How To Get Your Social Media Ready For a Hiring Manager to See

A hiring manager judges you based on your resume, interview performance, and references. However, there's another detail a prospective employer might use to decide whether or not you're a good fit - your social media presence. Approximately 90% of hiring managers look at social media accounts during the hiring process. Find out how you can prepare your social media accounts for your job search.

Google Yourself

It's important for you to know what hiring managers see when they search for you. So, open up Google on your browser and search your full name. Although Google isn't a social media platform, it is one way in which hiring managers will find your social media accounts. You can almost guarantee that someone will search your name and use the results to judge you.

When you look at the results, you can have an idea of what needs to change. You might have pictures of you doing keg stands pop up, or political rants show up. Either way, you can understand what needs to change.

Before you search, switch your browser to private mode. Otherwise, your past searches will affect the results. You need to clear your history to see what hiring managers will see. Once you do that, type in your name and view the results. Click on the images, news, and videos tabs.

Make a Website

One way to get better search engine results is to build your own website. As you make the website, think about what you want hiring managers to see. You should highlight your achievements and showcase your assets.

Typically, employers like it when job applicants have personal websites. Your website shows that you're professional and you care about your reputation. Additionally, it makes it easier for hiring managers to see what matters to you.

So, you know how to check Google for troublesome issues. But you should also know how to check your social media. This means understanding the way in which employers search your social media accounts.

Although LinkedIn is a popular professional networking platform, hiring managers rely more on social networks to gather information about you. Facebook is one of the most popular platforms for searching, followed by LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. However, other social media platforms could still be inspected.

Always make sure your social media accounts are updated with the right information. If your current job is outdated, modify it to show your most recent status. Your name, location, and other information should be as current as possible to avoid confusion.

Go Private

You may want to set all of your social .edit profiles to private. That way, employers can't view all of your posts and interactions. Even if you try to keep your social media presence professional, you probably have a few posts you don't want a prospective employer to see.

If you don't want to go private, then give your accounts a thorough inspection. Think about things that might disturb a hiring manager or be seen as a red flag, and remove those from your profile. It's best to keep politics and religion out of your social media accounts.

Act as if It's Your Office Breakroom

When you're in an office breakroom, you have to act in a certain way. There are rules of conduct you need to follow, and anything that goes against those rules puts your job in jeopardy.

Start preparing your social media accounts for the job hunt by treating it as your break room. Typically, all of the following aren't allowed in office break rooms:

Hate speech

Partying or alcohol

Illegal content

Sensitive comments about previous employers

When you check your social media accounts, remove anything that goes against break room rules. In the future, remember to only post things you would discuss in the break room.

Do a Massive Clean Up

It's time to clean up your closet, or at least, your social media accounts. Use this checklist to get started:

Check Your Bio

The bio section of your profile is one that deserves serious attention. In your bio section, be sure to discuss your work. Mention your current employer, as well as some of your hobbies and passions.

Change Your Profile Picture

In some cases, your profile picture will be the first image an employer sees of you. Before you start looking for a new job, change your profile picture for a more professional one. It doesn't need to be formal, but make sure there are no red flags in the picture.

Review All Content

Now, it's time to check your content. Look at all of the posts, photos, and videos on your accounts. Go back to the first post you ever made, and start the screening process there.

Of course, this step is only necessary for those who don't or can't set their profiles to private. In addition to removing unprofessional posts, you should create a few new posts that show employers what you want them to see. Share a few industry-related news posts and comment about your achievements at work.

Consider Your Usernames

People often forget to check their usernames or URLs. If you created your account years ago, it could be a username you don't want employers to see. It might be worth changing the name to something more personal or professional.

Like the Right Companies

Even your likes and follows could influence a hiring manager. Go through your likes and follows and clean it up. If you like a competitor of a company you want to work for, unlike them, and be sure to like your desired company.

Does It Make a Difference?

Your social media accounts alone may not get you a job offer, but they can certainly lose you a job offer. While cleaning up your social media takes time, it makes a difference. As long as you can keep up your professional presence, you won't need to worry about doing it again.