Does Social Media Help or Harm You when Looking for Employment?

Social Media. Many, if not most, of us are addicted to the point were checking our Twitter/Facebook feed has become almost subconscious.

We enjoy sharing our lives on social media, from our status updates and tweets, to tagging photographs or checking into popular locations, social media has track of all our activities. A study conducted by Harvard University has shown that we do this because “our brain considers self disclosure to be a rewarding experience.”

However we often ignore the fact that by using these platforms, we expose ourselves to the world. We allow ourselves to be monitored and tracked and fail to realise that our activities and experiences cannot only be seen by our friends and acquaintances but also by potential employers.

Research by Forbes Magazine has shown that a third of all employers utilize social media sites during the recruitment process. These are not just professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn but also sites such as Facebook and Twitter. For creative fields, Pinterest or Blog sites may also aid as a display of creativity. Social media sites are used to evaluate personality, character and behaviour, all of which are necessary to fit into a company’s culture. Thus more and more employers are turning to social media platforms to conduct background checks on future employees.

Social media can be used to work to the job seeker’s advantage. The insights gained from social media platforms can shape an individual as a well-rounded person. In a world of intense competition, employers are looking for ‘spark’ in the candidate and this is where social media can be helpful. Different sites have their own particular style of networking, thus different methods of engagement are required. LinkedIn is the primary site for networking, where employers can gain insight into the professional lives of job seekers, but sites such as Facebook can be used show social lives and achievements or even to repost content that may be of interest in a particular field. Twitter can be used as a conversational tool, or to partake in trends and relevant hashtags. The ability to use social media can be an indication of being ‘in with the time’ and the ability to use different types of social media also shows willingness to adapt to the different situations, which is a skill cherished by employers.

At the same time these social media sites can also be used to stay up to date on the happenings of the company. Today most, if not all companies have a strong social media presence. By ‘liking’ or ‘following’ relevant companies it allows job seekers to stay in touch with latest news, new products or services launched by the company or events hosted by the company or even available positions. Thus social media can be used to gain knowledge about the company, stay up to date with its work, attend events that aid in networking and apply for jobs. As is standard in any interview, it is expected that the job seeker has some degree of knowledge about the company and job seekers are expected to carry out research about the company itself. This shows a proactive approach, and social media can aid in this research.

However social media can also hurt job seekers. The inappropriate drunken photo your friend tagged you in, may not be the sole factor in the decision making process but it may weigh into the final decision made by the employer. Privacy settings are important and it pays to remember that nothing on the Internet ever gets deleted. Although it is not at all necessary that employers will ‘stalk’ through your social media sites, being prepared is always worth the effort. Employers cannot base their judgement through what they discover on social media platforms and all companies have to abide by fair and equal hiring practices. However social media checks can be used in combination with criminal, background, professional qualifications and reference checks. Nevertheless it is worthwhile ensuring the content that is on public display is appropriate and presentable.

Thus as we see, social media has both advantages and disadvantages. Being active on social media has many benefits, but it pays to remember that you never know when a post or tweet may be up for judgement by a future employer. Social media is the technology of our times, but it needs to be utilized in a thoughtful manner.

KEY TIPS

Don’t –

• ‘Hide/delete all the fun stuff’ – it is called ‘social’ media for a reason
• Identify yourself as unemployed – it undermines your achievements, instead name yourself as ‘graduate’ or ‘— professional’
• Post discriminatory material against someone or something – it hurts your professional reputation both before, during and after job hunting.

Do –

• Be active and engaging – show your proactive nature
• Build up relevant networks – you never know who might be useful
• Be unique – employers want to see the real you!