Posted something on Facebook and think only your friends will see it? The truth is that 45% of recruiters use social media platforms to scan a potential employee before recruiting.
Social recruiting is an emerging recruitment strategy which delivers results and is here to stay. It’s emerged that one in every three employers have rejected candidates based on something they have found out about them online. The most common platforms which recruiters use to scan potential employees are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google. It’s said that it takes an average of 5.7 seconds for someone to get an impression on you based on your online presence
So, what does this all mean? The truth is that if you are hunting for a new job, it’s no longer just about having a solid CV. Having a ‘clean and professional’ online presence is also very important.Follow these steps to clean up your online presence:
1. Google yourself
You’ll be surprised about what will pop up when you Google your name. Remember that time you slipped in front of a club and your ‘friend’ posted it on Myspace (we doubt you remember this)? Remember that competition you entered to win a Hooters voucher? Scroll through the posts that mention your name and try remove everything that will have a negative impression on possible recruiters.
2. Censor Twitter
Your Twitter accounts can reveal key insights into your likes, dislikes, views and beliefs. Spend some time going through recent and old tweets. Delete tweets where you rant about your ex-boss, employees, friends or our country. A recruiter will be less keen to hire you if your Twitter account is filled with profound language, photos of you completely wasted or terrible grammar and spelling mistakes. If you would prefer that possible recruiters cannot access your Twitter rants, then make sure your account is set to “protected”.
3. Facebook stalk yourself
Most of us have years and years’ worth of posts, shares and photos on Facebook. Firstly check your privacy settings. This can be done in the Privacy Settings and Tools section on Facebook. You will be surprised at how much the public can see if you have not manually set your privacy settings. The next thing to do is scroll through ALL of your photos. Use your common sense to delete inappropriate photos and remove yourself out of tags. Lastly go through the posts you’ve shared and the pages you’ve joined. A general clean up here will also be a good idea.
4. Love Linkedin
Having a professional LinkedIn account is key when job searching. Remember that photo of you topless in Thailand from three years ago? Well, LinkedIn is not Tinder and therefore don’t even think of uploading it as your profile picture. Go through your LinkedIn and update it as much as possible with your previous experience, skills and connections. Make sure you have uploaded a professional profile photo that has been taken within the past few months. Recruiters use LinkedIn when scanning possible employees so keep your LinkedIn updates regular and professional.
5. Instagram
Very few of our Instagram accounts are set on private and this is because the platform is a visual platform and we want other people to see our photos. Saying this we must also be aware that absolutely anyone can see what we are posting. So take a few minutes to go through your photos and delete where you think it may be necessary. A possible recruiter who is scanning your profile might not be too impressed to see a photo of you topless or passed out at a party.
The moral of this clean-up is that you don’t want to lose out on a job offer just because you have not cleaned up your social media presence. Social recruiting isn’t going anywhere, but your social history can!
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