We all know how a fun night out can lead to some, err, interesting posts across various social media accounts. But, maybe you should consider logging out before the next girls’ night for the sake of your future (or current) career. Even if you are not applying for a job where you would work in communications or where you would need your social media, companies have been asking for potential employees to put links to their accounts on their applications.
The companies that ask for social media are typically just trying to get an understanding of who you are as a person and gauge whether you will be a good fit for the company. However, that does mean that they infer based on what they see. This means that if you have a history of posting Instagram stories of the bar crawl you do with your friends on a Wednesday night or updating your location on Facebook after taking an extra-long lunch, you may not be giving the right impression.
So, what should you do to clean up your social media before that next round of job applications?
First, start by deleting anything you wouldn’t want your grandparents to frame and hang-up on their walls. This could range anywhere from drunk selfies to vulgar tweets. Employers aren’t going to like if you’re favoriting too many profane tweets. Also, make sure to delete anything that could really offend someone (and no I don’t mean to delete the tweet that says that you don’t think the Bachelor is that great of a show, your employer won’t care about your reality tv preferences, hopefully).
Second, change your account settings so that you have to approve anything you are tagged in before it’s posted to your name.
Third, update your Linkedin!!! This is such an important step in getting the job you want. If there is one social media that will help you land your dream career, IT IS THIS ONE. Make sure your LinkedIn is up-to-date with any recent work experiences or internships that you’ve had, even any on-campus leadership positions. Also, make sure your profile picture is something appropriate (again use the grandparents’ rule). If you have a recent headshot or professional picture, that’s perfect, if not, ask a friend with portrait mode on their phone to help you out. Also, while you’re at it, make sure to grow your network. Make connections with friends, classmates, past co-workers and bosses; you never know who might be hiring down the road!
Fourth, check the privacy settings on your accounts. On most social media platforms, you can review who sees what and who definitely doesn’t. You don’t want a future co-worker spoiling your chances of getting a job based on what they see.
Finally, be active on social media, especially Linkedin, but keep it appropriate. Your potential employers most likely won’t care if you post a picture of your breakfast every morning to your instagram story. Keeping your social media employer-friendly doesn’t mean you have to stop posting everything you do, just, think twice before posting if you’re really serious about getting the job you want.
And, if you’ve done everything above and you’re still unsure about your online presence, do a quick Google search of yourself and see what comes up!