Superficial exchanges with practiced candidates dominate the hiring process, making it difficult for hiring managers to separate the honest, qualified professionals from applicants who are simply skilled at selling themselves. Employers are turning to social media for unfiltered details of your personality, interests and professionalism, so if your profiles are packed with offensive jokes or negative comments about your job, be prepared to face backlash at work and sacrifice new job opportunities.
Surrounded by real-life and virtual friends, you may feel comfortable making casual, uncensored comments in informal social media communities. Yet, professional contacts have access to any information you share publicly, and employers search for hidden warning signs that you aren’t as polished or motivated as you seem. In a 2015 CareerBuilder survey, 60 percent of recruiters admitted to researching candidates’ online presence for confirmation of their skills, while 37 percent were interested in the information others posted about candidates.
In the case of one 22-year-old job hunter, Cisco recruiters reportedly withdrew an offer after reading a tweet that the young woman hated the work and only considered the job for the lucrative paycheck. Employers face productivity and profit loss when new employees aren’t passionate about an industry or lack the responsibility and drive to self-manage their projects. Social media gives recruiters a glimpse of your ethical standards and whether your hobbies and professional relationships match up with the creative, hardworking team player you described in your application.
Unsurprisingly, CareerBuilder also reported that 34 percent of surveyed hiring managers have rejected candidates who posted malicious comments about past employers or co-workers on social media, and 29 percent have dismissed applicants who made discriminatory remarks. Airing out your frustrations with inflammatory posts sends the message that you prefer complaining over problem-solving, making current and prospective employers question how your negative or insensitive attitude may poison the work environment.
Frequent tales of fired media hosts and disgraced politicians likely inspire you to clean up glaring problems on your social media profiles, but tactful language and grammar are commonly overlooked flaws. In the CareerBuilder survey, 30 percent of hiring managers were turned off by poor communication skills, while 37 percent offered job opportunities to candidates who showed strong communication skills.
Poor spelling, missing punctuation and abbreviated text-speak are widely accepted in social media circles, but these habits make you appear uneducated, lazy and immature. Candidates often seek help when writing application materials, so employers look for other ways to test an applicant's ability to communicate clearly and choose the right words for each occasion.
Private, public and professional life all converge on social media websites, which can increase your vulnerability or create new opportunities to market your skills. Instead of mocking recent clients or making snide comments about your incompetent interviewer, demonstrate your knowledge of your target industry and post media that highlights your multifaceted work history and talents.
Photo courtesy of basketman at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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