Are Companies Checking Your Facebook Profile?

When you interview for a position, you understand that hiring managers will be contacting your references and calling past employees. What you may not realize, however, is that companies may also review your social media profiles. If companies are checking your Facebook profile, will they determine you are a good fit for their organization?
Social media sites such as Facebook are a public medium. As long as you don’t limit who can view your profile, you will be subject to public scrutiny. Companies already monitor profiles for employees and may let workers go if people post something on Facebook or Twitter that is against company policy. This social media voyeurism now extends to job candidates as well.

What Your Profile Tells Companies

What is it that businesses are looking for when they review an individual’s social media profile? Hiring managers are judging your profile and posts to determine five basic aspects of compatibility:

  • Work ethic: your social media page can show how conscientious you are.
  • How you deal with pressure: do you show signs of frequent stress in your posts?
  • How you work with others: posts you write about people show how well you work with others.
  • Are you a leader or follower: do you take command of a situation or follow the likes of others?
  • Are you open to new experiences: do you post about new sites and opportunities?

Interviewers will determine if you are a good fit for the position and the organization based on these five aspects before they even contact you for an interview. Companies feel that your social profile is a more-honest picture of who you are than your answers to face-to-face interview questions.

Other Factors that Impact Decisions

Beyond your social media profile, what you do or do not write in your posts will have an impact on the opinion a hiring manager will create about you. If you are looking to be hired by potential employers, you want to avoid:

  • Poor spelling and grammar in your posts
  • Profanity
  • References to alcohol or substance abuse
  • Sexual innuendos and posts of a sexual nature
  • Your political affiliations
  • Your opinions on guns and gun control

All of these types of posts may make a hiring manager believe you won’t be a good fit for the culture of their company or that you have a poor work ethic. One aspect to note is that while you won’t want to make your political affiliations public, you do want to mention your good works. People who discuss their charitable donations and volunteering improve their chances of being hired by a company.
It is a digital world where social media has a huge impact on society. As your world becomes less private, you need to consider what you post on sites such as Facebook. By taking the time to consider the effect your “funny” post about last night’s party has on today, you will improve your chances of landing the perfect job tomorrow. To learn more about improving your chances of finding the job you want, contact us.

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