Being unaware of the etiquette that is expected on different social media sites can be costly. It can certainly cost you job opportunities that you might otherwise have been able to take advantage of.
Here are some common errors that job hunters make on some of the main social media sites:
Appearing desperate. Often job seekers appear desperate by spamming other LinkedIn members that they don’t know to ask them for a job. What you should do instead is participate in groups and start to build relationships with group members. It’s best to build relationships with people before asking them for something.
Being self serving. Social networking is a two-way street, and job hunters who only want to take and not give will end up alienating other members on the site. One of the best ways that you can avoid being self serving is by contributing your knowledge to the LinkedIn community. You can do this by answering questions in groups and by answering questions on the Answers section of LinkedIn.
Having an incomplete profile. According to a LinkedIn spokesperson, users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities than those with incomplete profiles. LinkedIn will tell you if your profile is 100% complete or not, and it will let you know what you need to add in order to make it complete (i.e., an additional work experience or photo).
Having a split focus. Job hunters who have several different areas of expertise can fall into the trap of giving mixed messages on their profiles in terms of what their job objective is. You must determine what types of positions you are targeting, and your profile should reflect that focus. If you don’t do this before creating the profile, your profile will not be effective in attracting employers.
Amassing a large number of people to follow without contributing tweets. Some Twitter users make a point of following a large number of people, but they don’t contribute to the Twitter community with anything meaningful. No one will want to follow you back if you don’t have anything to say. Job seekers can provide links to articles in their fields to start attracting likeminded people to their profiles.
Not retweeting. Job hunters should not merely tweet about what is of interest to them, but they should also help other Twitter users by retweeting information that would be useful to the rest of the Twitter community. You can find out how effective their profiles are by entering their username in www.twittergrader.com.
Posting inappropriate information. This could include photos, negative comments about people and/or companies, and off-color jokes. Many people still do not realize that the information that they post can be seen by potential employers. You should use the appropriate settings to ensure that employers can only view information about you that is appropriate for a professional setting.
Guest Post by Cheryl Palmer, M.Ed, CECC, CPRW www.calltocareer.com
Thanks Cheryl! You Rock!
Thanks Julie!