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.