When applying for a job, your potential employer will check references. What if they want to know more about who you are? It is likely they will check social media; which is why having a profile on LinkedIn can be a great tool to promote yourself.

LinkedIn bills itself as “the world’s largest professional network.” It is a platform that seeks to “connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” It was launched in 2003 and has been used by more than 706 million individuals for everything from finding a job to finding a provider of services.

Your LinkedIn profile is a wonderful place where you can tout your successes and show recommendations from colleagues, customers, or employers. Think of it as your online resume – plus it's interactive!

Just like your resume, there are tricks and tips to help you stand out among those 706 million users.

You have followed all of the steps correctly: you’ve updated your resume, you custom wrote a cover letter for each job application, you modify key details in your resume to highlight your experience in relation to the job description, you follow-up to check on the status of the application and reiterate your interest in the position … but you’re still not getting an interview.

Could your social media account be to blame?

In a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers reported they use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process. According to The Muse, a career website, 1 out of 3 employers will reject a candidate based on something they found in social profiles.

Such pre-interview reviews of social media aren’t restricted to LinkedIn, the “professional” social media site. Employers are routinely looking at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even Snapchat accounts in order to determine if you’re a good fit for the company from both a skills - and a company culture - perspective.