Things to Avoid on Social Media While Looking for a New Job

Things to Avoid on Social Media While Looking for a New Job via Pixabay Posting Controversial Content The best rule of thumb about posting content on social media is that if you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see it, then don’t post it. The Internet is open to millions of people to look at what you are posting. You don’t want an embarrassing picture or status out there for everyone to see forever. Controversial content can include inappropriate photographs from weekend partying to political opinions expressed in a status. Remember that you want your social media to reflect who you are as an employee to your future boss. Using Incorrect Grammar When texting and social media first became popular, using slang and shortened words was the cool thing to do. This faded out quickly once full keyboards were available on cell phones. Now, it’s important to have correct grammar and full sentences on your social media. You want to show your future employer that you know how to write well and can effectively communicate an idea or story. These are valuable skills when it comes to working in an office. Difference Personalities Different  social media platforms are used for different things. LinkedIn is to grow your professional network and get career advice. Twitter is great for keeping up with your favorite celebrities or decrypting hidden messages in 140 characters from your crush. Instagram is for the artsy people who love to tell stories through photographs. The list goes on. While each platform has different goals, it’s important to keep your personality the same over each platform. Employers don’t want to scroll through your LinkedIn and see what a dedicated worker you are only to scroll through your Twitter profile and read your actual internal thoughts throughout the day. Paint a clear picture of who you are in different ways over these different platforms. Just be yourself. via Pixabay Clearing or Deleting Your Social Media Do not delete all of your social media accounts while looking for a new job. If a hiring manager cannot find you online, it looks like you have something to hide. Most everyone has some sort of online presence now so it may look strange if you do not. It will look even more suspicious if you delete everything on your social media. This definitely tips off a future employer that you once had content that may not have been appropriate. Negative Attitude You don’t want to make it seem like you have a negative attitude through what you post on social media. While we may have the occasional bad day and want to share it with people on social media, make sure you also balance those posts out with positive things. When a hiring manager looks at your social media, you want to give them the sense that you are fun and easy to work with. Nobody wants to be stuck with a negative coworker. Incriminate Yourself Go through photos and statuses you have been tagged in by friends over the last few years. Some photos may have slipped your mind until you come upon them and realize that you wouldn’t want a future employer to see it. Untag yourself from controversial photos or statuses. Scroll through any memes or articles that you may have shared over the years. While they may have been funny to you a couple of years ago, it may not be funny now that you are looking for a new job. Inappropriate Comments While you may not be able to control what people post on your page or comment on your content, you can go through and monitor it. We all have that one friend or family member who feels the need to make comment inappropriate on our photos or statuses. It may be all in good fun, but it’s probably not something you want your future employer to see. Ask your friend to stop posting inappropriate comments or block them for a little while until you’ve found a new job. Prepare Your Social Media   Now that you know some things to avoid on social media while looking for a new job, it’s time to go act on it! Go through your old photos and statuses and delete anything that may be inappropriate. Keep one personality throughout all platforms and try to come off as a positive person. The most important thing of all: just be yourself.