Do potential Employers Check Your Socials?

By Nicki Wilson, Managing Director at Genie

Preparing yourself for job searching success does not just extend to your cv, LinkedIn or your interview techniques… over 80% of prospective employers google potential hires before they walk through the door. The stats are even higher for recruiters. It comes part and parcel of our job to check who we are representing to our clients.

Many HR professionals have denied a job to a candidate due to inappropriate content on social media.

We personally have had several cases where we have had to just come out with it and tell the candidate that we found something online that is not making you look good! We are all for personal expression but if it can be taken the wrong way, we believe candidates would rather know than not.

At the end of the day, you would rather hear this from the recruiter rather than get ghosted by a potential hiring manager and not be told why! Social media can play a critical role for employers in evaluating a candidate’s personality, suitability, and attitude.

We had one scenario where a candidate had an expletive cover photo on their Facebook page, and we had to bite the bullet and say you must take that down. As if by chance (more likely than not in our experience) the interviewer was to stumble across that, it shocked us let alone someone who might employ you! It turned out this candidate had been searching for a new role for months, on paper brilliant but something was stopping him landing the roles. Could this have been a coincidence? Maybe… but once he did change the photo, he had 2 offers within that same week!

Some top tips for optimum online presence:

• Google yourself! See what comes up, some of it may even shock you let alone an employer… or at least be a trip down memory lane

• Privacy – make sure photos / posts / groups you follow are made private especially the controversial ones!!

• LinkedIn – make this so interesting no one needs to check out your other socials, there is a fine line on this platform regarding what you share… keep it professional

• Instagram – if you have a work related one, add this to your cv. It is likely we will check that one and not others. If you have hundreds of bikini photos on your open Instagram profile and aren’t applying to be on Baywatch, perhaps make your Instagram private whilst on the job hunt!

• Sensitive information – check your Twitter or articles written, anything negative about previous employers is an absolutely no no. Any controversial topics… keep them out of sight.

So, what do employers want to see on Socials?

• Personality

• Industry knowledge or insightful information? On your CV it states you are passionate about XYZ does that come across online?

• Is your LinkedIn aligned to your CV including the same information and dates? This is a Biggy… at least once a week we flag candidates internally who have not got the same information on their CV that’s in their LinkedIn – this alone makes you look like you have something to hide… or are very forgetful!

• Do you appear sociable, outgoing... too outgoing perhaps? Daily photos with a beer in hand may not give the right impression!

• Grammar and spelling – if you have a knack for poor spelling perhaps lock down all your socials at this point..

• Do you seem to be the right fit for the team? Over 50% of hiring managers are looking for the right cultural fit by assessing your socials. Your online presence will be a pretty accurate insight into who you are as an individual!

• Creativity… there are many industries where a demonstration of your creative flair online is essential to applying for a job role. Classically graphic designers, photographers, media related industries but we always encourage chefs, UX/UI designers, or even anyone who has a passion for something to demonstrate this online

It’s all down to your own personal branding, and with a few tweaks you will set yourself up for more success in the job search by demonstrating who you are in the best possible light….

BRB… *googles self*