In an era where online profiles are often seen and judged before the real person, it is important to ensure that your online identity presents a good image to your prospective employers.
Social networking sites, which were earlier considered to be a domain only for teenagers, are increasingly being used as an important tool for building professional relationships and businesses. According to a survey conducted by reppler.com (a social media monitoring website), 91% of recruiters visited a potential employee's online profile as part of the recruitment procedure and 69% rejected the applicants on the basis of the content found on their online profile. However, 68% of them also hired prospective candidates on the basis of their presence on social networking sites.
Ayesha Sruti, a member of Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication's placement cell, who actively uses social networking sites to look for possible recruiters for fresh graduates says, "Social networking sites are the future. In the professional space today, social networking sites are a way for prospective employers to find young, enthusiastic students, fresh out of college. Linkedin, and even Facebook groups, are a great way of scouting for students who are willing and eager to work."
In today's rat race for jobs, having a professional online profile can give you an edge over others. Ashish Chandra, a budding photographer uses behance.net, an online platform where like-minded professionals connect, showcase and appreciate their creative work.
"Behance gives me an opportunity to promote and even sell their work. I am extremely careful about what I post on this website as the content posted on behance.net, is also visible on other social networking sites," informs Ashish.
While social networking sites are of great assistance in networking, they can also cause irreversible harm to your professional reputation if not used in the right manner. The maximum amount of interaction on social networking sites happens with personal relations which makes it difficult to manage online profiles across various sites.
Embarrassing posts and awkward pictures invariably get posted on the profile. Every activity on your profile can impact on how your prospective recruiters perceive you.
To avoid this conundrum, maintain two different profiles to maintain your personal and professional life separately. While Linkedin is a popular social networking site for professionals, Facebook is more personal in nature. Google Plus offers different social circles to keep the contacts separate. You also need to be extremely careful while sharing information. Most social networking sites offer privacy settings where content on your profile can be managed to keep it private or public.
Tips to communicate professionally through social networking sites
1. What is there on the web stays on the web - Never post malicious content. Always check your posts for grammatical errors. Keep private conversations strictly private.
2. Always maintain consistency in your tone of language.
3. Check the words you use most often - Do you want to relate your personality with these words?
4. If a lot of your posts on your Facebook profile are from a game application, do you want your prospective employers to see that?
5. Check which pages you associate yourself with on a social networking website.
6. Join groups which will add different dimensions to your online personality.
7. Build your credibility - Ask your seniors and previous employers for recommendations.
8. Always give true details about your professional qualifications.
9. Google yourself - would you like to associate yourself with the sites that are first on Google's list?
10. Always keep your profile updated.
BDST: 1700 HRS, MAR-16, 2016
Edited by: Sharmina Islam, Lifestyle Editor
