5 Social Media Secrets To Get Yourself Hired

With 2023 right around the corner, most people already know employers will scroll through their social media profile before offering them a job at their company. But in case no one has told you, let me be the first to say you should probably take the photos of yourself partying in college off your Facebook page.

It only takes 15 seconds and an impulsive tweet about quiet quitting to go from a company’s top candidate to another resume tossed in the recycling bin. Fortunately, most social media mishaps can be avoided by relying on common sense and using a little extra caution before you post something.

What people fail to realize, though, is that social media can also be the very reason why you do get a job position. Sending a cold email to an employer? Submitting your resume to a company after coming across a job description? You’re not paranoid if you think the next thing they’ll do is look at your social media profiles.

A survey from the Harris Poll found that 71% of U.S. hiring managers think looking at candidates’ social media profiles is an effective way to screen applicants. Sixty-seven percent of hiring managers actually do use social media as a way to research candidates, more than half of whom say they have come across content that has caused them to reject a candidate.

Recruiters are less likely to look at an applicant’s resume now more than ever. A study from Capterra found that 75% of recruiters use applicant tracking systems to weed out candidates before their resume is seen by a real recruiter. In other words, submit a resume that doesn’t match enough key words in the job description and you’re out of the race before a recruiter even knows you applied for the position – and that’s how it works for most jobs you’ll apply for.

If a recruiter does like your resume, they’ll assess a second source of information: the narrative that emerges from a collection of your LinkedIn comments, Facebook updates and Twitter thoughts. For recruiters, social media is SparkNotes about a candidate's job history, life accomplishments, networking history, personal woes, and life philosophy.

Modest candidates may feel inclined to avoid the trend of commemorating their achievements with posts on LinkedIn. But this is the wrong approach, especially during a time when employers are less likely to reach out and communicate to get information that could just as easily be posted online. In other words, if your social media doesn’t portray you as an active student or standout employee, recruiters will likely assume that’s because you aren’t one.

But enough with the negativity — social media also offers job candidates several advantages, namely curating the image of themselves that employers see.

So, how do you make yourself stand out from the crowd when recruiters are looking at dozens, if not hundreds, of social media profiles? It all comes down to having the right strategy.

1. Choose your network wisely. At their core, social media profiles are essentially digital networks visible to the public. This concept, however, gets lost in the addiction that keeps us coming back – scrolling. LinkedIn, particularly, gives employers a pretty good idea of what your professional network looks like and the connections you’ve made in your respective industry. Be mindful of the people who you add to your circle. Influencers, business owners, teachers, or scholars — following these people not only exposes you to their insight, but also gives employers information about the kind of person you are and what you value.

2. Plow into the discomfort. If the rules for communicating were the same on social media as they are in real life, we’d be professing our latest achievements to strangers before having enough courtesy to introduce ourselves . Which is to say, catching the eye of an employer on social media means throwing some of the etiquette you’ve been taught out the window. Get comfortable posting about your accomplishments, even if doing so may feel out of character in the beginning. Employers check social media platforms because they want to see what you can bring to the table. Playing it modest by not highlighting these skills and accomplishments won’t get you rewarded.

3. Practice active liking: What you like, retweet, share, and comment can say just as much about you as what you post. Platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter will show your followers what you’ve liked or commented on, so it’s important to be intentional. Engage with posts that show the latest happenings and updates in your industry, but also think about the message you’re sending others through the posts you like. Endorsing ideas that are negative, political, or unprofessional is not only off putting to a future employer, but also overshadows the posts you do want them to see.

4. Reach out; stay consistent. One of the biggest benefits of job hunting in the age of social media is that distance doesn’t poses fewer obstacles. Networking with an employer through social media takes the same amount of time and energy regardless of whether they live across the country or down the street.

You don’t need to direct message an employer on LinkedIn to get a lot out of the platform – and that actually poses a problem. It is easy to tell yourself that scrolling through social media and commenting on people’s posts is a version of networking, but there’s really much more to it than that. Launching yourself into a career that fascinates and energizes you is quite the challenge – especially without any help. Professionals who can shine some light on the industry – and maybe even be a future mentor – are what helps people get their foot in the door. But none of them are going to reach out to you first. It's your job to take the first leap that gets the conversation going. While cold messaging someone can be intimidating the first few times you do it, setting a goal for yourself, like initiating one networking conversation every week, is a good way to hold yourself accountable when nerves begin to hit.

5. Reverse engineer an employer’s ideal candidate. Employers scouting candidates through social media are looking to fill a company need. The job may only require a qualified and competent candidate, but ideally a recruiter would prefer to hire someone who also checks a bunch of other boxes, like being collaborative, enthusiastic, motivated and insightful. Take some time to think about the job you’re applying for and ideal qualities a recruiter is likely looking for. What would you want to see in a candidate if you were trying to fill the position? Then, look through your social media profile and assess whether these qualities would shine through to someone who hasn’t met you in person. If the answer is no, tweak your content, bio, likes, or comments to reflect the qualities and skills think recruiters will be looking for.