Candidates, beware of what you are posting on your social media pages!

November 20, 2013

Sounds like common sense? You’d be surprised!

With 66% of companies using Facebook to recruit, should you really be posting profanities on your Facebook page? NO is the answer. As a candidate, either looking for your first step into the professional world, or as an experienced professional, your social media site is the first thing an employer or recruiter will look at to get a glimpse of you, even before they have seen your CV!

With so many companies using social media successfully to hire, why would anyone want to reflect themselves in a negative light, mentioning illegal drug taking and other unappealing characteristics in a person? 54% of companies use Twitter to recruit; getting involved in any tweeting wars, or anything else that could harm your image at all is not necessary and only makes you a ‘no’ in the eyes of an employer.

Employers will use social media as a database; they can find you if you are looking for a new job or not. And generally if you are not job hunting, but an amazing opportunity comes your way – why would you not want to be contacted about it? So beware of what you write on any social sites – this includes likes, shares, re-tweets. Anything that you openly agree with (by doing any of the aforementioned), will not entice anyone to engage in conversation with you about joining their company… and let’s be really honest, if Google wanted you… they could probably get you, so why stop them offering you an opportunity to talk to them?

This advice is really for two types of people: firstly, recent grads/students looking to get into full time work after study/apprenticeship and secondly for savvy professionals, who are the ones companies want to contact. Don’t portray yourself negatively if you don’t need to. You know that awful video your mate posted? Don’t share it, don’t even think about it. Clean up your profile and make sure you look like the professional you are at work and you will be in for a treat!

Have you seen any awful social media profiles that have made you not contact a candidate? Share your story here…

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