Your Social Media Profile
For most of us, the internet opens up new opportunities. We can shop, bank, research, work and connect when and where we want to. But the online world can also give criminals opportunities to steal money, information or identities.
Why this matters to you
Many Australians may not be aware of the risks we face in cyberspace – but the good news is that you can take simple steps to better protect your personal and financial information online.
When you share things online you may be sharing with people you do not know or trust. Once a message, photo or video has been shared, you also won't be able to control where it goes. Financial losses, scams, identity theft and fraud are some of the more serious issues that you might face if you don’t have things in place to manage how you share your personal information online.
In 2015 Australians lost $229 million to scams. Nearly 40 percent of scam approaches occurred through email, over the internet or through a social network platform and accounted for 44 percent of losses. This included over 15,000 reports of phishing scams resulting in a total reported loss of $363,270.
Protecting yourself online is about more than avoiding financial losses. Imagine if all your family photos were suddenly taken from your computer? Or your personal email contact list was stolen and used to scam your friends and family? The same measures you can use to protect your information from criminals can also save your valued files from accidents, failure and loss. Simple things like backing up your data can protect your valuable personal files, photos and video.Taking care of your safety online is no more complicated than the steps you take in other aspects of your life. We all do things to safeguard our physical belongings such as locking our doors and keeping hold of our wallets. By taking the same care of your devices and when engaging online, you can protect yourself and your online assets.
Your Profile and Social Media
Personal social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, can work for you or against you in the workplace. An increasing number of employers are searching for job applicants’ accounts before granting a job interview. Depending on what they find there, they may choose to interview you or not interview you. Some job applicants never get a call-back and don’t understand that their social media content has let them down.
Your account can work against you if you do the following:
- Post images or videos that show use of alcohol or drugs, nudity, or other behaviours that would not recommend you as an employee.
- Have posted messages on your wall that use profanity, have sexual overtones, or in any other way discredit you or those who are your friends.
- Make comments that indicate you may not be tolerant of the views and behaviours of others.
Your account can work for you if you use it wisely to try to find job openings through these activities:
- Maintain a professional, responsible and respectful online presence through content you upload and the comments you make.
- Post about your different interests and activities – particularly those involving creativity and innovation.
- Posting messages such as "Do you know of any companies in Tasmania that hire graphic artists?"
- Becoming a fan of companies you would like to work for.
- Using the job-search apps that are available.
Research companies where you might want to work
Social networking provides an informal way to get information about companies of your interest. Of course, you can't believe everything you read, but you may gather some useful information.
Build a professional profile on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a social networking site designed to assist people to create a professional online presence and communicate with each other for the purpose of finding a job. There are many resources to help you get started on or improve your LinkedIn Profile:
- LinkedIn Basics - https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/topics/6001/6002
- LinkedIn for Students of all ages (includes great videos and checklists - https://university.linkedin.com/linkedin-for-students
- LinkedIn Safety Centre - https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/safety
LinkedIn has approximately 400 million members, located in practically every country in the world.
A LinkedIn profile can be a powerful tool to help you achieve your professional goals, from taking the next step in your career or building a network of prospective clients to strengthening your web presence or growing your influence.
Tips for your LinkedIn Profile
- Use a photo, and make it great: the first thing most people notice when viewing a LinkedIn profile is the photo. It shapes their initial impression, subtly influencing their reaction to everything else on the profile.
- Add a custom headline: Customise your headline to feature skills that set you apart from your competition, use it to highlight what you do, what you want to do, or a combination of the three.
- Create a custom LinkedIn URL: When you registered, LinkedIn automatically generated a profile URL that you can include in an email signature, resume, or even add to your business card.
- Volunteering Experience: When it comes to getting the attention of recruiters, volunteer work can be nearly as important as paid work experience, particularly if it relates to your industry.
- Awards: Awards can set you apart from your competition, providing you are including career-related accolades.
- Certifications: If you work in an industry where certifications are valued, include those that you have earned.
- Organisations: If you belong to any organizations that are related to your current or future career, you can note them in this section of your LinkedIn profile.
- Projects: Showcasing projects you have worked on is a nice way to show recruiters and other LinkedIn members your capabilities.
How to find a job on LinkedIn
Here are ways to find available jobs on LinkedIn:
- Homepage feed: Within your network feed, you will find Jobs you may be interested in. These positions are recommended by LinkedIn based on information in your profile
- Company pages: There are tens of thousands of company pages on LinkedIn. Most big companies list current open positions on their pages. Follow companies that interest you and you will also see the jobs they post in your network feed.
- Jobs page: Click on the Jobs link in the toolbar. LinkedIn will take you to your jobs page, where you will find jobs LinkedIn thinks might interest you at the top, and jobs at companies that employ professionals in your network at the bottom.
- LinkedIn search: Enter job titles, company names, and other keywords in the search field in the toolbar, and LinkedIn will return relevant search results.