Landing a job can be difficult and experts are now saying that having a social media presence is just as important as having a resume. This might sound crazy, but a new study by CareerBuilder says that 57% of employers are less likely to interview a candidate that they can’t find online.
Don Strankowski is the president of Ascent Career and Life Strategies and says, the most important social media site to have is LinkedIn.
“Every employer at some point throughout the interview process is going to be looking at a candidate's LinkedIn profile. it needs to be complete. It needs to be professional and it needs to be up to date.”
If you’re feeling like you can handle another social media profile, Strankowski says, Twitter is another great one to sign up for.
“It’s not just for rock stars and movie stars and politicos. People can bundle and package themselves as experts even on twitter by offering tips, advice, recommendations and also by following other experts.”
What you post is just as important as having a social media account. Over half of employers have decided not to hire a candidate based on their social media profile.
Strankowski suggests only posting about your profession. He says, it’s best not to comment on or even post a controversial article. “If you’re going through the interview process you never know how someone might interpret that.”
Finally, even if you have already landed the job, you still want to be careful about what you post. Your employer can fire you if they don’t like what they see online.
