Social media is a public avenue where most of us use to express ourselves freely. For this reason, employers look through their candidate’s social media account for screening. If you are in the middle of a job hunt, you might want to refrain from posting these things for a while. These social media mistakes may not impress your employers.

Photos that show too much skin
According to Jovsite’s 2017 Recruiter Nation Report, photos that show too much skin is a turn-off for 16 percent of recruiters. It is advisable that candidates secure these photos to avoid being seen by recruiters and employers. In addition, Liz Ryan, CEO/Founder of Human Workplace, advises keeping photos of your tattoos, if you have one, as private.

Talking about alcohol and/or substance abuse
References to alcohol consumption damage a candidate’s credibility. Recruiters and employers believe that excessive partying can negatively affect a candidate’s performance, so they prefer not to entertain those candidates. In addition, 60 percent of employers state that marijuana use can negatively affect a candidate’s chance of being hired. If you are a bit of a party animal, you might want to secure photos and posts hinting that you are.

Spelling and grammatical errors in your posts
If there is anything that you should never show in your social media account, it is spelling and grammatical errors. Communication is an integral part of the working environment. For this reason, you don’t want to show your employers that you can’t form a single proper sentence. It is totally fine if you commit spelling and grammar errors in some of your posts but in all of them? Nope!

Offensive sentiments and/or extreme political and religious views 
Jovsite’s 2017 Recruiter Nation Report shows that political rants in their candidate’s social media post are big, red flags. It is fine to debate about political issues, but Ryan recommends doing those things offline. Also, try to stay away from online conversations and threads that can easily spark into flame wars. While they may not matter to you, they will certainly matter to the person who wishes to employ you.

Showing off expensive purchases 
No one wants a show-off, including your employers! According to the 2017 Recruiter Nation Report, at least 20 percent of recruiters get turned off from candidates who do this. If you do this in your social media account, you might want to show a little bit of modesty towards your employer.

Too many selfies
Apparently, having too many selfies in your social media account hinders your chances of employment. At least seven percent of recruiters state that finding a stash of selfies in their will give them second thoughts.  During your job search, you might want to hide your selfies for a while, just in case.

Inactive profile 
If you think that being inactive on social media is ‘playing safe,’ think again. At least 12 percent of recruiters from the Recruiter Nation Report state that having a limited social presence is a no-no.

Before you start sending your CVs and resumes, give yourself a social media check. You might want to set some content for private eyes.

Source:
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6758-social-media-mistakes.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/05/07/five-social-media-mistakes-that-will-hurt-your-job-search/#1292c654d39d

Contributed by: Allison Julianne Macasaet, a freelance writer on the side, a student of international relations on the other. Interests include fantasy books, international relations, and lifestyle.