Improving Your Social Media Profile

What would we do without sites like LinkedIn?  Thanks to these sites, job seekers are able to make their mark all over the web, making it a lot easier to get noticed.  Setting up a good social media profile is more than just entering your information, however.  You will have to put a lot of thought into design if you want to sufficiently impress employers. 

Step 1: Ditch Your "Funny" Profile Picture

That picture of you at your friend's bachelor party might be hilarious, but it probably isn't the best way to represent yourself.  The best kind of profile picture you can put up is a headshot.  Your picture is the first thing a visitor will see when visiting your page, and we all know that first impressions are everything.

Step 2: Open Up!

Privacy is a big topic in the world of social media.  Most people are not comfortable with having their profile visible to everyone, but you have to enable this option if you are going to be seen by recruiters.  Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn have a section where you can set your profile to be seen by people other than your friends.  Thankfully, you can customize what information you want people to see.

Step 3: Consistently Update Your Status

Status updates are a great way to let recruiters know more about your interests.  They also help get your name out there.  For example, updating your status on LinkedIn makes your connections aware of your recent activities.  This can be useful if you are planning to attend an event that other people in your network are going to.

Step 4: Write A Meaningful Self-Summary

Here is what your self-summary should NOT be: "My name is Zach and I like playing piano, going to movies, and long walks on the beach.  I am interested in a career in nonprofits."  That's not very helpful, is it?  It's not easy for everybody to write about themselves, but it's something you will have to master if you want to catch people's eyes.  When it comes to self-summaries, the worst thing you can do is not have enough detail.

Social media can be your best friend in the world if you handle it properly.  Make sure you get the most out of it by following these tips.