Social Media for Career Growth: Do’s and Don’ts

Hear George & Mary-Lynn share the list of do’s and don’ts for social media and your career on The BIGG Success Show Podcast. Click PLAY.

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Social media is a powerful tool for helping you with career growth if you don’t get in the way. A recent survey by Jobvite found 93 percent of recruiters check out social media profiles of prospects before making an offer. There are some do’s and don’ts to follow to ensure you’ll get that job opportunity.

Social Media for Career Growth Don’ts

We’ve seen some things in our Facebook news streams lately from some of our connections that are major no-no’s.

1. Don’t complain about your current employer online. It seems obvious that you shouldn’t do this, but we see it all too often. There are always two sides to a story, and though you may be telling the correct story, recruiters may not buy in. After all, they don’t know you or your work ethic. All they know by your social profile it that you are a complainer.

2. Don’t promote online that you are seeking a new job while employed. Seriously, how can people think this won’t get back to the boss or a manager? Along these lines…

3. Don’t post about your recent interview. You got the interview, great! But taking to Facebook to announce the company where you just interviewed is a bad move. If you are going to post about the company before you are even employed there…don’t you think they’ll wonder what you would post once onboard? And here’s another angle, you’ve just told your network who is hiring, and you may have just invited some new competition for that position you want.

4. Don’t complain on social media about how little money you currently make. You may have just lost your leverage during salary negotiations because your potential employer may know where you are at now, and start with a low offer.

Social Media for Career Growth Do’s

1. If you are looking for a new job, do use social media to reach out to people in your network privately. Don’t tell your network that you are miserable at your current job. That wreaks of desperation. People like those help those seeking opportunities. So tell your network that you are wanting to find work that allows you to better use XXX skill, and wondered if they knew of an opportunity that matches.

2. Do have a hub (an online page) that showcases your areas of expertise: Your Linkedin profile, your own website/blog, or an online page like About.me. This page should highlight your skills, your accomplishments, and what makes you unique. Then all you’re your social profiles and email signature should like to your hub.

3. Do spend less time talking about yourself online, and more time promoting others. Share their content. Introduce them to others. Being helpful can have amazing returns. Use a service like Newsle to keep up with your network. Create an interest list in Facebook to make it easy to scan and share content people in your network are posting.

4. Do get offline. One of the best ways to connect with people in your network is to meet face-to-face. Take the time to build relationships before you need help. Most jobs are found through referrals, so it’s important to network all the time!

The digital footprint you leave on the social web can make or break your career opportunities. Be mindful of every post you make as you build your professional brand online. It leads to BIGG Success

What have we missed? What are some social networking do’s and don’ts on your list?

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00917-101315.mp3