We have all been told multiple times, “Watch what you post online” or “Once it is out there anyone can see it.” Whether we are seniors in high school or seniors in college this advice is one that seems to be relevant at all different stages of our lives. As juniors and seniors in high school, students frantically change their Facebook names and turn their Instagram private as they worry about how their social media may affect their college process. Fast forward four years and seniors in college find themselves doing the same thing: changing their names on Facebook, turning their Twitter and Instagrams private and deleting embarrassing drunk photos so their future employers won’t see this side of them.
Yet, what’s to say employers don’t want to see this side of you? Recent surveys show that social media certainly tends to get people in trouble (Career Builder released a study that shows 41% of candidates are rejected due to information posted online that showed drug use or drinking), but new research also shows that some companies are actually looking for this social side in their future employees. Workopolis held a study that showed 51% of hiring managers say they check candidate’s social media to see if the candidate will be a good fit with the cooperate culture. Facebook is the perfect place for companies to see who their candidates really are and how they act outside the interview room and many companies actually want to make sure that their future employees will fit into their company’s social scene. Nonetheless, once you start applying for jobs it’s important to clean up your social media. While companies want to see the real you, they most likely do not need to see the drunk, 3 am you from last Friday night. To avoid this, be sure to check, and double check, your Facebook privacy settings, censor your Tweets and delete those slightly sloppy Instagram photos. This way your possible employers will get to see your social side without thinking you are irresponsible. These trivial steps can make a big difference when companies decide whether you get the job or not.