Let’s Talk about Facebook and the Job Search

Move over LinkedIn. Sure you’re good at giving me the stats and seeing if I know anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone at a company. But when it comes to the most important thing (besides money) and that is cultural fit, then Facebook is the place.

Here’s what you should look for in prospective companies’ Facebook posts and why:

Photos:

Do you see a bunch of gray cubicles under cold fluorescent lighting with a birthday cake all sweaty and sad under an AC duct? Or does it seem a little more lively and that people generally care about how the place looks?

Hot Tip:

Wondering what you should wear to the interview? Take a look at what people are wearing in a candid office shot — of course, make sure the photo isn’t from Hawaiian Shirt day.

Why are They Posting:

A lot of companies like to post about volunteering initiatives. If you see a prospective company that posts a lot of these then you know how to answer the common interview question: What sort of projects have you been a part of that you’re really proud of? Go ahead and talk about the charitable, community-building work you’ve done.

Effort.

There’s no right or wrong answer here. Some people want to work for organizations that really make an effort to get their culture out there on social media, while others are maybe slightly annoyed by it. Whatever the case, you can usually gauge by the engagement what sort of an effort is there, how much of it feels organic and how much feels slightly forced.

OK, so we waited till we were far into this post before we introduced this word: Millennial. But before you click away, think about research that shows what millennials want. Whether you are one or not, it might be important that you’re working for a company that is gearing up for the great millennial workforce takeover in 2020 (most workers will be millennials by then). And while you’re looking at companies on Facebook it may be important to note how well they are positioning themselves on social media for this shift. Just a thought, there’s merit in getting behind a Facebook-savvy company and there’s merit in “liking” the separation of social media and work. Go for the one you like.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.

Posted in