Professional Social Networking

Social networking sites have emerged as the most accessible, convenient and easy way of connecting to likeminded professionals in one’s field

Statistics have proven that 3/4th of recruitments are based on networking. These jobs are never advertised and information spreads mainly through word of mouth. Now with the internet and social networking sites, word gets around quicker and in a more convenient way.

India will reach 2.2 billion active internet users by 2013, according to a study. This will make it the third largest online population in the world. Even now the number is quite impressive. India is on the 20th position as far as Facebook users are concerned. These sites which primarily encourage friends to get back in touch or reconnect/connect with each other, however, also double up as professional networking sites.

The right profile

What an employer looks at first is your profile on these online sites. Be sure that every employer these days will seek you out online and try to get an idea of your suitability for the job. The simplest and the most informative profile work best if you want an employer knocking on your “wall”, so to speak. It does not have to look like a CV.  Here are a few tips.

• Profile page: Make it interesting! Do not clutter the page with dates, accomplishments, and so on. Instead list your strengths and weaknesses. Your interests are very important here. Make sure you update your profile as and when there are developments in your career.
• Keep it real: Make sure you use your real name. ‘Gettit Sumit’ as a profile name looks unprofessional.
• Friends: Try and connect with all your old friends from school and college. Keep in touch with your colleagues and ex-colleagues. Start talking to these friends who have grown up to be in the same industry or share the same interests.
• Join groups: Communities or groups are a very thriving feature of these social networking sites. Join communities where you can contribute and not just support. Keep up with the trends in these professional groups and look out for job alerts. If you are an employer then job posts in fora such as these can fetch you a string of applications.
• Blog: Actively blog. Create a personal blog and comment. Write articles on what you believe in or on topical professional events. Make yourself visible and heard/read.
• Status update: Updating your status update is a very handy of being heard/read. Most people are into reading these status messages. Thus, using this option to talk about your professional activities is one good way of getting noticed!
• Social tools: Use micro blogs and photo blogs to connect with other professionals and other bloggers.

The wrong profile

These sites are also a great mechanism of screening undesirable candidates. So be careful as to what you put on your profile! The don’ts are listed below:
• Your personal life is open to all on these networking sites. Hence, putting up provocative or intimate pictures is a definite no-no.
• Your comments about your ex-office, co-workers and boss included, can cast a negative impression.
• Racist, hateful, self-absorbed or discriminatory comments about others or current affairs.
• Poor communication skills.
• Sharing confidential professional information on the internet.
• Lying about qualifications.

 
Research has proved that a large bulk, almost half, of the employers go checking a prospective employee’s profile on social networking sites like Facebook, Hi5, Myspace, etc. Be careful of what kind of person you come across in your virtual persona.