What Sort of Content Should You Share on Social Media As a Job Seeker?

According to SHRM, 93% of organizations use social media to source talent.

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While your LinkedIn profile might show what you have done in your career, all the content that you share will shine a light on who you are and what you believe in.

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If your future boss is considering offering you a job, it’s probably safe to say they’ve seen your LinkedIn profile and the content you share. Spending an hour perusing your old blogs, tweets and shares is time well invested.

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So, what should you be sharing and what is best avoided?

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• Bad language, swearing or negative commentary of any kind
• Any reference to illegal or potentially immoral activity
• Controversial comments or beliefs (try to avoid politics and religion)
• Poor spelling and grammar – it is not always possible to edit
• Posting about trending topics to improve your content metrics

How could you use it to influence those potential employers in your direction?

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Curate content about your industry. If you have an industry-focused network (and you should, especially on LinkedIn), then liking and sharing industry content a couple of times a week demonstrates interest and expertise. Curate whatever your future boss might like while still staying true to who you are.

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Don’t fear sharing your interests and passions. Sharing your interests allows for genuine connections during the hiring process.

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Support the odd post from potential employers. Engage with your dream employers. Comment, Like and Share their content and tag them. Follow the people working for the team you’d like to join to see what types of content they share, too. When the time comes that they’re hiring or you applied for the job, they’ll recognize your name as someone who is eager to learn and has already engaged with them.

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Tell personal stories when you really care about a topic. You know when you talk to someone about something and suddenly become all animated? Those are the sorts of topics where it is okay to share a monologue now and again.

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Remember, sharing content online is not a popularity contest. Future employers will not judge you on the number of likes or engagements, so do not fall into the trap of only sharing what seems popular.

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Be yourself, everyone else is taken.