As business becomes digitalized, web-based services emerge into powerful tools for opinion-making, marketing, and head-hunting, rooted in identifying talented media users, their ideas, actions, and behaviors. Major recruitment agencies use social media in talent acquisition, scanning them for high-quality candidates. Almost all employers are using social media to help them decide whether or not to hire or fire someone.
So, stop thinking about how to delete a resume on LinkedIn that has brought no result and start working on enhancing your online image and electronic footprint. The article reveals the best ways to use popular networks to advance your career.
Why Online Media Presence Is Important
Nowadays social networking sites are not only great communication channels, designed for content creation and distribution. They are fast, efficient, and easy-to-use global venues with virtual communities based on the various interests, philosophies, professional and educational backgrounds, and different age groups that are visited repeatedly.
Online media presence lets us promote our work, accomplishments and get more job opportunities, building new business connections. With such a diversity of virtual platforms, we can make a move to accelerate up and across industries and places instead of spending the entire career with a single employer.
The Most Popular Social Media Platforms in the USA
According to the data collected by Pew Research Center in 2021, the percentage scale among the US adults who use the social nets looks as follows:
#1. YouTube - 81%;
#2. Facebook - 69%;
#3. Instagram - 40%;
#4. Pinterest - 31%;
#5. LinkedIn - 28%;
#6. Snapchat - 25%;
#7. Twitter - 23%.
Advantages of Networking for Employers
Employers are acknowledged of social nets use and benefits. The high density of specialists, their transparency, and accessibility are among the obvious advantages that make networking an ideal resource for picking top talents. Here are a few not so apparent reasons why hiring managers prefer social media:
- Exactly targeted vacancies;
- High spreading and coverage of job openings;
- Tech-savvy candidates with strong computer skills;
- Getting recommendations and affiliations easier;
- Reduced hiring costs;
- Good brand awareness;
- Better engagement with potential employees.
The Best Social Nets for Career Advancement
The attractive possibility to construct a complete and dynamic public profile that meets any need encourages people to join different networks. For instance, the ability to host head-hunters chats makes Twitter an ideal platform for searching the job opportunities. Snapchat is popular among the millennials and Generation X demographic groups. Pinterest is great to follow career experts, get inspiring ideas, or create boards to pin tailored resumes. Let’s look in detail how the most popular resources can boost the professional career:
#1. YouTube
YouTube stays a reliable resource not only for artists, musicians, actors, or public influencers. Video can be the best visual resume, that enables you to project confidence and likability. Presentations supported by visual aids are a half more persuasive than the unaided ones.
Think about creating how-to videos or content about using the tools specific for some industries. Alongside the educative functions of different courses and tutorials that boost professional skills, you can establish yourself as a passionate subject matter expert in your field.
#2. Facebook
Along with being a tool for connecting your dearest ones, Facebook serves as your door to professional relationships, providing several options for promoting your career, building your brand, or connecting with influencers in your field. It’s helpful in case your industry relies on integrity and publicity.
You can follow and connect the people you want to work with, create a business page, or generate quality content for related groups. A lot of employers use Facebook Careers to create and promote job posts for open positions, reaching qualified candidates right from their newsfeed. The active user base of Facebook includes over 2.19 billion accounts, so the audience coverage is high.
#3. Instagram
Instagram’s possibilities go far from posting pretty pictures. It is an excellent place for business, that offers many advertising options and a perfect toolkit for visually-driven work. Many image-oriented companies are increasingly turning to Instagram to promote their cultures, events, and open jobs.
Sharing some photos and captures with the right hashtags is the easiest way to establish your image, reputation, and abilities. Instead of a mere listing of accomplishments, Instagram visualizes your competencies and skills. You should consider the high scale of products and achievements placed on Instagram, many of which are produced with professional help and can be hardly replicated working on your own.
#4. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a serious network for professionals. It works best not only for job hunting but also as a career management tool. With LinkedIn features, you can signal the recruiters, track specific companies, people, and job ads to open new horizons of the career.
Quick profile updates from time to time won’t work until you expand your range of connections. Find, approach, and connect with influencers to get success in your field. Be active and show off your expertise by posting high-quality content, adding affiliations, commenting on the related posts in professional groups, and receiving recommendations.
In a Nutshell
Social media provide many solutions for education, self-employment, and career boosts. Research all opportunities social networking site provides before you sign up. Think over the purposes you have to create an education, business, or socializing profile. Produce and target the content aligned with your goal and what you want potential employers or clients to see.
No matter whether you are an employer, a self-employed, or a job-seeker, with the power of social media unparalleled tools you’ll find right what you’re searching for.
About the Author
Karen Hampton
Career Coach on LPWS, who knows everything about career exposure on LinkedIn. Excellent at building your skills into a seductive LinkedIn profile and school you in self-marketing.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).