Job search is a process full of complicated steps, procedures, and uncontrollable factors. From a job seeker's perspective, there are so many things you have to be aware of and take into account that it may make you feel dizzy. Social media is one of these things.
Your social media profile really does affect your job. Depending on the content you provide, it may have a positive or negative impact. Think of your profile as your avatar in the online world. How you look, what you say, and the views you express online are just as important as those in real life.
In this article, we’ll discuss why your social media presence impacts your job search, the negative and positive effects it can have, and what you can do to make it work in your favor.
Influence of Social Media
A profile on Facebook or X can say a lot about its owner. But why would anyone need to know about your personal life in the context of hiring and job seeking? In fact, 90% of recruiters and HR managers admit to using social media to search for and recruit candidates. Most businesses actually create their own profiles to effectively communicate with their customers and attract new talent. Typically, there are three different stages of hiring when a recruiter may decide to look at you in detail:
🔎 Candidate Search
As stated above, social media has long been an essential tool in hiring. Therefore, it’s natural to use various platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and others. Over time, LinkedIn has evolved from a professional social network to become a favored tool for recruiting by many. According to reports, 72% of recruiters rely on this platform to discover new talent.
Some recruiters even use Instagram Direct to contact individuals they are interested in. This is particularly common in more creative professions such as design and photography, where many professionals use Instagram as their portfolio.
📝 Background Check
Recruiters and HR specialists often conduct background checks, which include evaluating your social media profiles. Additionally, they check criminal records, driving records, credit history, and references. Background checks are typically conducted to gain insight into candidates, verify the accuracy of their resumes, and more.
If you are interested in the topic and want to learn how to navigate background checks in your favor, read this article.
📊 Resume or Post-interview Evaluation
When the candidate pool remains too large and recruiters seek ways to shorten it, they may choose to examine your social media, if they haven’t already. Therefore, depending on the content they find, it could impact your chances of receiving an offer.
- 90% of HR specialists report using social media profiles to recruit new talent
- Among diverse social networks, LinkedIn is the most popular, with 72% of recruiters choosing it for candidate searches
- Many also evaluate social media as part of the background check, along with criminal and medical records, credit history, references, and more
- Sometimes, a social media profile can also be part of the post-interview evaluation
Ways It Can Harm Your Job Hunt
Certain behaviors and actions can significantly hinder your job search efforts. Here are some key factors that can negatively impact your chances of landing a job:
🙈 Inappropriate Photos
Some aspects of your life are best kept private. For instance, avoid posting photos where you are drinking alcohol, smoking, using substances, or wearing revealing clothing. While you are free to do as you wish, as long as you are of legal age and not breaking any laws, consider avoiding making such posts public.
🤐 Badmouthing Posts
Even if your previous boss was a nightmare, it’s better not to openly express your thoughts online where anyone can read them. The same applies to your former colleagues and companies in general. Starting to create a first impression by criticizing others is not the best strategy. Moreover, it may affect perceptions of your professionalism and skills, highlighting a lack of communication and conflict resolution abilities.
🙅 Too Personal
Your political views, sexual preferences, beliefs, and other personal matters are undoubtedly important, but they are relevant only to you and your close circle. Revealing these details may not only be excessive but could also lead to biased decisions.
- With the fact that many recruiters check social media, there are certain types of posts that may negatively impact your chances
- One of these types includes pictured activities most people should keep private, such as alcohol drinking, smoking, revealing photos, and so on
- Any misunderstandings and conflicts from previous workplaces are better discussed between close friends and not posted online
- There are also things that have no place in the job search, such as religious beliefs, political views, sexual preferences, and other "too" personal details
“Why Do I Have to Change Anything if It’s My Personal Profile?”
It may certainly feel unfair. No one has the right to limit what you choose to post. There's no need to delete your accounts or scrutinize every post to avoid offending someone who has offended you. However, sometimes it's better to prevent unnecessary problems and not make your job search even harder. We recommend a comprehensive solution, even if it's not perfect.
Most people already use LinkedIn as their professional profile. However, that doesn't mean recruiters won’t check your other profiles. To avoid unpleasant situations, there are two simple actions you need to take: restrict your personal accounts and create an additional “open” one.
Accessing your information through the Internet is easy these days, but it's also easy to keep it hidden from strangers.
- No one has the right to tell you what to post, but there are things you should better have control over
- You don’t have to restrict yourself from posting what you want to ensure everything's safe, just restrict access to the profile
- The best decision would be to create a separate professional profile, along with your LinkedIn one, where you can publish job-related posts
- We live in an era where restricting access to your information is as simple as finding it when it’s open
Posting tips for your professional profile
Since it's a professional profile, it's better to post everything that can showcase you as a knowledgeable professional in your field. Here are several types of posts we recommend not overlooking:
📬 Don’t be shy, repost
Feel free to repost anything useful, interesting, and innovative that showcases your professionalism. This can include diverse articles, posts from influencers and individuals who inspire you, educational and scientific content, and much more.
🏆 Your achievements
Any new skills you've acquired, certifications you've received, and achievements in your field are highly valuable. Include conferences, summits, and forums you've participated in, and specify what you learned from them.
🎓 Your knowledge in the sphere
Repost recent news on innovation in your field of expertise, insights from the industry, and your own ideas, research, and conclusions. This will demonstrate you as a passionate specialist eager to develop.
🌈 Your interests and hobbies
This type of post gives you the most freedom. Read a new book? Discovered a new musician? Visited an exhibition? Share it with your audience, highlighting the most interesting parts. It would be particularly impressive if you could connect what you've learned from your hobbies with your job.
- Don’t hesitate to repost everything you like that's related to your field of expertise
- Share news about your professional life, such as gaining new education, certifications, and skills
- Share your thoughts on recent news, innovations, and industry insights
- Your personal hobbies and interests are also important to share
A social media profile with this type of content will create the impression of a well-developed, knowledgeable, and creative individual with opinions and a desire to learn more. Such a profile can address all HR manager’s questions and help you stand out without needing to delete your main account.