Do I Need A Social Media Presence to Get Hired - Walrath Recruiting, Inc.

Do I Need A Social Media Presence to Get Hired - Walrath Recruiting, Inc. In the digital age, its incredibly common for people to share their lives online, their activities, their work, and even their meals! Its also not uncommon for someone to have profiles across multiple networks. Some people have an account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. However, you may begin to question if this public presence hurts or helps a job search. Well break down the common philosophies on whether the lack of a social media presence hurts your job search. A Strong Social Media Presence Matters Previously, weve written a few blogs explaining why hiring managers look at your social media, and how it can benefit your search. Hiring managers can often use your online presence to see if you would be a good culture fit at their company. Of course, LinkedIn is a great tool to learn more about your work history and information that may not be on your resume which can benefit you in the process. It also makes a passive job search easier. Having your name and background on the web makes it more likely that opportunities will seek you out. If you dont have a presence, its more difficult to be contacted. There are certainly perks to having a strong social media presence. On the other hand, not having one may make getting hired more challenging. Since having an online presence is part of todays society and the way we communicate with one another, hiring managers may wonder why you are not on any platform (especially LinkedIn). If you do not have a presence on relevant platforms, it may deter the hiring manager from moving forward. For example, they may believe you are not technologically as savvy, may not be qualified for the position if the position requires computing work, or that you are not learning and growing and with the times. If you relate to any of these, the easy solution would be to join a platform and begin being more active online. Of course, it is not an option for everyone. If you want to stay off social media as much as possible, you should consider at least starting and maintaining a LinkedIn account. If You Have to Choose One When hiring managers and interviewers are looking for you online, LinkedIn is likely the first place they will go. Some recruiters will also look at Facebook, but almost all recruiters check LinkedIn. LinkedIn is also geared entirely towards professionals looking to progress in their careers. The site is built entirely around professional networking, and it can be very helpful to a job search. When a hiring manager does do a search for you, theyre able to pull up your LinkedIn profile. So if you at least have a profile on LinkedIn, it should keep them from getting suspicious. Its also a great way to keep track of your own work history, and include some things you may leave off of your resume. Networking is also a great way to find a new job, and being referred significantly increases your chances of getting hired. So while you may want to keep off social sites, LinkedIn will give your job search a truly helpful boost. Having a social media presence will certainly benefit your job search. So long as you are aware of what you are sharing publicly on social media doesnt discourage recruiters from wanting to interview you, it will help your credibility. However not having an online presence can make a difference. Recruiting has continued to move forward, and many recruiters do their own online research in addition to background checks. To keep with hiring in todays online world, you may want to consider having a presence on these professional platforms.