How To Use Social Media To Help-Not Hurt-Your Career - Money Under 30

How To Use Social Media To Help-Not Hurt-Your Career - Money Under 30 How To Use Social Media To Help---Not Hurt---Your Career Weve all had it happen. Youre  in a meeting, or pouring yourself a coffee  in the break room, when a coworker  drops a bombshell: They found your Twitter. Or your blog. Or your Star Trek-obsessed Tumblr. At first, you panic: Your well-curated work persona has been revealed as a sham! Now everyone in your office will know about your unhealthy codependent relationship with a  Siamese cat named Sophie. They will see your petty disagreements with people who share your politics, and note with disdain the way you care a little too much about the Great British Baking Show. (Nadiya is so great!) You frantically search your mind for any recent tweets complaining about this very coworker. Instead of running out of the room in fear, you fake nonchalance, or laugh it off. The conversation moves on, but the discomfort lingers. Sites like Facebook and Twitter blur the lines between discrete social groups, as well as the line between public and private life. Social media is now a part of regular lifeand that includes your working life. To avoid these uncomfortable situations, a little planningand a fair amount of online restraintwill serve you well. Your currentand futurecoworkers and bosses will Google you Has somebody in your work world Googled you? Share your story in a comment.  If it hasnt happened yet, you simply have to expect thatif they want toanyone can and will find you online. Today, Facebook has more than  1.5 billion  users. Twitter has 320 million, Tumblr 550 million, and Instagram 400 million. Thats a lot of potential eyes peeping your personal info on the sly. Despite persistent stereotypes that depict a wonderland of narcissists tweeting selfies and humblebragging about their #blessed lives, social media is now serious business.  Recruiters and employers use  Facebook and other social media to monitor employees, discover new talent, and even make hiring decisions. It should be obvious by now that being sloppy with what you post on Facebook could cost you a job. Whether an ill-advised photo from a keg-fueled rager, or a tossed off rant about politics, things posted to Facebook and other social networks have a tendency to find their way outside your immediate circle. But that doesnt mean that social media is all bad news for your career; on the contrary, used correctly, social media can make you more likely to get hired, rather than fired. Get your accounts employer-ready According to AdWeek, 92 percent of companies use social media to recruit new employees. That means that most  of your potential future employers  are now recruiting via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other sites. Getting involved with these companies via these networks can help you spot new positions and connect with employees who can refer you to new positions or even to hiring managers themselves. According to Careerbuilder, 60 percent of hiring managers use social media to research and vet potential job candidates. So once you actually apply for a job, its likely  your prospective employer will research you on various social media networks. This means that you’ve got to do two essential things if you’re on the job hunt: Clean up your social media networks Be perfectly comfortable having a potential employer see everything on your profile. Do NOT assume that just because a scandalous photo is shared by friends only that an employer wont see it. What you think is just between friends likely isnt. Just ask the (most recent) lady who used to work for Bank of America before she went on a racist rant on Facebook. (Also: Dont be racist! Just in general!) Or Justine Sacco, the famous PR rep who made a tasteless joke about Africa before she got on a plane and who, by the time that plane landed, had lost her job and her peaceful anonymity. Words have consequences, and online those consequences have the potential to be far-reaching and severe. If you need to have an outlet to cut loose (in non-racist ways) online, consider creating a separate, anonymous account, or one that you have password-protected. That way, you can post weird jokes without fear of a potential employer missing the humor or rant about the oligarchy without your oligarch boss taking offense. But the safest route is keeping all of that stuffweird jokes, political rants, and general debaucheryout of the digital record. Get connected with potential employers If you have a certain company in mindor already applied for a job therefollow that company on Twitter, “like” them on Facebook, or get connected with them on LinkedIn to increase your chances of being noticed. But dont start liking every status a potential employer posts as a means of buttering them up: A  suck-up is a suck-up, even online. But engaging with them about topics you find interesting, or offering your insight on a topic you know well (and only on those topics!) are a great way to build rapport and show your stuff. Make sure you have an online presencewhether a LinkedIn page or a personal website The traditional black-and-white, one-page resume is out; digital resumes are in. If you’re searching for jobs and you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, it’s time to get one. Signing up is easy and free and will give you access to thousands of employers. If you want to impress future employers, consider a personal website. You can easily buy your own domain name and upload a picture, short bio, with links to your contact information or LinkedIn profile.  And in some creative professions, its almost a sin not to have an online portfolio. Companies already know you’re online. Why not use this knowledge to your advantage and give them even more reasons to hire you? Build a network, a brand,  or even a side income We all know building side income or working multiple jobs is a great tool to further your finances.   But what you may not realize is that you can leverage this experience in your full-time career. Being “in” with others in your career field on social media sites is the latest and greatest form of networking. It’s almost like you have two presences these days: your real-life presence and your online presence. If you’re not available in both ways, you may miss out on an opportunity or the chance to meet your next mentor. Like many people that work part-time online, I’ve been able to build my brand and freelance work through my online presence. Sure, I send out random tweets at times, but I’ve also secured freelance jobs, connected with top people in my line of work, networked with like-minded people, won prizes, and even had a little fun along the way. Summary Social media isn’t something we can ignore anymore.  To stay offline is to miss out on opportunities. But being online requires tact and restraint, balancing self-expression with self-promotion. Its hard to please everyone all the time, and on social media, you never know whos paying attention. Read more: How To ApplyAnd Actually Get HiredFor Freelance Writing Jobs Best Job Sites: 16 Powerful Resources For New Grads