Social media presence
As well as preparing your CV and Portfolio you need to make sure your personal social media presence is ready for potential employer’s eyes.
While the Internet offers us a good opportunity to research companies, sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ enable potential employers a sneak preview into your life in and outside of work.
Employers who scan social media profiles have said that they have found content that has led them not to employ a candidate.
About half of these employers said they didn’t employ a candidate because of provocative or inappropriate photos and information posted on profiles; while the other half said they chose not to hire someone because of evidence of drinking and/or drug use on social profiles.
Other reasons included the candidate’s profile displayed poor communication skills, they bad mouthed previous employers, made discriminatory comments or lied about qualifications.
However others were encouraged to employ a candidate because of their social media presence. Because their profile demonstrated a professional/creative attitude, great achievements, good connections and great references and endorsements.
This means you shouldn’t just focus on hiding or removing those dodgy photos from a night out, you should work on building a positive presence. Build strong social networks, review who you are following on twitter and the comments you are putting out there. Think carefully about what your online profile is saying about you. One word of caution though, accent the positives but as with your CV don't include any information you can't support at the interview.