BE AWARE OF ONLINE HAZARDS
Nail your social networking to succeed. Cara Jenkin reports
MOST workers by now do avoid posting inappropriate photos and ranting about a bad boss on social media but still are succumbing to its other pitfalls.
Even the most savvy about personal brand and digital privacy may have things to learn about professional sites, with LinkedIn the most commonly used platform, whether actively looking for a new job or casually networking for career benefits.
Hender Consulting executive consultant Justin Hinora says the business networking site is becoming a “facebook for suits” with irrelevant content being shared, secrets being spilt and even romantic gestures being made on what should be a professional platform.
“There are some good things about it, but other things they need to be aware of,” he says.
KEEP CONNECTIONS CLOSE
“I think it’s important to only accept an invitation that you know or know of as being credible,” Hinora says.
“If the person saw there were a lot of really credible mutual connections (to a requester they do not know), it would be a sensible person to connect with.”
He says recruiters will look at a person’s connections and may bring it up in an interview, possibly also asking if the connection could be a referee.
“A recruiter can’t talk to a referee without a candidate’s permission, but there’s no harm to say, ‘I see you’re connected to John Smith, what would they say about you?’,” he says.
Accepting a stranger’s request also can open a user up to unwanted material, from spam to sexual advances sent through private messaging.
Also background-check that the connection is who they claim to be before accepting a request.
“There are people claiming to be an employee at an organisation but have no connection to the entity,” he says.
DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ
“Just because someone says they are an expert, doesn’t mean they are one,” Hinora says.
He says LinkedIn encourages users to post their own content, so many people who want to be thought leaders will write articles on topics.
However, doing so does not make them an influencer, he says.
“I think there’s no harm in people commenting (on posts) but the harm is done when people believe things that are simply not true,” he says.
“The reader needs to do their own due diligence.
“There’s some good content around, but not all content is good content.”
MAKE YOUR OWN HISTORY MATCH
A resume sent to employers and the online profile should match exactly, as mismatches will raise eyebrows as to which version is the truth and why the two differ.
“It’s not uncommon to have different versions of the same candidate’s CV,” Hinora says.
“There have been candidates we know who have been terminated at their employment, then leave out that employment from the CV but it’s on LinkedIn.
“We have a pretty good record of
CVs, so if that person rings a bell and they’ve left out their employment at X (company), we’ll check the dates from the CV ( on file) and the LinkedIn profile and see if that does match up, and if it doesn’t, why not?
“Be accurate and consistent – the employment history and qualifications to be consistent with your CV and are true.
“Good recruiters should be checking all these things. If not, they’re not doing their job.”
BEWARE TOO MUCH INFORMATION
Also beware an out-of-date profile, or spilling too much information in it.
“One thing that can be quite embarrassing is people who are employed but still have on their tag ‘open to opportunities’,” he says.
Alternatively, just because someone has a current job listed on their profile, it does not mean they are still in it.
“It doesn’t always mean bad things,” Hinora says.
“It might be someone on gardening leave or have agreed to leave at the end of the financial year, but left the building in the meantime – they’re still ‘currently employed’.
“But with due diligence, we can work that out and ask the question.”
THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES MAY NOT BE ON IT
Jobseekers and networkers should remember there are many opportunities away from social media, with jobs advertised in various media, in-person networking events held by many organisations, and quality industry and employment content available from other sources.
Not everyone has an online profile, nor religiously accesses it, so look for other avenues to meet, connect and share information with others.
“There’s no one place anymore,” Hinora says.