The Good, the bad and the ugly side of using social media for your job search: Part 1

Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook are all great ways of networking and aiding you in your job search, but what happens when you’re personal life back fires on your professional one and hinders instead of helps you. With stories in the media about people being fired over posts that their work colleagues have seen, Kubo are looking at the 3 main social networking sites and advice on how to use them effectively for your job hunting.

Part 1 LinkedIn

LinkedIn is designed specifically for professional networking, and 89% of employers who were asked in a 2012 survey of 1,000 recruiters by recruiting-technology Company Jobvite, said that they have made a hire through LinkedIn so you should try to keep everything professional on your profile. Below are top tips on how to use LinkedIn effectively.

• Photo- Keep your photo professional at all times, no pictures of you pulling funny faces or nights out with your friends where you went dressed as a pirate. Try to look happy in your photo; no one wants to see a miserable person staring back at them when they are looking for a potential candidate it gives the wrong impression. A simple head shot of you looking professional is perfect.




• Headline-The headline is the first line under your name that people see when you come up in a search.　 This is basically your first impression to a potential employer, so sell yourself and stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking for work then say you are and it’s also a good idea to put key words of your desired role as you will come up in more searches.




• Get Connected- LinkedIn is all about networking so the more connections you have the more connections you can make. LinkedIn works on a 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd connection basis so this means you are able to view more people and profiles the more connections you have.




• Join Groups- LinkedIn has groups for near enough everything, so find the industry and groups relevant to you and get joining. Groups will open you up to hundreds of new connections that are outside your network and also allows you to message other group members for free!




• Contact info- If an employer or recruiter is doing a search and you are their 3^rd or 4^th connection they will not be able to message you (inmail) without the specific paid version. So having your email address somewhere on the page gives them the opportunity to contact you directly so you won’t miss out on that new opportunity!




• Profile- Getting all the correct information across on your profile and in a clear and precise manner is key! Outline your current and past jobs leaving no gaps with a brief description of your job role is the best way, as it looks tidy and is easier for prospective employers to read! LinkedIn also has a step-by-step guide to help you complete your profile.



• Recommendations and Endorsements- having past work colleagues or customers recommending you and your work is a great way of showing potential employers evidence of your successes. LinkedIn recently introduced endorsements which allows your connections to endorse particular skills.




• Follow Companies-Companies usually list job openings on their company page which then show up in your news feed if you are following that company. Then you will never miss a job opportunity!

Are you following Kubo Recruitment on LinkedIn yet? We constantly list job openings on our company page in the life sciences and clinical research sector.

In part 2 Kubo will be looking at how you should be very careful about what you post on Twitter and Facebook because things may come back to haunt you!