Many people want to keep their “work lives” and their “personal lives” separate. However, with social media it has become more and more difficult to keep the two worlds from colliding. Today’s employers will look through social profiles in order to help them decide who would be a good candidate for a job position. The amount of information your publish on social media sites makes it easy for potential employers to have access to your personal life, which could turn out to be bad for you if they happen to spot some things that will turn them off, and ruin your opportunity to get the job.
Vulgarity and Obscenity: People generally speak on the internet the way they speak in real life. Or at least that’s the way employers think. If you use vulgar language in your profiles, then employers will assume you lead a lifestyle where you speak publicly the same way, and they will not want to hire someone who they cannot trust to communicate in a professional manner.
Negativity: Employers want to hire people who will keep a positive atmosphere in their company. If you are a negative person, don’t show it. Don’t post negative comments or qoutes on your online profiles, and when you are at work try, your hardest to be positive and upbeat. People have actually been terminated because of posting negative comments and/or making negative or derogatory remarks in the workplace.
Gossip: If you gossip at work or gossip about co-workers or supervisors outside of the office, you can jeopardize your current job, your chance at a promotion, and your potential for new jobs. It may be hard, but try to avoid gossiping on the internet and everywhere else. Things you say on the internet travel fast and they stay there forever, even if you think you have gotten rid of them, once your post has been seen by someone else, the damage is already done.
Overly Outspoken: If you have an extremely outspoken personality, it can cause problems. Now you don’t have to ignore your beliefs or not express them, but try to avoid “screaming” your beliefs over the internet or getting into arguments about them at work. While employers shouldn’t decide who to hire based on a candidate’s beliefs, they may have a negative feeling towards you if you are loud and obnoxious about those beliefs.
Hygiene and Appearance: Once again, employers cannot keep a job from you simply for how you look, but it can affect how they think about you. If you look unprofessional or you don’t appear to be clean in pictures that you have posted online, potential employers will not want to hire you because you may show up to work looking unprofessional and unclean.
Be smart with your social networking and think twice before posting controversial or negative information on your personal sites-don’t hurt your chances of getting a great new job before the employer even has a chance to speak to you in person.
If you’re a teenager or college student, or the parent of a teenager or college student, then you all know what time of year it is…time to find that much needed summer job. While the economy has picked up a bit, there are many places, including here in Michigan where scoring a summer job is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Don’t give up – there are things you can do to help make your summer job search a success. Seasonal Jobs
Head to your local garden centers, greenhouses, and home improvement stores. Many of these retailers hire extra help during the summer as more people are busy with remodeling and home improvement projects during the warm summer months. You could also check out your local government agencies, as they also hire students to help with extra lawn work during the summer. If you enjoy working with children, there are always parents looking for childcare while their kids are out of school for the summer, or you could look into opportunities at local youth camps. Application/Interview Etiquette
Even if you are only putting in an application, dress professionally. If you are offered an interview on the spot, you want the hiring manager to focus on your qualifications and work ethic, not your short shorts or ripped jeans. Carry your resume and reference information with you to make the application process go faster, as well to show that you’re prepared in the event the employer asks for a resume. Digital Dirt
Don’t think that because you’re only seeking summer employment that a hiring manager may not “Google” you or look you up on Facebook. If your status updates or tweets are filled with profanity and/or pictures of your weekend escapades, the hiring manager may decide right then and there that you are not the type of person who would be a responsible employee. Clean up your digital dirt before you start applying for jobs and remove inappropriate posts/comments from friends who have access to your online profiles. Finally, make sure you have a professional greeting on your voice mail. An employer doesn’t want to hear “This is Joe – hit me up” when they need to leave a message for you. Simply state your name and confirm your phone number in your voice mail so that the employer knows they have the right person.
With a little bit of patience, hard work, and perseverance, you will surely land that coveted summer job.
Social media is a massive part of many of our lives now that using it seems almost second nature. Whether we are liking Facebook statuses, tweeting our friends or sending photos via Tumblr, we are all used to making the most of social networking. In fact, we also know that it can help us to keep in touch with friends, get back in touch with old friends and even to meet new people!
What many people don’t realize is the benefit that they can have if they use social media for job search. Fair enough. You might not be able to “tweet” to apply for a job vacancy, but there are plenty of ways to use social media to your advantage when you are job hunting.
In fact, there are even social networking websites that are aimed towards professionals. They allow you to create an online version of your resume, connect with colleagues and employers and meet new people. It is a great way of networking and getting the inside information on companies and any vacancies that may be coming up! Remember that it has always been “not what you know but who you know.” By getting involved in social media job hunting you can be sure that you are making the most of every avenue open to you when it comes to enhancing your career and getting the job of your dreams.
Once you join one of these websites you will see that there are loads of other people already using them – which you can always use to your advantage!
