Is social media hurting your job search?

Social media plays a growing role in the recruitment process and can affect your chances to secure a new job. 

Out of those surveyed, over half of employers research potential employees on social media before hiring and this could impact their decision to interview a candidate or offer a role.

How can you make the most of social media to develop your career while avoiding any negative effects of your online profile?

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is widely regarded as the key professional social media platform, with over 75% of job seekers using the platform. Many employers will look at LinkedIn first to get a snapshot of a person before deciding to offer them an interview or not.

• Ensure that your LinkedIn profile is fully completed and up to date, including your education and job history
• Use your profile to highlight key responsibilities and accomplishments in your career and grab the attention of an employer
• Join and contribute to groups relevant to your industry

Getting recommendations and endorsements from colleagues or previous employers can also help you stand out against the competition. 

Facebook

Out of those surveyed, 85% of employers classed Facebook as a personal site rather than professional. Ensuring that your Facebook page is not accessible to anyone outside your social circle is a sensible precaution.

Some key steps to making sure you’ve kept your profile private are:

• Know what others can see on your page
• Stay up to date on Facebook’s privacy settings
• Make sure to keep your photographs, posts and tags hidden
• Remove your Facebook page from Google searches

If you choose to have a public profile, make sure that you do not post anything that you would not be comfortable with your employer seeing. 

In some cases, people have lost their jobs based on comments or posts they have made on Facebook. Even after you have a job, be cautious not to use Facebook to write grievances about your workplace.

In some cases, people have lost their jobs based on comments or posts they have made on Facebook

Twitter

Unless you work in a marketing, digital or communications role, Twitter is also considered more appropriate for personal use.

If you do work in a role where having a Twitter voice can be valuable, you are still able to hide who you follow and who follows you by creating private lists.

For professionals who have a wholly personal Twitter presence, protecting your account may be important. It is possible to hide personal information from the public on the platform including your tweets, tweets you’re tagged in, people you follow, and people who follow you.

Even with a private profile, employers will be able to see details you provide about yourself in your bio area. Keep your summary brief, appropriate and remove any information you wouldn’t want an employer to know.

Following these steps can reduce the chance of an employer deciding whether or not you are right for the job before even interviewing you.