Social Media vs. Your Dream Job

Photo by Maddie Klebe
Today nearly everyone has a social media presence. Whether it’s friends, family and even pets, they probably have a Facebook account. Social media isn’t only being used to stay in touch with others, but now recruiters are using social media to check if you’re fit for a job. What you post online can actually be really crucial to your future and could either help or hurt your chances of getting a job.

If you’re applying for internships or a job after graduation, maybe it’s time to revamp your social media profiles. The way you display yourself to the public is extremely important and when you’re employed, you’re a representation of your company as well. Nothing is private guys and people are definitely watching.

A recently conducted survey on Jobvite revealed that 55% of employers have reconsidered candidates because of their social media profiles. The job market is already competitive enough as it is and it’s hard to avoid getting trapped into the “black hole” of job applications. So why hurt your chances even more because of something as small as a silly tweet or photo? What you might’ve considered to be innocent fun, could send out the wrong message, and you never want to send out a wrong message to a potential future boss.

This isn’t only something to keep in mind while applying for jobs, but it’s important when you’re already employed as well. Mashable published a story that featured 10 people who were actually fired from their jobs over controversial content on their social media profiles. Unsurprisingly, the main culprits were inappropriate photos and expletive language. Another thing that can cost you a job is getting too personal online, which is a bit controversial since these are your personal profiles. However, if your bosses happen to be on the more conservative side, they probably wouldn’t appreciate seeing a #TBT post of you doing a keg stand in college.

Sorry to say it, but putting your profiles on private won’t help you too much either. We have the tendency of “friending” our coworkers online and if there’s ever any tension between you, they could try to hurt your job by sharing some posts with executives. Yes it’s annoying, but it happens.

So if you’re not hearing back from recruiters after sending out a ton of applications, maybe it’s time to switch up your online presence. Are the red Solo cup and beer funnel photos really worth it? Probably not.

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