5.08 AM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

5 tips on how not to destroy your UAE career with social media

Published
By Shuchita Kapur

If you are a professional, you cannot take the risk of posting anything and everything online. There are good chances that your current employer is watching you in the virtual world too, and any flip here may cost you your job.

Even a potential employer may come across your profile, tweet, update… anything, and your seemingly foolish or vicious rant can keep you away from a good job.

Website CareerBuilder suggest that all active jobseekers and working professionals should ensure that their social activity is employer-friendly and should keep certain factors in mind when going online.

#1 Your privacy setting should be on at ALL times

Most social networking sites, whether Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn have a privacy feature that users can take advantage of. Ensure that your privacy settings are on all at all times. By doing so, you’ll have control on who sees what on your page.

Most professionals are wise enough to understand the difference between social and personal space and avoid problems that can lead to by over-sharing.

#2 Avoid being tagged

If you allow your ‘friends’ to tag your pictures, you run the risk of being tagged in inappropriate pictures or having friends post less than flattering comments on your profile. Tweak your privacy settings to make sure potential employers can’t see unprofessional comments or pictures on your profile. Better yet, get rid of anything inappropriate on your profile. If you are tagged without approval, immediately untag yourself.

A previous study by CareerBuilder reveals that nearly half of workers surveyed only share posts with friends and family, 41 per cent have their profile set to private, and 18 per cent keep separate professional and personal profiles, keeping the avoidable problems at bay.

#3 If you don’t have something nice to say, shhhh…

When you say something online, it stays online. Don’t badmouth your employer, your boss, your peers or your customers on social media. Such comments may find their way back to haunt you and your job search.

Arguments on social media are fine as long as they are intellectual and professional in nature. Being petty in retaliation may seem a logical choice in the heat of the moment, but a potential or current employer will judge you much better if you’re the peace-maker rather than an aggressor.

#4 The disadvantages of Googling it up

Even before trying to get a sneak-peak into your profile page on FB, LinkedIn or Twitter, a potential employer is most likely to Google you up and then what can follow is an endless story.

You may have removed some objectionable posts from your own page, but chances are that somebody else may have picked them up and spread them on the Internet. If it does indeed go viral, there is no dearth of dirt that can be dug up. The disadvantage is that one search on Google can show you and your work on different sites and it’s not easy to delete everything from everywhere.

So, being sensible is the best option. Restrain is a much better trait to show than regret. If that’s not convincing enough, here are some figures to consider.

The CareerBuilder statics show that 45 per cent of employers use search engines such as Google to research potential job candidates. And your chances of being searched on the Internet are quite high.

#5 Leverage social media in your job search

Social media has many advantages if used correctly, and it can be a very helpful tool whether you are an active or a passive jobseeker. It can also help you build your own brand and gives you a big opportunity to market yourself.

Social media can help you grow your network and you can join groups that align with your professional interests. These can include alumni groups, trade associations and organisations you are a member of.

Get involved in discussions online and add value to it. Create a blog, focus your tweets on a subject that interest you…the word spreads and you will only increase the chances of employers looking at your profile and your good work here can add a lot of weight to your candidature if it were considered.