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The big question

What impact does social media have on your employability?

Jointheconversation

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businesscornwall.co.uk

HAZEL MURRAY

Hazel Murray Copywriting

As much as many people think it shouldn’t, social media can have a huge impact on employability; from past posts that are considered discriminatory, to rants about your employer, it’s important to remember that you can’t hide on these platforms. After all, it takes just one post to go viral (or reach your prospective boss’s desk) to change an opinion. However, there are pros to social, too! LinkedIn can be an amazing tool for elevating your network and reaching potential clients and employers, while Facebook is great for keeping in touch with friends and family. The trick is to make sure you’re using social media in the right way and sharing what you’d be comfortable with the whole world knowing.

KATHERINE GEORGE

Oh So Social

Social media has a huge effect on someone’s employability, in ways that you might not expect. An individual’s social media use gives us an insight into their personality and interests, which is a great indicator of how well they will fit with your existing team. Plus, for us as an agency, it will also let us see their creativity, as well as their photographic and content writing ability, which are all crucial skills for a busy social media agency.

On the flipside, having a glance at the personal accounts of potential employees can also let you know whether they would be a brand or business risk!

THOMAS HEWITT

Miller Commercial

Whilst the more traditional methods of obtaining both clients, clients, customers and networking have a place within the property industry, social media has naturally entered this arena. Social media when used correctly provides the opportunity to create your own personal brand as well as the ability to showcase your knowledge, successes and achievements. Naturally, many employers are active on Linkedin, Facebook et cetera so it is important to ensure that when you are posting an article or responding to topics that you retain the same level of professionalism as you would whilst interacting with a client or customer.

RACHEL JONES

FitNFun Nurseries

In our industry, having the privilege of caring and educating the youngest within our community, we must always remain professional both inside and outside of the organisation. From point of interview, we will view social media as part of our due diligence. Once employed and from induction, we explain our social media policy in detail so as to ensure our team are fully aware of what is expected of them.

TIM SMART

Smart Commercial Property

I think it will make quite an impact as time goes on. To be honest I have never checked any future employee’s posts on social media but will do in the future.

CLAIRE FULTON-RAY

Content writer & marketer

Social media has a huge impact on future job prospects. This brave new world we are living in means that future employers can peek inside your private life before they even consider your CV credentials, and (rightly or wrongly), judge you accordingly.

If you’re looking for work, or just as good practice for general social media management anyway, it’s important to review your privacy settings and seriously consider the content of any posts, tweets and comments before you upload to social media. This is just as important for businesses as it is for individuals.

As a writer I’m known for being rather pedantic among my friends, and I would always look at spelling and grammar on people’s social media if I were looking for someone to work for me. On the flip side, social media (when done well) can actually improve your employability. If an individual’s social presence portrays an image that matches the company’s culture and ethos, then it can help you shine brighter than competitors with a more lack-lustre social profile.