Social media has become an important part of our life. We post about our life and follow what our friends are doing. When posting on social media we express ourselves and post not with the thought that recruiters will search our profile, so usually, we present our true self. However, due to the content usually being posted on social networks, recruiters have been referring to these in order to conduct some background checks on potential job seekers.
Recruiters browse job seeker’s profiles so as to make sure that the applicant is the best fit for the job and the company. They check if the applicant fits into the company’s corporate culture and whether he/she shows professionalism. Therefore one’s postings on social media will either help or hinder your chances into your dream job.
In order to obtain the job, job candidates try their utmost to present their best self. Therefore, since social media presents the individual’s true self to some extent, recruiters go to social media to gather genuine information. When recruiters search, they find videos, pictures, text, and anything else that can either be positive or negative for the applicant.
Jobvite’s annual recruiting survey (2018) noted that when recruiters go on social media they mostly look out for the following as red flags for employment. The first is seeing any references to drugs (specifically Marijuana 58%). This is followed by political rants (47%), spelling and grammar mistakes (43%) and pictures of alcohol consumption (42%). In the same survey from the previous year (Jobvite, 2017), showing off one’s wealth and big purchases, wearing revealing attire and limited social presence were also mentioned as negatively affecting one’s entry into the company. Despite these disheartening results, social media also serves as a space for the positives that recruiters look for. In fact, the recruiters in the Jobvite’s annual recruiting survey (2018) mentioned engagement in local/national organisation groups (60%), examples of written or design work (58%) and mutual connections (36%) as positively impacting a recruiter’s decision to move forward with a candidate.
Therefore, whether one agrees with it or not, things posted on social media are of public domain and may be used by recruiters to further scrutinise our applications. Thus, we have to be more cautious on what is posted on social media. In the following blog, some tips on the dos and don’ts on the use of social media to improve one’s hiring potential will be provided.
References:
“Recruiter Nation Study” Jobvite, 2018, www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-Recruiter-Nation-Study.pdf.
“Recruiter Nation Report”Jobvite, 2017, www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Jobvite_2017_Recruiter_Nation_Report.pdf
Ann Julene Hili is a Career Guidance Practitioner with Willingness. She specializes in working with teens and young adults who are in their educational and career transitions. She can be contacted on annjulene@willingness.com.mt or call us on 79291817.