S/O Social Media & Job Hunting

[RootAnn]

In the spin off social media thread, @texasmom33 said it seemed like you almost had to have a Linkedin account nowadays to get past a certain point in job opportunities. Later in the thread, someone else pointed out that companies search social media & the internet for info on candidates. It seems that there is a bit of "Darned if you do; darned if you don't."

This board is my social media according to DH. Otherwise, we pretty much don't have anything out there.

Does The Hive think that a social media presence will be required to get interviews & jobs in the future? Or will it be possible to stay under the radar and still be employable in tech jobs, public media, & other fields where credentials and who-you-know is important?

[regentrude]

I think a carefully curated social media presence may enhance a candidate's chances. I think it would be expected if the job is related to media - they'd want to see how the person is using media in their personal life. For tech jobs, hard credentials (portfolio of software development, publications, etc) are more important.

LinkedIn is more than just presenting yourself on social media because it also allows people to network and search based on qualifications; any candidate in a field that uses these tools extensively will miss out on opportunities.

Why would one not use social media to one's advantage? It gives the candidates a unique chance to present information about themselves that is inappropriate for inclusion in a cover letter.

Edited November 15, 2018 by regentrude

[Scarlett]

I wonder how much an employer would look at the friend's list of a FB account.  I have a couple of relatives that I stay 'friends' with but I don't follow because of their foul mouth or general cray cray.  I never even interact with them because for instance I might comment 'oh how sweet' on a picture of my nephew and then later on one of them or their friends will post something in the same thread that is foul!  It is nuts. 

Maybe that is why some people lock down their friend's list so no one can see it.  

 

[Arcadia]

22 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

Or will it be possible to stay under the radar and still be employable in tech jobs, public media, & other fields where credentials and who-you-know is important?

 

It depends on how you define under the radar. Not having a social media can be viewed as a good thing in certain jobs. In jobs where they want tight lipped people, the less social media presence the better. However they (companies) still expect you to network in a positive manner. Attending work related conferences and gleaming ideas from competitors is good. Getting drunk at conferences and letting slip company confidentials are bad. So see and be seen, but be careful what you say. 

My husband’s job scope does involve information that could put me as doing insider trading if I buy and short sell his company stocks. My previous job would definitely put me in the insider trading category if I were to buy and sell company stocks. My husband doesn’t have a Facebook or any social media account. My Facebook account is extremely boring.

All the job openings that my husband and I get are through friends (or friends of friends) because employee referrals are “lucrative” and we rather friends earn the employee referral bonus than a headhunter who is a stranger. People are helping friends’ adult kids (fresh graduates) get in by employee referrals too.

A friend is a marketing manager in a tech company. His social media presence is mainly about conferences he attended or was on booth duty for. So anyone looking to hire a marketing manager can see he is active in marketing events but no trade secrets were leaked on social media. 

[madteaparty]

Linked in has not been a factor in any of my job searches, nor DH’s. I should just turn it off entirely but I’m  lazy. 

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, RootAnn said:

In the spin off social media thread, @texasmom33 said it seemed like you almost had to have a Linkedin account nowadays to get past a certain point in job opportunities. Later in the thread, someone else pointed out that companies search social media & the internet for info on candidates. It seems that there is a bit of "Darned if you do; darned if you don't."

This board is my social media according to DH. Otherwise, we pretty much don't have anything out there.

Does The Hive think that a social media presence will be required to get interviews & jobs in the future? Or will it be possible to stay under the radar and still be employable in tech jobs, public media, & other fields where credentials and who-you-know is important?

there does seem to be some truth to this.  My dd felt forced to have one due to her position.  however - linked in is a business platform.