Maintaining Your Social Media Profile for Recruitment Purposes

You are thinking about leaving your job and you are also thinking about a potential move to the Cayman Islands, not only to fulfill your career aspirations by working in the world’s 4th largest financial center but to make living a lifestyle of fresh air, beautiful oceans, and no commute, a reality. However, obtaining a job abroad puts a whole paradigm shift on the recruitment process. Unlike the traditional recruitment methods where you first and foremost head for an interview, getting a job abroad will rely on a lot of digital activity before, and if, a one to one meeting is booked. Meaning, not only does your CV have to be super strong, along with honing your skype interview skills, your digital presence MUST be active and aligned to the kind of jobs that you are applying for.

Whilst the world in general is getting to grips with the fact that you cannot hide from the internet and actions caught online never go away, it is also an extremely positive tool for backing up the person that you say you are. A good place to start is to google yourself. Yes, that’s right, type in your name and see what comes up. You might already have the perfect profile – if not, you need to make some changes. How can you do this?

Firstly, your social media accounts need to verify who you are, and show that you enjoy doing, what you say you like doing. If you say you are technologically savvy but then have no social media presence, your recruiter is going to raise an eyebrow. If it is appropriate for you to have very little social media presence, which is certainly the case for certain senior positions, then your recruiter should not find a plethora of images showing you in various states of party/social/questionable activity. The reality is, most people should have some social media presence, just make sure it is appropriate. You need to sense check what people find when they look into who you are. For example, does your social cyber presence match with what you portray on your CV. If you say you are an active walker, cook, cyclist, etc, then it would be helpful highlight this within your digital profile, whether it’s a blog, or social media. At its most basic, your cyber presence is a verification method of the recruitment process.

Secondly, whatever you share, like or comment that is outside of your ‘wall’ or private posting space, is most likely going to be public. Your ‘self’ google search will help you identify what other people see when they look you up. So, if you are going to have a big old rant about a political leader, or cause that is close to your heart, consider what this may be saying about yourself to people looking into you, especially those without the benefit of knowing you. Remember the people who might not know you, may not realize that you ‘don’t really mean it’ or are ‘just joking’. On the other hand, perhaps you have a friend who tags you in their hilarious posts (that are open to the public), you may want to consider asking them to stop. If you do want to maintain a neutral position on certain topics, cleaning up your social media account is a good idea. Additionally, do remember that a real world does still exist outside of technology and you certainly need to consider the way you present yourself in public – swearing and unkind language that shows intolerance, or could be deemed as disrespectful, should obviously be avoided!

On a final note, you may have already separated your personal from your professional social media presence, if you haven’t, now is a good time to consider the benefits.

Whilst specific work related social media such as LinkedIn can be fantastic at communicating your professional background and interests, it’s no good if you don’t use it or at least use it properly. The key point is to start managing your online presence ensuring it aligns with the roles you are applying for. Networking, keeping up with trends, enjoying life (in the right way) and showing you are passionate, is all fantastic. Just make sure it is all aligned and appropriate.