile). If someone asks why your social media is set to private, explain that it’s just for family and friends. Alternatively, you could clean up any problematic posts and untag yourself from pictures that paint you in a less than professional light.

Though you’ve written a customized cover letter and resume that demonstrates you’re perfect for the role, that may not be enough to help you land the job. A social media profile can help prove you’ve got what it takes!

For example, a personal website is a great way to showcase your talents and demonstrate your abilities. A LinkedIn profile is a great place to collect endorsements and recommendations from colleagues, clients, and maybe even a supervisor. These go a long way toward reassuring the hiring manager that you really can do what you claim.

No matter what your career path has looked like until now, not having some kind of paper trail about your work history could indicate that you aren’t who you say you are.

A majority of recruiters use social media to screen candidates. In addition to trying to learn more about you, they’re also trying to confirm that you are who you say you are.

While it’s easy to fake a social media profile, profiles with industry connections, verifiable recommendations, or just a long history of existing can help reassure the company that the person who shows up on the first day of work is really you.

At a bare minimum, consider having a LinkedIn profile. Even if you rarely use it, creating a well-optimized LinkedIn page can help signal that you’re a serious job seeker. And who knows? Once you start using social media as part of your job search, you may learn to love it—especially once the offers start rolling in!

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