I’m sure many of us can remember the days when you needed a college email address to have a Facebook account. Now, even our grandparents have timelines! If Nana is looking at your social media, you better believe recruiters and employers are too.
In fact, roughly 42% of employers check the social media of a candidate before even calling them in for an interview! Don’t let your tweets spoil your chances of landing a job. Use these guidelines as MUST-DO’s for making your social media job-search-friendly.
The Good
- Spoiler alert: LinkedIn is the most popular social network for business purposes. Therefore, you must remember that it is for PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY. That’s not to say you shouldn’t show your personality – after all, that will set you apart in the sea of stuffy profiles. However, always keep it professional (meaning, no selfies and, unless it has some correlation with your industry or professional goals, save your review of Silicon Valley for another social site.)
- Use social media to your advantage! Post current or evergreen content related to your industry to spark the interest of recruiters/employers and build your credibility even before your phone interview.
The Bad
- Friends don’t let friends drink and tweet. If your profiles are public, beware of posting something you can’t take back. Even if you “delete” that tipsy-tweet you sent about how annoyed your boss made you today, it is the Internet and it could be there forever for potential or future employers to see.
- Think before you link: Linking your Facebook to your Twitter without thinking first could potentially lead to some NSFW content ending up where it shouldn’t be.
And The Ugly
- We all love Frank the Tank… But no one wants to hire him. What happens in Vegas, (or at your old college frat parties or your friend’s bachelorette beach bash) should, for the most part, stay off social media.
- If the photo of you doing a keg stand absolutely MUST be shared, make sure your privacy settings are up to date! Protect your tweets, make your Instagram private and/or check your Facebook sharing permissions. (And if you’re even thinking about putting something like that on LinkedIn, you should probably just give up on your job search now.)