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3 ways to... boost your career online

Social media is no longer just for our personal lives – it can be a valuable asset when you’re job hunting too, says recruitment consultants Adecco’s Niki Turner-Harding.

1 Show your best side

Many companies use social media as a recruitment tool for finding and screening potential new employees. But don’t assume they’ll only check your LinkedIn profile – they may also check other networks like Facebook and Twitter.

The things you post and share, the pages and groups you follow and the comments you make can give recruiters an impression of your personality and values.

So be mindful of this when you’re on social media.

2 Go back in time

Check your older posts and activity too, and remove anything that could paint you in a negative light. Also review the posts and photos you’ve been tagged in, and untag yourself from anything that’s unflattering or controversial.

This could include photos of wild nights out. There’s no need to pretend that you don’t have a social life, but giving the impression you live a party lifestyle could make employers worry that you’ll be unreliable at work.

3 Embrace opportunities

Social networks are full of pages and groups that can connect you with like-minded professionals and offer industry insights. They’re also a valuable resource for discovering job opportunities.

For example, Facebook’s job-search function lists positions available with nearby businesses, and enables you to subscribe to alerts so you’ll be notified of openings as soon as they come in. For more tips, visit adecco.co.uk.