What To Avoid When Using Social Media For Your Job Search

Social media has literally enabled us to share our lives with the world. Every moment is a clickable moment that can be shared on more than one platform. More than that, it has also become a strong opinion publishing tool where we are free to write whatever we think and believe in. The major con to all this freedom of publishing is that you often end up being judged especially when it comes to searching for a job. Employers tend to navigate through a candidate’s social media profiles to identify the personality trait of the candidate. There are multiple records of candidates losing out job opportunities simply because a potential employer came by an offensive tweet, a drunk picture, or some random things that you posted years ago.

The simplest way to avoid all this is to avoid posting very personal things on the internet in the first place. However, since many people do enjoy using social media to share and communicate with their personal connections, it’s important to remember to keep your personal life and your professional life separate. Social media sites have very aggressive privacy settings that allow you to filter and restrict what is visible to which friends.

In the meanwhile, here are a few essential tips to know what to avoid when using social media for your job search.

Be careful of what you post 

The first classic mistake to make is to tweet about your horrible boss, your horrible job and anything else that was unpleasant. Something like this could literally destroy your chances of being hired at your dream job. Similarly, posting insensitive content related to gender issues, race, religion, politics etc could also deem you as unfit for the job. While these are hot topics to write on and there is the right to freedom of speech, it is also considered inappropriate if you do not have the knowledge or the facts to make statements.

Make the best use of privacy settings 

Platforms like Facebook and Linkedin have good privacy settings. Make sure you make the best use of them by monitoring who you share your content with. If you have a professional network and acquaintances on Facebook, you don’t want to come off as unprofessional especially if you have a wide network within the industry you work in. Make lists on Facebook and choose what you can share with acquaintances and friends.

Sharing unprofessional content on Linkedin 

More than Facebook, your Linkedin profile will be heavily scrutinized whenever applying for a job. This means you have to be very careful about what you share on Linkedin. Avoid sharing memes, degrading posts, tasteless humor, religious or political posts that can be seen negatively. Linkedin is a platform to build a professional network and should reflect your professional attitude; therefore post content relevant to your industry, your organization or your role. Share your knowledge as an expert of your field!

Inconsistency & errors in your Linkedin profile 

This one is super important. Go through your Linkedin bio and consider it an important introduction to a potential employer. Write well about who you are and what you bring to the table. Avoid grammar and spelling mistakes. Avoid boring jargon. Avoid talking about yourself in the 3rd person. Make sure the education, employment and portfolio sections are filled and there are no inconsistency in your information.

Inconsistent information in multiple social media channels 

Some employers definitely go beyond Linkedin and may check you up on Twitter, FB or even Insta! All these channels need to be synced with the right information. If your Linkedin profile says, ‘Chief consultant at ABC in 2018’ but your Facebook profile says, ‘freelancer at Upwork,’ you’re probably going to come off as inconsistent and even untruthful.

While social media is great for communication & networking, it can also become a problem if we use it without taking necessary precaution. While job searching, keep your social media in check!