Cleaning Up Social Media Channels 101

Graduation is right around the corner for many students, so it’s the perfect time to start cleaning up your social media channels. With two in five employers using social media to screen potential candidates, it’s especially important to be ready to show off clean and professional accounts.

Why Employers Research?

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  1. To check a candidate’s professionalism, in regards to how they conduct themselves via social media platforms.
  2. To learn more about the candidate’s qualifications.
  3. To gauge a potential candidate’s fit for the company culture.

Did you know?

A nationwide study by CareerBuilder found that 51 percent of hiring managers who research applicants on social media said they’ve found something that led them to not hire a candidate.

Top Platforms Analyzed

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

4 Important Tips

  1. Google yourself: Take a moment and Google yourself, because it’s one of the first things an employer will do. This will give you an idea of where to start in the cleaning process.
  2. Clean, clean & clean: Clean up as many of those inappropriate photos and status updates as you can.
  3. Make it private: Keep anything you’d rather hide from your future employers private and change your settings when necessary. This can mean setting your account to completely private or making aspects of your profile private; like photo albums, etc.
  4. Make an alternative professional profile: Employers understand that candidates have a life outside the workplace. If you’re concerned about your profile even after cleaning it up, it’s never a bad idea to make a separate professional account. Having an alternative account allows candidates to have a space where they only focus on their professionalism and work life.

Social media will continue to have an immense impact in our society and will be used by many employers during the hiring process. It’s important to make your online persona work for you by refining publicly viewed areas of your profile. Happy cleaning!

By Veronica De La Cruz, Account Executive