Looking for a job these days is no doubt easier than it used to be. Paring away from traditional newspaper ads and employment agencies, employers are now relying on social media to find their next great hire. Posting available positions onto online job boards is now the common way to recruit amongst many businesses. Applicants are then simply one click away from directly applying.
As simple as it has become to access specific details regarding job opportunities, it’s also becoming increasingly easier for an employer to find out about their potential candidates – before the interview process has even begun.
In some aspects, the Facebook world has literally taken over the real world.
The free social media tool openly invites the public to share comments, photos, and conversations amongst their chosen “friends”. Statuses are updated regularly, instantly informing others of daily activities, thoughts, opinions, and even upcoming personal agendas.
The truth of the matter is that you don’t even have to be someone’s “friend” in order to find out personal information anymore.
You can simply log on to a specific website and instantly gain information as well as a rare insight into a complete stranger’s personal life.
It’s not surprising then, that employers are now naturally more inclined to look up potential candidates that have submitted their candidacy, and give them a brief review.
But are they really gaining any depth of insight into the applicants’ true qualifications?
No.
However, the information they gain could potentially be much more valuable – and harmful than you think.
Let’s consider a few Facebook statistics. According to careerbuilder.com, more than 4 in 10 employers discarded a job seekers resume after checking out their public profile on Facebook.
Additional reports suggest the following;
- 45% of employers check Facebook when considering potential employees
- 82% of colleges use Facebook to recruit new candidates
- 39% of employers have checked their current employees Facebook profiles.
Information such as current work statuses, friends-in-common, and what you presently do for a living can be extremely intriguing to a future employer.
According to www.buzzle.com here are the top reasons given by employers for not hiring someone based on an a social media search:
- Lying about job qualifications – 31%
- Poor communication skills – 25%
- Links to criminal behavior – 24%
- Trash-talking previous employers – 19%
- Posting inappropriate photographs online – 11%
- Using unprofessional screen names – 8%
Thoughtless use of Facebook has led people to actually lose their jobs in the past. Job seekers have been found out for lying about their qualifications, with employers checking their Facebook pages to see if their online details matched their resume. Sadly, this can unquestionably affect your overall chances of gaining an interview before you’ve even had the chance to try.
So are the consequences of having a social-media existence worth the fallout of your current employment – and chance of jeopardizing a future one? As long as you’re smart about it – there’ s no need to worry about either.
For the average online job seeker, the following are five tips you may want to consider when maintaining and updating your public information on social media sites.
Display Pictures
The primary picture you post online should be generally wholesome and proper. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a professional image, but you should avoid questionable poses and explicit images.
Comment-cautious
If you allow everybody to view your profile, be careful of the pictures and comments you post on your wall. Always do an inventory of the things you want to post and make sure they won’t cause any damage on your professional career. If it’s something appropriate that your Mom would approve of, chances are it’s probably ok for a future employer.
Revealing too much.
Some Facebook users make the mistake of putting every bit of personal information into their account from their personal thoughts, to their relationship views, as well as political and religious beliefs. This may indisputably set the grounds for discrimination issues if employers want to hire you.
Positively Negative
Writing about a nasty opinion about a co-worker, trash-talking your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, or even demoralizing your previous boss through a series of expletives can clearly be seen as aggressive and unprofessional behavior – even though its being done in your own time. Employers want someone who’s got the right attitude to produce results and you might miss your chance to impress when you’ve done these negative things… in public.
Privacy Settings.
One of the most important and safest things you can do to safeguard your privacy is to tweak your Facebook settings to display only certain amounts of information. When you’re job searching, you never really know what comes your way so it’s better to be safe than sorry. When it comes to impressing employers, it’s all about having a clean and professional image.
More than ever, already-hired employees are paying careful attention to what is on their Facebook.
Yes, work is only a portion of your life, and it’s not a bad thing to be a part of these websites, but it is crucial to keep your social life on the Internet tasteful – and edited. For those of us looking to advance our careers at some point in our lives, you never know who’s going to be checking out your profile – and quite possibly – using it to base decisions that could undoubtedly shape the future of your professional career.
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