Most Americans are on the social media or at least know someone who is. It is reasonable to claim that social media is one of the most revolutionary technologies of our time. It shapes our life in a variety of ways including our careers. Social media can both advance and hurt one’s career prospects so it is important to be aware of its potential and costs.
Social media allows one to learn about job openings he may not learn about otherwise. Social media is also used by the employers so it provides greater visibility to the job seekers. Social media can also be used to connect with current employees of a particular organization. Employers use social media to evaluate the characteristics of the job applicants so it can give an edge to job seekers with desirable personality characteristics .
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It is important to use social media responsibly because it can also hurt one’s career prospects. The employers have decided against hiring job applicants who displayed poor communication skills on the social media, bad mouthed previous employers, lied about qualifications, displayed signs of problematic behaviors such as alcohol or drug addiction, or made socially unacceptable remarks. Employers also use social media to discover distinctive traits about the job applicants. Social media profiles may enhance the credibility of the job applicants if the information provided by their profiles support their resumes .
Some avoid the social media due to privacy concerns or to simply avoid social media gaffes that could hurt their employment prospects but such a strategy may backfire. Job seekers with no or low social media presence have low visibility and are less likely to appear on the radar of prospective employers . The best strategy is to carefully manage one’s social media presence so as to create an appealing image for the prospective employers.
- Smith, Jacquelin. How Social Media Can Help (Or Hurt) You In Your Job Search. 16 April 2013. 10 November 2017
