With the majority of employers now using social media in the hiring process, the content of your social profile forms an employer’s first impression before you even sit down with them for an interview.
You should take special consideration to job-proof your social media profiles. For example, use a picture that represents you as a professional on your Facebook banner; or at least one that is not likely to give a negative impression. Don’t rely on privacy settings to keep your personal information safe. Your best bet is to assume everything will be seen by a potential employer, so clean up your content and edit your pictures accordingly. Ask yourself the age old question, “What would my grandmother think of this?”
It is important to know that with Timeline on Facebook, all of your old status updates, photos and videos are now searchable by your friends and possibly the public at large. Since employers are judging you based on your picture and updates, it’s imperative that you take necessary precautions. First, select the option in the privacy settings page that says “limit the audience for past posts.” By doing this, the content on your Timeline will be available to only your friends.
Surprisingly only approximately 58% of social network users have private profiles. Plenty of others aren’t all that careful about their profiles, and too much sharing of the wrong kind of information and/or photos can hurt your chances of landing a job.
It’s no surprise, then, that more employers are reviewing Facebook profiles when screening potential new hires. The trick for job seekers is to make sure they’re presenting their best, most employable self on Facebook, otherwise you may not even make it through the short-listing of application stage. (Mashable Australia, Time Magazine).
