Are Your Social Media Habits Hindering Your Job Search?

Social media has become a great way for us to keep in contact with each other and be more accessible to one another, but that also means your posts are more than likely accessible to a potential employer or current one. For some people, there is no problem with that fact. For others, not so much.

Think About What You Post

Using social media to research potential candidates is a growing trend amongst employers. It’s a great way to see past the resume for a lot of recruiters and hiring managers. 43% of employers said they used social networks to research candidates last year and 12% said they were going to start in the year to come. Of those employers already using social media, 51% said that they found content that caused them to not hire that applicant. So what can candidates do to ensure their posts don’t cost them the job?

[Tweet “43% of employers used social networks to research candidates last year.”]

Clean It Up!

That ‘good morning’ selfie or your updates each hour during your night out are not exactly what a potential employer wants to see. There’s nothing wrong with a little fun, but be sure to keep it clean. Of the candidates that were passed for a position, 46% had inappropriate or provocative information or photos on their profiles. In addition to what you post about your personal life, be careful to what you say about your professional one as well. 36% of the candidates that were rejected for a position because of their social media posts had bad-mouthed a previous or current employer. Employers don’t want to hire someone that has already bad-mouthed another company and could turn around and do the same to them.

[Tweet “36% of candidates were rejected for bad-mouthing a previous or current employer.”]

Twitter = Marketing Tool

The point of social media is to be able to construct an image that you want to display to the world, so use that and construct a professional that someone will want to hire. Everything you post could be viewed as how you market yourself to others. 46% of employers said when they researched their candidates they found content that gave them a good idea of the applicant’s personality and could see a good fit within the company culture. By using your posts to exploit your good traits and awesome personality, you just might lock in the job!

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.