Is your social media profile hurting your job prospects?

You may be under the belief that what you do outside of work hours is your own business, and should have nothing to do with your work life. This, by all accounts, should be the case, but it isn’t. There are so many things that come into play when an employer or recruiter is looking to find the best person for the job, and social media is now one of them. So now, if you choose to display it, your personal life now forms part of your job application.

Gone are the days when you could send your resume or apply online, and someone would review your resume, compare it to the skills and experience required and the other candidates who have applied, and either send you an unsuccessful letter, or call you in for an interview. Today, recruiters and employers alike are checking social media to see if they can get a better idea of the type of person they are looking at.

So what does this mean for you?

The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words,” has never been more relevant than it is these days, and now also plays a part in your online profile. You need to take this into consideration when you’re applying for jobs. If you put photos up on Facebook every weekend of you out at a pub, obviously having quite a few drinks, then this forms an impression in others minds. If your posts include a lot of swearing, rude, racist or sexist jokes etc, you will be judged by this, and I for one, would hate to think I have employed someone who was a risk of seriously offending someone else or being inappropriate at work. Whether or not you think this is fair doesn’t actually matter, you will never even know this is the reason you aren’t getting any calls for interviews.

How does LinkedIn factor in this?

A lot of people forget that their LinkedIn profile is also a part of their social media profile, in fact to employers it is even more important that the other platforms. Most organisations these days have actually introduced a LinkedIn policy through their HR team, and if they haven’t, they should. Most people on LinkedIn have their current and past jobs listed in their profile, this includes the name and often a link to the organisation. When an employee likes, or shares something on LinkedIn, it is a reflection on the organisation they are working for, as much as on themselves.

So what’s the answer?

You have two options here, either lock your accounts down so only your friends can see your posts, or don’t post anything that could in anyway be misunderstood, offensive, inappropriate, or even just give a negative impression. And if you have kids, repeat this message over and over to them, because it will affect them a lot more than it does us.

If you decide to lock down your accounts, then regularly check they are still secure, Facebook in particular changes their privacy rules often and you can find your profile has turned public without even realising it.

As for LinkedIn, keep it professional. Don’t share or post anything negative about people, services, organisations etc, and make sure you are aware if your employer has a LinkedIn policy. It is important that you don’t inadvertently damage your reputation (or that of your employer), or put your job at risk by not knowing the company policy.

If you would like some advice on this topic, or a free health check on your LinkedIn profile, get in touch with us today contact@relmgroup.com.au