In executive job search, social media and social networking matter.
Are you an executive job seeker who resists having an online presence?
Maybe you’re concerned about privacy issues.
Maybe you just don’t want to put information about yourself “out there“.
Unfortunately, perhaps, the days when you could hide your head in the sand are over.
Did you know that an estimated 90% of employers used social networks and social media – known as “social recruiting“ – to find, assess and validate talent in 2012?
Executive recruiters and hiring decision makers seek “social proof” to confirm you are who you say you are, and to learn more about you.
Social proof – your social media activity and the information that resides online about you – is a personal marketing strategy that lends credibility to the claims you’ve made about yourself verbally, and in your executive resume and other career materials.
Hiring professionals know that job seekers are less likely to fudge or exaggerate in their LinkedIn profile (and other online profiles) than they are in their paper or digital career documents (resume, biography, cover letters, etc.).
We all hesitate, and rightly so, to post anything online, for all the world to scrutinize, that is less than true, and can be outed by colleagues, employers or others who know better.
People assessing you as a job candidate will turn to the Internet, and Google “your name” to find supporting evidence that corroborates your personal brand and your career claims.
They want to find plenty of relevant, diverse search results for you to help them determine your good fit. The more on-brand results they find that align with their needs, the more persuasive your candidacy is to them.
Be aware that discrepancies between the documents you provide employers and what they find about you online can red-flag your candidacy.
Having a vibrant, far-reaching online presence is no longer optional.
Social proof helps position you as a good-fit hiring choice and as an up-to-date social media-savvy executive who knows how to operate in the digital age.
© Copyright, 2013, Meg Guiseppi. All rights reserved. The content in this post, and elsewhere on this site, may not be reproduced, republished, reprinted or distributed without written permission.
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Online Presence and Personal Brand Management: 5 Things to Remember
Self-Google or Doom Your Executive Job Search
