Disgracebook! The Power of Social Media when Job Hunting!

So, you were chosen from hundreds of applicants for an interview that you Aced. You even went out to pre-celebrate with your friends, it was a great night ?you and your Sister from another mister Sarah ended up knocking back ‘slippery nipples’ while dancing on bar stools.  On cue Chelsea got the perfect shot to tag you in on Social Media.  And as the lyrics go to James Arthurs’s song, “you danced the night away, you drank too much”, Sarah held your hair back as you were throwing up and then “you smiled over your shoulder”…and Chelsea who was “stone cold sober” was on cue again to take the perfect photo as you sat in vomit at the edge of the pavement. It’s a week later and you’re surprised that #bestjobintheworld.co haven’t called you back to make an offer?  Really? You might also be surprised to hear that numerous recent surveys have proven that prospective employers also like Social Media.  In fact, according to a report by YouGov, a well-known UK based market research company who surveyed over 2,000 business decision makers – one in five employers have turned down a candidate after checking Social Media prior to making an offer. And Social Media checks are far more popular than you think.  CareerBuilder’s recent survey found that 70% of employers use this process to screen candidates before hiring.  54% have decided not to hire based on Social Media activity. “Invasion of Privacy”, I hear you scream!   Fair enough, but you need to take some responsibility for your public image, you’ve left yourself vulnerable.  You must adjust your account settings and while at it, review the way people like Chelsea can tag you in photos.   The majority of employers cited evidence of excessive drinking and/or drug use as a reason not to offer. But it’s not only when you’re out socialising that can cause a problem.  Poor communication skills, bad grammar and spelling mistakes also ranked highly as a reason not to employ along with evidence of the candidate bad mouthing previous employers or displaying aggressive behaviour.  The use of discriminatory, offensive or bad language, slang or jokes relating to race, gender, religion or politics was also frowned upon.  Some employers also discovered that candidates lied about their qualifications through social media when they joked about it on-line. Too many “Selfies” was also seen as a signal that you may be too self-centred and not a team player – seriously…that’s what the statistics came back with, so slow down with the #picoftheday, #followme, #nomakeup, #nofilter, #whatever ….#thinkofhebiggerpic instead. To become more employable, you could publicly display information that shows off your professional accomplishments and qualifications in a positive way.  Showing pictures of you with your team on the playing field or promoting the charity and voluntary work that you do is obviously going to be more welcomed by future employers, or you could just leave a simple profile picture visible.  But whatever you do don’t go deleting your account completely, 57% of business decision makers surveyed said they were less likely to interview a candidate that didn’t exist on-line at all. The motto of the story is to restrict what people can see and also what “friends” can tag you in – keep control of your on-line presence.  Think twice before you post something, once published, it’s there forever even when deleted. You’ve got to see it from the employers’ point of view, taking on someone new is a big commitment, it’s a form of relationship and there are risks involved.  Choosing the right person for the job is so important not only for the business but also for the colleagues who will have to train this person in and let’s face it, spend more time with them than they spend with their own families. Hope I haven’t scared you too much!   #bestofluck on your #jobhunt #hopeyougetabreak soon.? TO FIND A JOB VISIT; 

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      References; Career Builder

  YouGov