Can Social Media Get Me a Job?

Is it important to have a professional profile to be on social media?

Better yet, can social media get you the job you want most?

Last week I spoke to the South Carolina Speech Language Hearing Association (SCSHA) about ways to amplify their professional presence online.

Many people are used to hearing the horror stories of employers looking at their employees' personal social media accounts and finding inappropriate content. They've secured their Facebook posts and made sure to keep proof of their inebriation in college off of Google. Some are adequately frightened enough to avoid most social media all together.

But most people I speak to have not considered how to proactively improve their own digital footprints with a professional goal in mind.

There were several people who participated in the presentation who told me they had never considered their social media presence in this way before.

It's a fascinating area to me because a lack of a digital footprint can potentially cause all kinds of problems that people don't even realize, such as hindering your ability in some countries to get a loan, making people suspicious of what you are hiding, and even preventing you from getting the job you are perfectly qualified for in every other way.

This is a topic I'm going to be writing about more in the future, but it lends itself to this latest podcast episode that just posted today on the Getting Social podcast that I did with my co-host Blake Althen and special guest Lauren LeMunyan, talking about how people can use social media to benefit their careers. You can listen to it here: http://throughthenoise.us/mediacast/2-can-social-media-get-job/.

What do you think? Are you proactively using your social media and overall digital presence to achieve your professional goals? Please share in the comments!

Some things we discuss during the podcast:

• What do most people get wrong about using social to their benefit for their careers?
• If people are limited on time, what is the one thing they should make sure they do on social?
• What are you thinking of starting or stopping on social media?
• Thinking of getting new professional photos taken to use for your social media profiles?
• Thinking of deleting all your accounts and just saying forget it?

More about our guest:
Lauren LeMunyan is the owner of Lauren LeMunyan Coaching, LLC and The Spitfire Coach and is also the host of the web-series, Water Cooler Wednesdays. Lauren works individuals and organizations to identify their purpose, vision, mission and brand to increase life engagement, accountability, motivation, and enjoyment.

About Getting Social:
Getting Social explores social media challenges and opportunities with special guests, examining everything from building your “personal brand” SEO online to social media’s impact on today’s politics. Host KiKi L’Italien thinks everyone should “Google themselves,” which is not as naughty as it sounds.

http://throughthenoise.us/gettingsocial