Social media is a fantastic networking tool that allows you to connect with people all around the world. It can also help you find open job positions that you may not have otherwise heard about. Even though social media is a helpful resource, be careful not to let your online activity affect any of your future job opportunities. The below is a general guide on what you should do with your social media accounts if you are job hunting or even before you get to that step.
What Can Employers See?
If something is online, always assume that employers have access to it. During the hiring process, it is almost guaranteed that the employer will be skimming through your social media pages, at a minimum. Knowing this, it may be tempting to delete all your social media accounts altogether. However, this can turn out to be detrimental to you, particularly if the job in question requires you to be familiar with such online tools.
Conduct a Background Check on Yourself
Many employers perform background checks on their candidates, so you must be aware of what they might find. Before you go into a job interview, run a background check on yourself to see what comes up. CheckPeople.com is a good resource that will give you reports of your past contact information, criminal records, and social media activity.
If you see some social media activity that you think employers will not like, you should delete it immediately. This includes suggestive photos, political commentary, mention of drug or alcohol use, slanderous posts, or strongly worded reviews (all reviews should be professionally written, no matter how passionate you feel about the situation).
Prune Your Accounts
The next step you should do is go through all of the accounts that are currently active. This includes but is not limited to your:
- Tumblr
- Tik Tok
It also includes any blogs or video blogs that you have created or contributed to. To the take to comb through all of these accounts and remove anything that could potentially be detrimental to your job interview. Don’t just focus on the last few years. Go all the way back to when you first created your accounts. This is also a good time to look through your friends, followers, and connections.
If they are no longer relevant to you or may negatively impact your application, remove them. Replace these with big-name companies or connections in your industry. The employer will be happy to see that you have an interest in the field, even outside of regular work hours.
A pre-emptive measure you could take on Facebook is changing your privacy settings. This is beneficial if someone uploads a photo of you and tries to tag you in it. If you have your settings changed, you will receive a notification, and you can approve or deny the tag before it is publicly posted. This will help to ensure that nothing inappropriate gets connected to you online.
Tailor Your LinkedIn Account
Your professional accounts, such as LinkedIn, should only contain content related to education or work. If there is anything else on your account, it may be a good idea to remove it. In addition to this, you should take the opportunity to polish your LinkedIn account. This is particularly helpful if you have just graduated from school, and you know that you will have job interviews soon.
Check your account for spelling and grammar, as simple mistakes can be off-putting to a recruiter. Also, make sure that your LinkedIn profile and resume are fully up to date. This includes adding a brief blurb, informing recruiters that you are actively seeking employment. Don’t forget to upload your portfolio or samples of your work. Employers will have an interest in seeing what you offer to the company.
Maintain Your Professional Online Presence
Do not assume that you are safe once you have the job offer. Some employers do periodic checks on their employees to ensure that there is nothing concerning gets posted online. Do not post anything negative relating to the company or content that portrays you in a bad light.
Of course, many employers encourage positive social media posts about their organization. For example, if you complete a training session at work, or if the company comes together to support a good cause, these are things that you can post online.
Bonus Tip: How to Use Social Media to Find a Job Opportunity
Social media networks do not serve only for fun. We understand it is always interesting to chat with people, watch videos, take selfies, etc. However, the source of entertainment can also be the source of better income and financial stability if you use it in the right way. That is the reason why we would like to teach you how to use social media to find a job opportunity.
Join DIfferent Facebook Groups
Facebook is a good place for business and job-seeking purposes. There are many groups out there that have the goal to connect employers with reliable employees. For instance, if you are a web developer, you should join the groups that talk about that subject. They do not necessarily have to be only about jobs. You can also join the groups where people often look for solutions to the tasks they can’t solve. Despite full-time jobs, you may find a part-time job and offer your services as a freelancer. DIfferent freelance platforms are a good option, but they usually charge a commission. We are sure both sides would want to avoid them.
Share Your Knowledge of Social Media
It is strongly recommended that you participate in social media discussions where you can show your knowledge and skills. For instance, Twitter can be a good place for that. On the other hand, you should also share everything you know on Facebook and Instagram. For example, let’s imagine that you want to work as a graphic designer. Your account on Instagram can serve as a good portfolio where you can show your creativity and skills. If you are a content writer, you can share the links on your profiles that will lead to your guest posts, articles, blogs, etc. It is a much better option than sharing images and songs, right?
Still, Don’t Always Share Your Work
There is a good reason why we say this. You probably have some sort of a mentor or role model that you admire a lot. In that way, the employer will have insight into your personality and knowledge as well. Despite that, it is always good to share the knowledge of others. There is a big chance that a person will do the same thing. It is the best possible way to promote your skills and get free advertising. In other words, it will be much easier to reach potential employers in that way.
Follow the Company When You will Potentially Work
This is the best possible way to get familiar with the requirements and expectations of a company. First of all, you will see which values and characteristics they respect. If you notice that you are not the type of person they are looking for, that should be a red flag for you. Companies are not only looking for skilled individuals. It is also essential for them to find a group of people that will have similar tastes, mentalities, and ways of thinking. Despite that, it will be much easier for you to adapt to the new working environment as well.
