How to manage social media during a job search
Dear Sam:
My son will be graduating from college soon and is preparing to enter the job market. He has a good academic record and some reputable internships on his resume, but I’m worried about what he posts online (nights out on the town with his buddies). Am I overly concerned, or could his online activity affect him getting a job?
Dear Larry:
Your concerns are valid. The latest CareerBuilder study shows that 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates. According to the survey, employers consider four main factors when reviewing a candidate’s online presence:
• information that supports his or her qualifications
• the existence of a professional online presence
• what others are saying about the candidate
• any reason not to hire the candidate.
The last part can be subjective, so in addition to warning clients about posting inappropriate photos or information, I caution them against bad-mouthing their current or previous company or coworkers, using an unprofessional screen name and posting about sensitive topics.
The good news is there are websites that can help your son clean up his social media. Two examples are repnup.com and scrubber.social. These sites scan a user’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and identify damaging posts and pictures. These tools are valuable because they search a user’s entire social media history, so they could find posts made years ago. The extent of digging an employer does into a candidate’s online history varies, so it’s better to be safe and remove all potentially harmful content.
While I recommend being cautious about social media, I don’t recommend disappearing from social media entirely. Statistics show that more than half of employers are less likely to interview a candidate they can’t find online, so not having an online presence can be just as bad as having a negative online presence.
Beyond cleaning up his social media profiles, I recommend that your son create a strong LinkedIn profile. A welldeveloped LinkedIn profile can act as an online portfolio, allowing a person to showcase his or her experiences, accomplishments, recommendations and more. A professional online profile is a significant component of an individual’s personal brand, and it’s much better to have a LinkedIn profile appear at the top of Google search results rather than other less professional social media accounts.
LinkedIn is also a valuable networking platform to find and connect with prospective employers, peers and more. A LinkedIn network can become a powerful and wide-reaching virtual Rolodex with which a person can introduce themselves, ask for help and share resources.
Finally, LinkedIn is also a major tool for job searching. Not only can users search for positions through the LinkedIn Jobs portal, but recruiters are able to search for candidates that meet their criteria. More than 90 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to discover talent, and if a candidate is not on LinkedIn, he or she essentially does not exist in the eyes of a recruiter.
With your son’s graduation approaching, time is of the essence. His online persona does indeed have the potential to get him in trouble. Equally important, taking time to cultivate a strong, professional online presence can help your son achieve job search success. Please pass along my well wishes as he starts the next chapter of his life. Samantha Nolan is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and owner of Nolan Branding, a fullservice resume writing firm. Have a resume or job-search question? Email her at dearsam@nolanbranding, visit nolanbranding.com or call 614-570-3442 or 1-888-952-3928.