Boost your career with social media

It is discussed already widely in the media - HR managers check your social media profiles to find out if they are not hiring someone who could embarrass the company. Therefore, you have to manage your online identity on multiple profiles also with respect to that - making a good impression on potential employers. Always think of who will be able to look at your profile. If you don't want your boss or HR managers to look at a certain profile, manage privacy settings accordingly. If it is a network where you mix private and business contacts - choose your friends wisely. You might want to avoid that one of your business contacts see you tagged on a picture like this:


However, social media is not only a risk but presents many opportunities to your career. It can help you present something extra than just a boring CV. And it can make networking and building up useful relationships so much easier.
Besides making sure that your "private life" profiles do not put you into a bad light, there are specific media you can use especially to boost your career. LinkedIn and Xing are two examples of social networks dedicated to professional networking. Your profile there should be built up like an application to impress potential employers. Use groups and company profiles to inform yourself, participate in discussions about your field of expertise and thus show your interests and connect with people from the same industry. Writing a blog with topics relevant to your career aspirations will also help to establish contacts. A well managed and written blog or posts in related forums will also help you stand out from the crowd and attract the attention of HR managers. If you're interested in this topic, you might find the article "Boost your career with social media" useful.
Another possibility to differentiate could be a video cv like this one on youtube:


Do you think an application like this can be more successful than sending your CV to companies?