The Importance of Social Profile Resumes in Recent Times

Over the years, social media has proven useful beyond the usual photo/video sharing, connecting with old high-school classmates, and tweeting. Nowadays, your social profile can be used as an authoritative self-promotional tool to secure a lucrative job. In fact, according to a recent report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 65% of employers are now hiring via social media sites. If you are not on social media, you will lose out.

There is no doubt that sites like Facebook and LinkedIn have proven to be game changers for the recruiting and hiring industry. This means, as the trend for hiring shifts to social profiles, candidates must do everything possible to optimize their social presence (especially their LinkedIn profiles). Otherwise, they will be overlooked, even if they are qualified for the job on offer.

So, without further ado, let’s look at how you can optimize your social media profiles to be an employer magnet. Nail your social presence with these employer-approved tips:

Have a Complete and Relevant Profile

A LinkedIn profile is similar to a work resume, where you display your current work position, skills, work experience, education information, and professional profile picture. It is important that you complete your profile to have a better chance of being spotted by potential employers. LinkedIn itself gives you an indication of the percentage to which your profile is complete. To ensure completeness, you can follow the Profile Completion tips offered by LinkedIn. So, don’t get lazy and fill out every single section of your profile.

Keep it Professional (Use Privacy Settings, if Necessary)

Nothing is truly private on the internet anymore. Remove all your ‘party pictures’ from your profiles. Potential employers don’t want to see you doing tequila shots! It would be embarrassing to miss out on a potential job opportunity because of some awkward pictures from years ago. If you don’t want to remove the pictures, at least change the security settings of your social media profiles from public to friends-only.

Join Groups Relevant to Your Career

LinkedIn features numerous groups, like Leadership Think Tank and Veteran Mentor Network, which offer industry-specific insights and connect you with likeminded jobseekers. However, there are also groups like “Dog Videos” and “Cat Videos”, which are again compelling, but not necessarily relevant to your career interests (unless you are a veteran or something). As a result, only join groups that are relevant to your career. This way, LinkedIn can offer you better job suggestions that suit your target industry or field of work.

Highlight Achievements and Skills

It is imperative you be judicious about what you choose to bring to the forefront when on LinkedIn. Trust me, employers don’t want to know how you organized the office basketball league and came back with the championship. As a result, only mention specific goals that you have met and that are most “relevant” to your field. Highlight all skills and achievements that can establish you as a professional in your field-of-work.

Update Your Profile Frequently

Although this may apply to LinkedIn more than Twitter and Facebook, it is vital that you stay active and update your profiles regularly on all social media sites. For instance, let’s say you started a new job at a renowned firm. Post it on LinkedIn or Facebook. Got a good raise or even better, a promotion? Update your title. The point is if you are an assistant manager of a certain firm, you don’t want a profile that still says you work in the mailroom or as a receptionist.

Keep Your Connections Career-Focused

When you create a profile on LinkedIn, you may get many requests to connect from old friends and roommates who you hardly remember from high school. However, it is imperative you keep your connections career-focused only. As a result, only add people who are in your career cohort. This way, you allow employers in your niche to find you, hence increasing your chances of securing a good job.

So, now that you are familiar with the tips mentioned above, keeping pace with the latest trends and optimizing your social profile resume to be an employer magnet won’t be a problem.

Bio: Brandy Webster

Brandy Webster is a professional blogger and recruiting expert. He is a consultant and content writer at Resumes 2016. He is always ready to help with filling social profiles for career purposes. He always stays ahead of career and recruitment trends.