How Social Media Can Steal or Seal Your Job

Klydi Heywood

What if a future employer “Googled” your name right now? Would you be unsure, excited or nervous for what he or she found? According to a survey done by thenextweb.com, 37 percent "of employers are checking out prospective employees on social media before they make a final decision.”

The article stated that employers are usually looking for one of four things when checking out someone’s social media reputation. Most of the employers wanted to see the level of professionalism that was demonstrated online. The next thing they looked for is to see if the potential employee would be a “good fit for the company atmosphere.” Others said they wanted to learn more about the candidate’s qualifications and some stated that wanted to see if the individual was “well-rounded.”

So what does this mean for us? The first thing to do is to make sure there is nothing online that you wouldn’t want everyone in the world to see. The tricky thing about the internet is that once something is out there, it is there permanently, so be careful what you choose to post. 

Another tip to take into consideration is to think about what reputation you want to have. If you want to be known as a “business person,” “comedian” or “qualified genius,” then work to make that reputation come across.

You can control what your future employers see. Be careful what you put online because it might steal or seal your future job.