What to Avoid on your Social Profiles when Job Hunting

Candidates - 14th August 2013

On the hunt for a new job? Then make sure you read our top things to avoid on your social media profiles.

Don’t:

Leave your profiles publicly accessible – an innocent moment caught on camera with friends could be taken out of context and seen as reason to remove you from the application process by a prospective employer

Do:

Change your privacy settings, so only those that you choose can view your personal information.

 

Don’t: 

Use an inappropriate or ‘silly’ name/handle.

Do:

A potential employer will respect ‘Emily Smith’ far more than ‘Sexy Em xx’

 

Don’t:

Waste your biography space.

Do:

Use your bio space to write a succinct, professional summary of yourself and your skills, you can even add what it is you are looking for.

 

Don’t:

Write posts that use language or themes that are inappropriate.

Do:

Keep your content clean. Bad language, vulgar posts or boasts about bad work behaviour and ethic are a sure fire way to create a negative view of yourself and convince recruiters to cut you from the process.

 

Don’t:

Talk negatively or disrespectfully about your current employer or colleagues. Just as in an interview, talking badly about previous employers in fact paints you in a bad light, not them.

Do:

Keep work and your private life, in some respects, separate. If you’re having a bad day, talk to someone at home about it, not on the internet.

 

Don’t:

Post messages with poor grammar and spelling. Don’t feel as though you are sitting down to compose a piece for an English exam, but also don’t giv up on spel chekking either.

 

Do:

Double check your posts to make sure what you are saying is clear and correct – employers are put off when they can see evident mistakes.

 

Don’t:

Use an inappropriate photo as your profile pic – even with a private profile, your display picture can come up in searches. Avoid any shots that show you in an irresponsible light.

Do:

Upload something simple and professional.


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