How Social Media Can Help or Hurt Your Job Search

In 2018, American company CareerBuilder found that up to 70% of employers look at social media profiles to find out more about the people applying for their jobs. It found that what you put online can either help you get the job you want, or lose it for you.

Career coach Hallie Crawford told Glassdoor.com that looking at social media profiles helps employers see what people are like outside of the information on their job application.

Employers also look for things like bad language or drug use to help decide if they want to have you in their office. A study by the Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 36% of companies have decided not to give people jobs because of what they found out about them through online searches and social media.

On Facebook, Crawford said that employers will look at your "About Me" section to see if the information is the same as how you described yourself to them. They also look at your photos to see if you seem professional.

On Twitter, Crawford said that they will look at who you follow, and see if you are connected with other people in your industry. They will also want to see if you share information and news about your industry, if you're friendly to your followers, or if you just use Twitter to argue with people.

You could make your profiles private. However, being impossible to find online might also make employers worry. Job website Monster says that instead you should have private profiles but also public profiles that show you are professional.

Exercise 4

Mock Discussion

Listen as your tutor reads the questions and sample answers. Then, your tutor will ask you the questions.

If you were an employer, what qualities would you look for in applicants?

Nina

My belief is that anyone can learn anything. So what I look for in people is motivation. Getting nervous before an interview can make you forget the things you know, but it can't hide your motivation.

Do you ever have arguments on social media?

Zach

I don't like arguments, let alone virtual ones. But I did get into a spat with one person who wrote a mean thing about my friend. It went on for a while before I realized that they just wanted attention so I stopped replying.

Do you have both public and private social media accounts?

Cathy

I'm a very private person so I don't need two kinds of accounts. Only my family and closest friends can see what I post to the accounts I do have and I don't mind sharing anything with them. I wouldn't be comfortable having public accounts!

Exercise 5

Discussion

Have a discussion based on the following questions.

Do you find it surprising that up to 70% of employers look at job applicants' social media profiles? Why? Why not?

If you were an employer, would you look up applicants on social media before hiring them? Why? Why not?

After reading the article, is there anything you would change about how you use social media?

What would you say are the most important skills for a person in your industry to have? Why?

Hiring people is an art, not a science. — Howard Schultz. What do you make of this statement?