The short answer? Yes. But you might be more interested in the long answer: Why do they check? What are they looking for? And what turns them off?
Here’s what you should know about keeping your social profiles job-search-ready, what hiring managers are actually doing on there, and what might help you stand out from the pack.
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Why do hiring managers check your social media?
Hiring managers may check your social media for a number of reasons. They may want to get a feel for your personality and whether you’d be a good fit for their company (in fact, 51% said this was their primary reason for checking a candidate’s social media). If you’re applying for a sales job where you’ll have to meet lots of new people, they may be interested in seeing how you interact with strangers. If you’re hoping to land a job that requires a lot of writing, they may want to see that you have good communication skills, even when it’s not “important.” And, according to this study, “44% of hiring managers want to see if a candidate is creative.”
So there are plenty of reasons why a hiring manager might want to check a candidate’s social media. However, according to a study done by CareerBuilder, over 50% of hiring managers who checked a candidate’s social media found a reason not to hire them. Yikes!
Top reasons hiring managers were turned off by a candidate’s social media:
- Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos, or information: 39 percent
- Candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs: 38 percent
- Candidate had discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion: 32 percent
- Candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee: 30 percent
- Candidate lied about qualifications: 27 percent
- Candidate had poor communication skills: 27 percent
- Candidate was linked to criminal behavior: 26 percent
- Candidate shared confidential information from previous employers: 23 percent
- Candidate’s screen name was unprofessional: 22 percent
- Candidate lied about an absence: 17 percent
- Candidate posted too frequently: 17 percent
That list might be intimidating, but don’t let it convince you to archive your social media accounts during your job hunt. In fact, “fifty-seven percent of employers are less likely to call someone in for an interview if they can’t find a job candidate online” and “25 percent expect candidates to have an online presence.”
So yeah, by all means, keep your social media accounts up. But if you’re still nervous about making a good impression, here are some tips for using it to your advantage.
Use social media to your advantage
Be a good person
Of course, you’ll always want to be yourself (after all, they may be checking your social media to get a glimpse of your personality). But while you’re out there being yourself, always remember to be professional. Yes, you can do both. If you leave a comment, say something intelligent. If someone criticizes you or something you love, take the high road. Your employer will expect you to be human, just try to be the best kind.
That being said, don’t feel like you have to keep your profile set to “public”. Simply seeing that you’re active online might be enough for a potential employer to extend an interview, and many understand the reasons for keeping a profile set to “private.”
Post about things that have to do with your career
Sharing about things relevant to your work will show that you’re passionate about what you do (who wouldn’t want an employee like that?) and that you’re hungry for knowledge and love to keep up with industry news and trends. Don’t only show off your own work. Share things that interest you or are helpful to others within your industry as well.
Don’t be afraid to show off a little
Do you have your own blog, or do you share in-depth projects that you’ve worked on? Those could be a great way to impress your next employer. This could even give you the edge over others interviewing for the same position, because your potential employer has already seen your work before you even came in to interview.
Connect like you’re the social butterfly you wish you were
Afraid of networking events? So are a lot of people. Why not try connecting with influential people online first? Less scary, a lot easier. If your potential employer sees that you’re connected to influential people or are a member of groups related to your industry, it can help validate your credibility and experience.
But, is it legal?
Here is where it gets tricky. There’s nothing that says a potential employer can’t look you up on social media in their own time. What they can’t do is ask for your username and password, ask for unrestricted viewership of your profile, require you to add them as a friend, or ask you to promote their product or service.
However, even though it’s not illegal for a hiring manager to check a candidate’s social media, there are reasons they might want to hold back. “The primary risk is uncovering information that an employer has no need to know, such as medical information or an employee’s (or applicant’s) inclusion in a protected class. Finding this type of info presents a risk because employer knowledge of such information can lead to claims of discrimination.”
For example, if a candidate announces her pregnancy on social media and a hiring manager chooses not to hire her, she could claim that the hiring manager discriminated because he or she found out she was pregnant. The same goes in cases of religion, race, sexual orientation, and so on. So when it comes to social media, it may be in the company’s best interest to refrain from using services that block information that could lead to bias or discrimination.
