When was the last time you applied for a new job? (It’s ok, I won’t rat you out.) I bet you got your resume all spiffy’d up and wrote a wonderful cover letter.  Both great things to do when applying for a job…but how’s your social resume? Are you on LinkedIn? Is your profile up to date and completely filled out? Do you have a professional headshot from this decade? Is your twitter bio something professional or is it something silly and ridiculous? I have news for you…potential employers going to see it. All of it.

Today when you apply for a job, I would bet 8 out of 10 times the employer googles your name and checks your social resume. I do this when I hire people.  Mostly, I want to see if the person has a social footprint and get an idea of their personality through their tweets or articles they share on LinkedIn.

I’m not saying that you have to be on all social media platforms to get a job…well unless it’s a marketing job.  What I am saying is that if you are on social media and you do want a new job…make sure your social resume is as tended to as your actual resume.

LinkedIn is essentially your online resume, so make sure you have filled in as much of it as you can.  Ask colleagues to write recommendations for you so that employers can read a reference on you before calling your references. Be sure and add your civic duties like boards you serve on and also awards you’ve won.  All of this makes you look even more appealing to an employer.

If you are active on Facebook or Twitter, make sure that your bio isn’t unprofessional and that your user name makes sense.  I see people with handles like “@sexykitten2002” or “@alwaysonvacation” and maybe those aren’t the best handles for landing that big accounting job.

Finally, (and this my friends is my biggest pet peeve) always have a headshot in your social media profiles.  There’s nothing worse than seeing the egg on Twitter or a blank spot on LinkedIn where there should be a beautiful photograph of YOU.

Some would argue with me that they should be able to do whatever they want on social media and I would absolutely agree…unless you want to get a job in the 21st Century.  Everything we do on social media is OUT THERE…FOREVER.  So, we don’t have the luxury anymore of saying what we want on social media unless of course we are independently wealthy.

Here are a few resources to help:

Why You Need a Social Resume and How to Build One

How to Write a Damn Good LinkedIn Profile 

7 Tips for Using Social Media to Get a Job