Social Media and the Modern Job Hunter
These days almost everyone has a Facebook, Twitter or other social media profile, all of which is available on line, free for all to see. So, what exactly does your profile say about you? For the modern job hunter, social media can quickly become your enemy and you may wonder why you didn’t get that job you just applied for. Look no further than your phone or tablet to understand why.
Social Media is a great tool to stay in touch with friends, family and other contacts in a simple and easy to use way. We share pictures of ourselves and loved ones, post messages of things that are important to us and let people know about important events in our lives. Family birthdays, overseas trips, bereavements, pets, breakfast….you name it, you can find it out there.
The thing is, there’s always a flip side. If you can find someone’s profile, so can a prospective employer — and trust me, they will. Employers will use a variety of methods to determine your suitability to fit with their company values and the existing team members. CV’s and references have been used in this way for a long time, but the addition of technology has changed the face of recruitment. Social media is an interesting one because it’s one of the more recent developments, but gives an outsider a very intimate window into our lives.
For example, scrolling through screeds of pictures of someone in family situations, with children and parents, maybe of the house they’ve bought or the new car they are very proud of, paints a picture. Scrolling through screeds of pictures of someone continually partying, drug references or offensive behaviour paints a very different picture. While offensive behaviour can be funny in a picture, it may reflect badly in the mind of someone looking to profile you.
The fact is, perception is a very powerful thing. This is not to say that you shouldn’t post things, but rather, it’s about being mindful of how this might be seen by someone from the outside.
Think about it this way — if you were to scroll through a stranger’s account, with a view to hire someone, how would you choose that person? What would the qualities be that you would find important? Similarly, what would ring alarm bells for you? This is the way that employers use social media as a recruitment tool. It’s a gauge on how we live, what our values might look like, some of our interests and family dynamics.
So, the next time you feel that you want to have a go at an old employer, praise a bunch of your existing work mates, tell the world how well you got treated somewhere or put up a photo of you giving your old boss the middle finger wave, think twice! Ask yourself what the possible long-term implications of that might be on your career — that’s not saying you shouldn’t do something, but consider it first. The world wide web isn’t as big as you might think!