Job hunting? Be careful what you share on Facebook

A picture may be worth a thousandwords,butadrunkenselfiecouldcostyouthatdreamjob.

That’s because almost onethird (30.8 per cent) of recruiters are ‘stalking’ potential candidates on social media, puttingpressureonprofessionals to be savvy about what they post on the internet.

Despite this, 29.5 per cent of UK workers don’t set their socialmediaprofilestoprivate.

A study by job site CV Library explored attitudes towards social media and the effect it has on employability.

The survey found that two thirds (65.7 per cent) of candidates expect to be ‘Googled’ by potential employers and recruiters,with73.4percentstating that they are more careful about what they post online.

More than three-quarters (78.1 per cent) of professionals, meanwhile, believe potential recruiters would judge them based on what they post on social media profiles. What’s more, more than two- thirds (69.3percent)ofrecruitersconfirmedthattheyareinfluenced by what they find online.

“Many employers and recruiters will use social media during their hiring process – andit’scleartheyareinfluenced by what they see online,” says Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library.

“If you use social media, it’s vital you are aware of what you’re sharing and that you understand the implications of postinginappropriateorpotentially damaging content.”

With more recruiters now using social media to screen candidates, CV-Library shares its top tips for being careful online.

Have a search for your own name online. Look carefully at what you find and decide if there’s anything you wouldn’t want potential employers to see.

The easiest way to ensure recruiters aren’t sifting throughyourphotosorupdates is to set your profile to private. This way they can only see your content if they ask to connect.

Go through your online profiles and remove anything which could be deemed inappropriate. It might take a while, but it can be beneficial to your job search.

If you’re using job boards, professionalnetworkingsites,oreven ifyou’vecreatedanonlineportfolio – keep your profile photo professional.