"When I look at a candidate's Facebook or Twitter page, I'm looking for a sense of who they are as a person, not for negative material," Erhard explained.
Follow these tips to benefit from potential employers performing social media screenings.
- Don’t erase your profile.
While the fear of something embarrassing or negative being discovered might tempt some job candidates to completely erase their online persona, employers say that strategy can backfire.
About 1 in 5 employers in The Harris Poll’s survey said they won’t call a person for an interview if they can’t find them online. In addition to seeming like you’re trying to hide something, it’s not a good idea to delete your profile because it doesn’t guarantee the data is completely gone. Instead, it’s best practice to keep your social accounts clean and up to date.
“Erasing all of your profiles often implies that you have something to hide,” said Dana Case, director of operations at MyCorporation. “Many LinkedIn or Instagram accounts may still show up in Google searches [after you delete them], even on a cached basis.”
- Use social media to your benefit.
Despite what job candidates might think, most employers are looking for reasons to hire someone. The Harris Poll surveyed over 1,000 employers and found that 67% of them look for information that supports a candidate’s qualifications to get them through the door. [Including your social media handles on your resume shows employers that you’re confident in your online presence.]
“Work to keep your social media accounts current, especially LinkedIn, to reflect your current work experience and accomplishments,” said John Calabrese, an Express Employment Professionals franchise owner, in an interview with The Harris Poll.
If you want to learn more, read our guide on what to post online to optimize your digital job search.
- Google yourself.
Every few weeks or months, take a minute to Google yourself. This is likely where your employer is going to start when they take a look at your online presence, so it’s good to know what will pop up. This will also help you get ahead of anything negative, so you can make sure all the top search results are something you would be fine with your employer seeing.
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Here are some details about the major social media outlets:
Instagram: Compared to the other social media channels, Instagram gives you a little more control over what is posted on your page. Keep your page professional and positive to give potential employers a sense of your attitude and personality.
Twitter: Unless your profile is set to private, anyone can view what you post on Twitter and the other tweets that you like or reply to. Setting your profile to private prevents potential employers from seeing your content on Twitter, but may eliminate an opportunity to make a favorable impression.
Facebook: Facebook is often seen as a more secure form of social media, because only people you are friends with can typically see your profile – if your settings are private. However, you still want to make sure that you are keeping tabs on what users post to your wall, tag you in and comment on your posts.
TikTok: TikTok is quickly becoming a platform that employers often check. If you create videos on the app, it helps your potential employer get a sense of who you are and how you might work with others at the company.
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