What Employers Notice About Job Seekers on Social Media

Are you on social media?  If the answer is yes, you know how convenient a tool it is for expressing yourself to anyone.  However, if you are a job seeker, you must be extra careful about your form of expression.  Remember, your family and friends are not the only ones watching you on social media.  These days, employers and recruiters are also paying attention to what you post, and their first impression of you can make or break your chances of employment.  So, what do employers notice on these social networking websites?  Let’s find out.

Many employers are not hesitant to reject a potential candidate if they find something questionable on social media.  According to research, 69% of employers in one survey said they have rejected someone for that reason.  Here are some reasons why employers turn away from job seekers using social sites.

• Lying about qualifications for the job applied for
• Posting inappropriate photos
• Posting inappropriate comments
• Posting negative comments about a former employer
• Displaying poor communication skills

On the flip side, employers are willing to hire a potential candidate based on something they like on social media.  From the same survey, 68% of employers said they have hired people for that reason.  Here are some ways to make you a more attractive candidate on social sites to employers.

• Leave a positive impression of your personality and cultural fit
• Making sure your social profile matches qualifications for the job applied for
• Being creative on your profile
• Having good references posted by others
• Showing good communication skills

There are a couple of other things to know about employers and social media.  The top sites employers use as resources for recruiting (in no particular order) are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  In addition, the point of the hiring process when they examine job seekers most often is after receiving a job application.

Social media is a powerful platform for expression.  It is important, though, job seekers that you are careful how you portray yourselves online.  Employers will notice any and everything that can help or hurt your job search.  Remember, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

We’re well into the Social Age, and many job seekers are leveraging social networks to develop personal brands, job hunt and build their careers. Yet many job seekers haven’t taken the time to thoroughly understand how all all this works from the other side; they haven’t considered how employers and recruiters use social media to

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