When a job seeker goes in for a job interview, most people are sure to dress appropriately and to bring with them an updated copy of their resume. However, that's not all of the "cleaning up" that you should be doing.
Your profile on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites are important to the job search process.
Reliable surveys show that before contacting a job applicant, many hiring managers are checking out potential employees on the Internet. It behooves you to make sure not only that there are no contradictions between the information found on these profiles and your resume, but also that there are no "smoking guns" either.
While it may seem sneaky and underhanded for companies to run these unofficial background checks to make sure you are who your resume says you are, the fact is that these profiles are there in the open for anybody to access.
Your resume should be crafted to get an employer interested to find out more about you. But achieving that goal might tempt them to check out your LinkedIn profile or to look you up on Facebook. That's why those profiles should be reasonably consistent with your resume, while at the same time, providing something interesting and distinctive that will reward the employer for taking the time to delve deeper into your background.
In fact, while you always want to present your strengths to a potential employer at all stages of the job search process, having additional tidbits to add to your list of positives will surely continue to boost your image in their eyes.
There are always going to be things that you wish to keep private. Keep in mind that once you post something on a website, even if you think it is just a funny photo to share with your friends, it is there for all the world to see. Like it or not, that world may include a curious hiring manager who may decide that they are no longer interested in you as an employee after seeing how you present yourself on these websites.
Remember, sites like LinkedIn can be a great asset in terms of getting connections and learning about potential job openings. But if you can use the site to find out more information about others, then they can use the same sites to find out more about you. If you keep that in mind and always make sure your profile is highly professional, well written, and excellently persuasive of the value you bring, then your success in the job search process will increase.
