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Will Social Media Ruin Your Future Successes?

18-03-2022
Job seeker advice

Do you use Social Media? Why?

Tweet Celebrities? Catch up with friends? Share funny stories/pictures? Miss out on your dream job? Get bypassed for promotion? Lose your current job?

Interact with celebrities? Share funny anecdotes? Get rejected for your dream job? Diverted from a promotion?

Whilst some of these may seem a little far-fetched, your digital footprint might make that happen.

Over the last few years, social media has gained increasingly large numbers of interaction. Majority of people will have: A Twitter account, Facebook account, LinkedIn, AND Instagram. It is extremely easy to find, just put a person’s name into a search engine and see what comes up. Although you may think that posting online won’t affect your application / relationship with employers, it can! 53% of employers will search on Facebook for a profile before inviting you for an interview.

Whilst the next few headings may seem obvious, taking action and cleaning up the digital dirt on yourself could work wonders on your current job search.

Take a look at our suggestions:

Critiques of current / ex-employers

It is normal to have a bad day, even if you love your job. Although you may feel the need to vent, be careful who you vent to. Having a conversation with your friend and posting on your thoughts on your Facebook profile are very different. You could risk your boss seeing your critiques and jeopardising your career and any future roles with new employers. Depending on what you have written, your current employer could take disciplinary action.

Unsuitable photos

Look! The pictures you took from your mid-week pub session have been posted on social media. The following day you call in sick... what’s your excuse? Although your employer can’t dictate what you do on your day off, do you think they will have sympathy for somebody too hungover to come to work or someone who shows up still potentially intoxicated operating heavy machinery. Ensure your photo settings are private or make sure you aren’t friends with your employer on social media.

Inappropriate remarks / Foul language

We are lucky enough to be entitled with freedom of speech, but argumentative behaviour and disruptive comments will not work in your favour. Creating a more secure profile, with privacy set to just friends will avoid new employers from seeing them. Once something is online, it is not always easy for it to be removed.

Be careful of who you add online

You should only accept connections / requests from people you know. Just because you spoke to the tool setter once, doesn’t mean they won’t report inappropriate postings to the HR department or your on-site manager.

Going private

Every Social Media platform has a variety of privacy options. When seeking a new job consider what content you share and what you want to be public. LinkedIn is a great way to connect with people professionally as opposed to Facebook or Twitter which is more personal.

When sharing information online it is no longer private, the world can see that you took your children to Disneyland in 2012. You need to consider what content is ok to post online and what could be affecting your image. The Career Toolbox demonstrates the best way to present yourself online and become desirable to an employer.

Before Social Media became the new norm, people still had just as much fun without documenting it online. Continue interacting with friends and having a good time online, just think before pressing that ‘post’ button. Don’t let anger or fun ruin other opportunities further down the line.