10 Ways To Show You've Got What It Takes

Employers are desperately searching for new employees who have the skills and personality to fit within their organization. And they are using social media and online content to pre-assess candidates.

Why? Because they can and they know they'll find information. By researching potential candidates prior to a phone interview, recruiters narrow the field of candidates and it saves them time.

According to CareerBuilder's 2018 research, 70% of recruiters look at candidates social media accounts and 66% use search engines to evaluate candidates.

If you are thinking about locking down or deleting your social media accounts, don't! Recruiters expect to find information and if they don't, almost half say they are likely to eliminate the candidate.

Instead, take pro-active steps to attract the right types of opportunities by highlighting the right skills and sharing the right content! You have the power and opportunity to influence employers! You just need to present the right first impression!

CareerBuilder reported 11 things recruiters were swayed by when looking at a candidate's online presence.

Use these as a checklist for improving your LinkedIn (and other social media) profiles and status updates. And if you don't have an online portfolio or personal website, consider getting one. It's a small investment to ensure you own your online reputation.

1. background information supported their professional qualifications for the job
2. creativity
3. site conveyed professional image
4. well-rounded, showed wide range of interests
5. got a good feel for the job candidate’s personality, could see good fit within company culture
6. great communications skills
7. received awards and accolades
8. other people posted great references about candidate
9. interacted with company’s social media accounts
10. posted compelling video or other content
11. had large number of followers or subscribers (you can control this, but it may not be a priority).

Want help with #10, posting compelling content? Use these ideas to post weekly status updates on LinkedIn and Facebook (daily on Twitter and Instagram)/

If you want more tips on how to build an online reputation of excellence, be sure to visit CareerSherpa.net or subscribe to get free tips delivered to your inbox here.

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I help people who are serious about their careers and future goals leverage social networks to create online visibility and a reputation of excellence. Sharing the latest trends in job search, careers and social media is a passion of mine. This is why I write and speak about these topics to help job seekers understand the new rules and give them the competitive edge they need to land their next role.

I founded Career Sherpa.net to deliver actionable advice and tips. My work has been featured in USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, Aol Jobs, LifeHacker, The Muse, Business Insider and many other media outlets. Follow me on Twitter to get your daily dose of up-to-date job search insight