Social media – It is both a blessing and a curse in the new age world we have been thriving in. It would be best to be careful what you post on social media or anywhere else online because your digital breadcrumbs come with a hefty price tag for your potential job. Today, recruiting managers are looking for various elements to dig into the hire's personality on various social media platforms.
Unfortunately, a candidate's personality on these social media sites can lead to rejection. Therefore, social media plays a crucial role in background verification .
The experts see the candidate's Instagram and Facebook accounts. How can experts say if a person will work hard or not?
So, this is an extreme instance of how a person's social media presence can be in the eyes of a prospective employer. This is an example of why you should hold off on tweeting your radical views on any politically charged topic. There are some chances that it could cost you your potential job.
How can a social media post cost your future job?
- Better Safe Than Sorry
For companies, social media screening is one of the best ways to learn about the warning signsand social media verification and keep away the potential bombs waiting to be denoted as recruitment is costly, just like brand damage. The latter is difficult to undo, especially with instant social media notifications. The organization's name also gets dragged in with any unflattering news articles. It tells people the company doesn't have control over the talent it looks forward to hiring. It's challenging to manage if you employ around 30 to 40,000 people.
Later, you don't want to feel foolish for missing apparent behavior that the person had left in the public sector or platform. Earlier, people used to do some reference checks by calling up people. That's why it's not restricted to industries requiring digital skill sets. You don't have to expect any regional salesperson for a pharmaceutical firm to have social media skills. However, when you look at some personality profiles, leadership ability, interests, and ambition will improve. The LinkedIn posts and network give a great window into who the person is.
LinkedIn and Twitter are some of the most common suspects regarding websites that recruiters look forward to seeing. But Facebook and Instagram are not ignored altogether. Others prefer using software development platforms like question-and-answer websites like Quora and the corporate community knowledge base. But all experts say that they look only at the publicly available information. Still, they agree that several organizations resort to probing private profiles and data scraping even without the candidate's concern. Depending on the seniority of the job role, the hiring manager or the organization checking varies.
Hiring decisions do not mainly depend on social media presence. But if the findings are severe enough, they can prove deal-breakers.
- Warnings and Red Flags
It doesn't happen often, but political or religious views on social media platforms are among the top offenses in recruiters' eyes as a company; people want to be seen as individuals with a neutral take on politics. In addition, abusive language, inappropriate sexual behavior, or saying something bad about somebody being an alcoholic can prevent your potential employer from hiring you for a new role. It can be in any form, whether in text or behavioral form. This type of behavior is not accepted for any company recruitment. Still, you want to pause on the plans of scrubbing away all the evidence from the cyber world. The express employment survey also found that among people using social networking to research candidates, at least 55% found content that causes them not to hire the applicant.
- Privacy and bias
There are some pitfalls for recruiters as the basis can creep in against candidates even before they appear for the interview. It is subjective, and the system is already riddled with several biases. Suppose you do it in the process without meeting the person, the likelihood of not hiring the candidate increases because your buyers are way higher than spotting any severe warning. Experts check social media only when they see merit in taking a candidate forward. They should conduct a check only after the employee has accepted the offer and agreed to background verification in social media screening. There is no explicit permission at the interview stage.
Tips For Keeping Your Personality Super Professional on Social Media
- Keep a lid on it even if Facebook is fine
The website has a lot to offer if you have set your privacy settings appropriately and highlighted your work experience in education on your profile. It's OK to jot down your hobbies and comment or post articles you like, but keep it in great taste. There are huge players, including Facebook and Twitter, for example, as a way of allowing people to learn a little about you.
Additionally, you are building your network with people who know you from college or school or throughout your working life. But it can also be a great resource when you are job hunting, and you never know where you might get the introduction of a potential human resources/hiring/recruitmentexpert.
- Show some expertise
What's better than showcasing your skills to a huge audience like colleagues or hiring managers using social media? Social media makes it easy for people to learn about you, and that's important to land a job. You just need to take simple actions. For example, you can share your know-how by posting a link to a relevant article on your LinkedIn Twitter, on any other Facebook page. 3. Consider using hip-to Technology.
While hiring managers to see that they are using social media can help increase your worry as an older person is behind your social media when it comes to technology.
Portray an image of a well-rounded applicant.
You should never be posting your interests in volunteer activities on social media platforms. A well-rounded, sophisticated profile creates a great impression of who you are and how you would balance your personal and professional life. Recruiters may look at the LinkedIn profile summary, for instance, the snapshot of your career history, recommendations, and connections.
- Sign up for aTwitter account
People are Twitter fans for many reasons, but one selling point is that there is no need for any personal introduction or recommendation, which you need with LinkedIn. Instead, you can stay updated on people and companies you wind up interviewing with by just following tweets.
- Add a Window Dressing
You should always have a professional headshot and ask your previous bosses of expletives and clients to write recommendations and endorse you on social media platforms like LinkedIn.
Accept that social media is one of the essential pieces of your job hunt, and don't allow your guard down. However, don't forget that everything you post online tells you a story and makes it up to the best seller. Employers can do what they want to learn about you from outside and inside, and they will not leave any stone untouched, including social media for background checks. They will do their sleuthing to get a complete picture of who you are, your personality, and your interests. They are simply doing their duty to check if you fit in their company culture or not.