Social Media is your online CV – so treat it that way

Media release

20th December 2016

Social Media is your online CV – so treat it that way

While social media might be seen by many as a bit of fun and a way to stay in touch with family and friends, it is also a lot more than that. It is your online curriculum vitae to which potential employers will turn as they evaluate your suitability to fill the position they have vacant – and it is also increasingly the conduit through which you will find the job that best suits your skills and ambitions.

That’s according to Sharon Davies, managing director of Fusion. She says those serious about their careers are well advised to take care with how they engage on social media. “These days, there is a wide choice of social media platforms available, from LinkedIn for professionals, to Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter for sharing just about anything you choose. But potential employers won’t just check out your LinkedIn profile – they are likely to take a peek at your social media activity across all platforms to get a better idea of the kind of person you are.”

Davies says Fusion, which is a technology-driven organisation that helps candidates find work fast, has found that slightly more than a quarter of those who use profiling indicate that they act on information found online to assess – and reject - applicants. It’s a proportion she expects to grow as more people use social media and more employers are alerted to its ability to provide insights into candidate behaviour.

Furthermore, Davies says the emergence of ‘programmatic advertising’, which assesses what individuals are posting about, and then tailors advertisements accordingly, is increasingly being leveraged by employers. “That means your activity will determine what sort of job ads will be presented to you. This use of social media is a demonstration that candidates should always be open to opportunities – whether happily employed or not – as the job ads will come looking for you rather than the other way around. The best jobs are not necessarily going to be on traditional media in future.”

While ‘social media snooping’ may appear somewhat unethical on the face of it, Davies says that is a moot point. “Putting information out into the open means anyone can see it. Discussing the ethics of a potential employer searching the internet for your digital footprints is beside the point – what matters is that it is happening. What matters more is that only you have the power to control what information about yourself is published online.”

Whether or not it is a fair way to assess a candidate is open to question. “Candidates naturally put their best foot forward when looking for work; employers are getting the other side of the story by looking at spontaneous activity on social media which provides part of the other side,” Davies notes.

But she also points out that job seekers can assess potential employers by precisely the same methods, making the use of social media a two-way street. “Progressive employers tend to have careers websites and use social as a way of engaging and opening dialogue with prospective candidates. Those sites provide insights into who’s hiring and they can be the window through which contact is established and maintained, potentially leading to a great position.”

She has simple advice for job seekers: “Treat all your online presences as an extension of your curriculum vitae. Check your privacy settings, particularly on Facebook, so you can have a better idea of who can look at your profile and the information you post there. Remember that context matters; flippant comments or rude off the cuffs may seem amusing at the time, but they could tell a different story to a prospective employer.

“Above all, if you wouldn’t say something to your mother, you should probably consider not saying it on a public platform.”

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