Recently, a study completed by Harris Research indicated that which we all assumed all along: your future employer checks you out online. From bad mouthing your current or previous employer to inappropriate content (legal and illegal activity), this study found that what you post online for the world to see, surprisingly, has an impact on your career, whether in ministry or not.
Does Social Media Make You Look Stupid?
Now, it should not be surprising to you that photos of you next to your first stolen car while drinking a beer might cost you a job, but the Harris Research study indicates that potential employers were impacted by poor communication skills, your listed qualifications, your personality as it shines through your online profiles, and professionalism. With other words, while Twitter and Facebook are social in nature, they have a real impact on your professional life. This sentence is so important I’m going to repeat it, color and bold it, and center it, so you really catch the drift.
While Twitter and Facebook are social in nature,
they have a real impact on your professional life.
In reality, social media give human resource managers and potential employers (church or para-church organizations and secular employers alike) the look inside your life employers have always lacked; everyone puts on their game face for interview day. Everyone puts on their best suit, shaves, and speaks eloquently for the job interview. But, social media give employers a look inside your real life; they can see your friendships, relationships, how you conduct yourself on a daily basis, and that matters as you look for a job. Specifically in ministry, churches expect a high level of maturity, moral, and ethical character. Social media allows employers to lower the risk, the lessen the leap of faith they take.
Using Social Media To Your Advantage
However, the study at Harris Research also indicated that social media can very positively impact the employment process. Over the 2,000 some human resource managers polled, a significant amount of them (between 30 to 60 percent) indicated positives learned from glancing through social media platforms while researching potential candidates. There areas include the following:
- Conveying a professional image
- Positive reflection on personality
- Background information supports listed qualifications
- Displaying interests, creativity, communication skills
- Positive (unsolicited) references
The key here is to polish your social media presence and remembering, as stated above, that while Twitter and Facebook are social in nature, they have a real impact on your professional life. So, how do you use social media to your advantage? It’s not difficult, and should not be fake — you do not want to create an inaccurate view of yourself on social media or your printed resume. However, you can be sure to include your educational and professional information on your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. Also, if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, stop everything you are doing and go create one here. (While the effectiveness of a LinkedIn profile varies from professional to professional, having the profile itself is a must). Once you’ve created your profile, network like a crazy man. Connect with anyone you know, and seek out opportunities to find new connections. Remember, you’re building a professional network for your benefit today and for when you might be in need of a job tomorrow.
The lesson learned? Be careful with what you post on social media and leverage social media to work for you. Read more about the research study, which was commissioned by CareerBuilder in 2013.