Could My Social Media Be The Reason I Don’t Get A Job Offer

As a recent college graduate, I am no stranger to posting your daily life all over social media. From countless football games to concerts, everyday college life contains memories that will last a lifetime. However, now that those days are over, it is important to think twice about what you post, as one questionable image could cost you a job. Nowadays, social media is a force to be reckoned with and employers are heavily relying on it to help determine if you’re their perfect candidate. 

While you think one social media post for your limited number of followers is harmless, in reality, with every post, TikTok, or tweet, you are creating your own personal brand that will represent who you are to the outside world. Your social media says a lot about you. It gives insight into your hobbies, career, friends, and what you do with your spare time.

It is more common than you think for potential employers to check your social media accounts prior to hiring you in order to get a feel for who you are. Most of the time, this can be a good thing as the potential employer gets to see what you do in your day-to-day life. However, if you have multiple photos of yourself having one too many beverages, this can lead to the wrong first impression, which can be hard to mend. Despite you potentially being the best candidate for a job, a questionable social media page with posts from your college experience can heavily deter you from getting that acceptance email.

 In order to avoid this, here’s a list of some tips and tricks you can use to help clear up any social media content: 

• Avoid posting any photos or videos from a night out with friends. While this could be fun in the moment, remember that your account is just clicks away from a potential employer.  You should be posting images and videos that showcase the best version of yourself.
• Don’t trash-talk any ex-employer on any social media account. Despite what happened at the job, it is unprofessional and rude to openly hate on someone who used to be your boss. It will be even worse if your potential future boss sees you trash-talking an ex-boss. 
• Avoid posting, liking, retweeting, and commenting on offensive and rude posts. That is a big red flag for employers and they will steer clear of you at all costs. 
• Finally, think before you post. Take an extra 30 seconds to a few minutes to think and ask yourself, “Is this post a good representation of who I am and what I want to display?” Taking that extra time will help you tremendously in the long run. 

Don’t let all this scare you.  Most people have a well-curated social media profile with a few blips here and there. Set aside a few moments to go over your own profile and see if there are any posts you can take down or delete.  Your future employer will thank you.

Most important of all, don’t forget that social media has a lot of positive uses too! It is a great place to network with school alumni, other people in your industry, or potential employers. You are able to show off any certifications, skills, interesting hobbies, and more to your followers or anyone who looks at your page. 

Post-grad life can be hard enough just finding a job and setting up for your career. Don’t add more bumps in the road by having your social media posts be detrimental to you landing that perfect job!

Article By: Erin Mindick