Do you think about what you post on your social media accounts? If you’re looking for a job then you should!
Recent research by CareerBuilder found that around 60% of recruiters in the US use social media to garner more information about a candidate. We imagine it’s a similar story here in the UK, though we’ll leave it to you to guess whether we are in the 60% ourselves!
Read the full article at – http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2016/04/28/37823/
The truth is that it is irrelevant whether you think it’s ethical for a recruiter to check out your personal social media feeds because it goes on regardless. It is part of a recruiter’s job to make sure their client is getting the best possible candidates for consideration. If you’re actively looking for a job, then you need to be careful what you post.
You may think that no-one really looks at your social media postings but once you cross the line and post something, it’s no longer a secret. Whether you have 1 follower, or 1 million, the content is there for all to see. Let’s hope Gary Lineker doesn’t regret this tweet from earlier this month.
Whether or not Gary is right or wrong in his early assessment of Leicester City’s likely league finishing position, it would take a very brave man to go back on this promise, especially as it’s been retweeted over 33,000 times, taking the reach of this lone tweet into the millions. OK, Gary is a very famous seller of crisps and will inevitably attract attention, but when you’re looking for a job, you’re trying to catch the attention of potential employers and those tasked with working on their behalf. Probably best to not give off a bad impression of yourself.
To make a bad impression of yourself, according to the research, you should use bad language, use inappropriate or provocative photos, show yourself up as a racist or bigot, bad-mouth your current or former employers, or show general poor communication skills.
To create a good impression, you should use a professional photograph, share updates which support the skills you claim to have, and have good communication skills.
It’s not a good idea to stay off social media altogether either – around 40% of employers say that lack of digital presence is off-putting. Maybe in this age of almost everyone using social media, it looks suspicious if you don’t.
So what can you do? First of all, look at all your social media accounts and put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. Is there anything in there which would make a recruiter think twice before recommending you to an employer?
Then improve your accounts. Can you add positive stories to your accounts which reinforce your professional image? Can you replace your dodgy profile pic with something more professional, for example.
Going forward, employers have been known to use social media to keep a check on employees, so don’t think that the game stops once you’re safely in the job. Be mindful of what you post on social media all of the time – you never know who might be watching!
Why not follow us on social media too?
- Our Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/4LeisureRecruitment
- Our Twitter is https://twitter.com/4leisure
- And we are now on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/4leisurerec/