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So you’ve impressed in the interview and the job is nearly yours, but in the growing age of social media, it doesn’t end there. The interview is no longer always the final deal breaker; more and more employees are taking to social media after an interview to check the fit is as perfect as they hoped.

While your resume may list your academic and professional achievements, employers are just as interested as who you are as a person and how that will impact on the business if you were to join. The problem is that in the lead up to interviews job seekers rarely think about the impact social media could have on their employability, not realising how a simple status or profile picture could be detrimental to their job search. Below, we offer our tips on ensuring that your social media profiles don’t ruin your dream job before it’s started.

Profile Picture
We all know that first impressions really do count and downing vodka from the bottle or posing in next to nothing hardly screams hire me! When businesses search for you, your profile picture is the first thing they’ll see, don’t worry this doesn’t mean you need a professional headshot as your photo, but maybe opt for something a little more respectable and a little less hooligan.

Don’t be naive
Remember, once you post something it is out there for the world to see. We’ve all had bad days at work and feel the need to vent frustrations, but social media may not be the right outlet for it. A potential employer seeing you have bad mouthed previous employers is not going to work in your favour. So next time you think about posting that Facebook rant about your ‘horrible’ boss, text your friend to moan instead

Control your Privacy settings
If you think there may be anything on your social media that may impact your career search then it’s best off to play it safe and remove it. However, if you don’t want to then your privacy settings are going to become your best friend. You can use these settings to make you difficult to find, or to hide certain information from everyone but connections. This is a great way to ensure your ‘Maga 07’ photos stay under the radar.

Don’t by any means feel you can’t show some character and have a laugh on your social media accounts, but maybe just think twice when posting if this would impress a recruiter or a hiring manager. Use social media to your advantage, not to your disadvantage and you’ll have secured your dream job in no time!

The Olympics gets underway this weekend and countries all over the world will be focused on the athletic event. Many of us will watch in awe of the skill, dedication, talent and focus that athletes from all over the world put in. Yet these traits do not only apply to Olympic athletes, they can also be carried over to the non-Olympic world.
The drive to aim for the best, the passion to battle through any setbacks and the unrivalled work ethic of these athletes are skills that can help us progress in our job or secure a new role. So if you are looking for a change in career, here are some lessons you can learn from the Olympics to get you gold in your job hunt.
1. Never stop improving
For Olympic athletes the drive to continually improve can be the difference between getting gold and heading home with nothing. They must constantly push themselves to be faster, stronger, and better than they’ve ever been. This is the attitude you should have to your job search. Pushing yourself to learn, improve and excel will help ensure you beat off the competition.
2. Don’t give up
Olympic athletes can have all sorts of setbacks thrown their way from injuries to heart breaking defeats. Athletes don’t take these setbacks as a time to give up, they take these and use it as determination to do better next time. So if you happen to get a no in an interview, don’t give up keep going and working hard to get the next role you apply for.
3. Have a game face
Competing in front of millions of people can be an extraordinary nerve wracking experience, but when looking at many of the best athletes you wouldn’t be able to tell. They manage to keep their fear and nerves under wraps, allowing them to come across as strong and confident. If you’re nervous about an interview do your best to put on your game face, create a professional persona and show that you have the skills, drive and determination to succeed.
4. Have a clear goal
Every athlete in the Olympics will have a goal, more than likely this will be to win gold. But this is simply the last of a set of goals they have achieved along the way to get to the event itself. Set yourself goals along the way of your job search, maybe it is to secure two interviews for the next week, or apply for 5 jobs a day. Whatever it may be, by achieving those goals you will be one stop closer to getting your new job.
5. Use your strengths to succeed
When it comes to the Olympics each athlete will play on their strength to get them to the finish line. When it comes to your job search make sure you use your strengths to your advantage. What skills and experience do you possess that other candidates may not have? What is it that you have that makes you perfect for the role? Be confident and proud of your strengths and achievements.
Over the coming weeks, if you’re watching the Olympics, think about the skills that have been put in to get to where they are, apply these to your job search and you’ll be on your way to your job search. If you need a bit of coaching or support along the way, why not in touch with one of our expert consultants on 01489 774 010 and see how they can help you achieve gold.