Are your privacy settings stopping you from looking professional?
The internet is a dangerous tool when it comes to employability. A study done by careerbuilder.co.uk in 2012 showed that over a third of employers check candidates’ social media after receiving their applications.
Would you be happy for a potential employer to see your social media sites? If not, here we’ve put together some advice on how to ensure that your internet presence is professional instead of off-putting for employers.
Think before you post
The biggest advice to take away from this article is to think before you post. The amount of celebrities who have got themselves into trouble because of something they have posted on Twitter is always growing.
Although you won’t have your face splashed across the papers, you still don’t want to post anything inappropriate. It will turn an employer off straight away.
Another top tip is to avoid complaining about work, employers or fellow employees. If you’re seen to have a negative attitude towards work, you’ll find it hard to make a good impression.
Be positive
As well as avoiding complaining about work, try to stay positive about life in general. If a potential employer scrolls down your posts and sees endless complaints, they won’t think the best of you.
Take a positive approach to social media, and your friends will thank you for being cheerful too.
Check your privacy settings
Privacy settings are key to having a professional social media presence. Change your settings so that only your friends can see your posts and keep private information private.
A quick way to check who can see what on your social media pages is to Google yourself. If you’re not happy with what you see, change your settings until you are.
Don’t lie about yourself
Treat the personal information sections of your social media pages as though you were writing a CV and be honest about yourself. Don’t say that you can speak Swahili if you can’t – employers won’t want to see false information!
Monitor photos you’re tagged in
Another important aspect of having a professional social media presence is to monitor the photos you’re tagged in. If an employer can see endless inappropriate photos of you on nights out, they may not want to employ you.
Go through your photos and if there are any you’re not happy with, untag yourself or ask for them to be taken down.
If you spend a little time cleaning up your social media presence you’ll definitely feel the benefits when looking for work. Professionalism is key, and so long as you use the Internet wisely it can become a real asset for your career.
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