How to get your dream job through social networks

By Luz Lancheros

Ninoshka Fasce, Expert in Human and Academic Capital from the Business School of the Universidad Mayor, Chile, sat down with Metro for tips on online recruiting.

What are the networks that employers often check for hiring?

Definitely LinkedIn, that’s the entry profile you have. As a recruiter, you don’t place an ad or open an offer, but actively look for people who fit the profile you are looking for. This is the main tool and is the way to make yourself visible to people who are looking for someone.

What are common reasons why a resume could be discarded? 

The reasons why one might discard a resume is that there may not be a good fit, just as there may not be a good cultural feel. I think it is a mistake in network management to be too critical. If you use networks to complain in a visceral way, and if on LinkedIn you also make too many allusions like that, as well as on other networks and if the recruiter sees that you are too belligerent or that you upload too much information about inappropriate content, this has an influence. Everything you upload is public. If people upload inappropriate things to their public profiles, it gives employers some insight into their lifestyle. And employers do not want to hire someone who is belligerent. 

Tell us more about the use of LinkedIn.

It is driven by an algorithm and rewards the most stellar profiles. Those that are complete. And that is difficult. And two, that contribute to the network, that add value, that upload content. That’s why you have to fill it in and the algorithm makes you appear in the searches. A good photo helps, better if you look at it from the front and dressed in such a way that it generates the feeling that it fits the position you are looking for. Change the banner too: it should speak of your personal brand. Then have the complete information of the curriculum and transfer it to LinkedIn. Put your achievements in the positions and use keywords. 

The next thing the algorithm rewards is the people who upload content. We need to interact by giving recommendations to other people, then share and comment on everything that goes with our brand. It is better if you generate articles, as well as uploading videos. Talk about your offer and the problems you can solve. It is possible to monitor how many times your profile was looked at, with which words employers found us and improve the visibility.

How do you separate professional from social networks? 

There is no such thing. There has to be coherence between social networks. And we can’t be different. We are the same, only in different scenarios. Although you are still the same person, on Facebook you make posts for friends. On LinkedIn, it’s more like how you work, but you’re still the same, and what appears in one profile influences the other. If there is coherence, there is no contradiction. The personal brand has to be sincere, coherent and human.

BY THE NUMBERS

60%

of jobs are found through networking.

75%

of resumes are discarded by the search engine algorithm.

54%

of employees have rejected candidates based on their social networking profiles, according to the 2017 CareerBuilder study.