Clean Up Social Media Sites

Every January we start off the new year with new hopes and dreams, and those resolutions we never get around too. One very important item you need to put on your resolution list is to "clean up your social media sites." I'm not just saying this to hurt your feelings, I'm telling you this based on a recent conversation with a friend of mine who is a job recruiter for many Fortune 500 companies.

I know you're yelling at the computer, 'how dare she tell me to clean up my social media sites, it's my first amendment right to say anything I want', and you're right; it is. However, what you post out could harm you if you're looking for a new job. According to my headhunter friend, recruiters are now required to do a Google Search on every prospective applicant. That search also includes your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn account's too. (Yes, they have the ability to access your posts even if you have your privacies closed to non-friends). Even if you have all the credentials in the world, and you're perfect for the position you're seeking, you won't get that job if you have crazy crap on your social media sites.  

Be realistic, you've all seen stuff on social media that made you cringe. You've also seen where one person's comment, which they thought was a joke, went the wrong way, and they were hit from all sides. Apology didn't clear them of the act, just made things worse and showed how stupid they really are.

As we have seen in recent years, what you post out on your social media could come back and bite you when you least expect it. So what does this mean to you? Simple, if you're looking for a new job, your quirky, funny, stupid little friendly comments could be taken the wrong way by a prospective employer. That includes those pictures you post up to entertain your friends and family. So let's start off the year right by cleaning up your social media sites of all those unwanted posts, pictures, and negative comments.

When it comes to those funny quirky comments, here's a bit of advice - never post anything that you don't want a million people to read, or your parents. Remember you might think you're being amusing, while you're drunk and typing on the laptop, but others don't take those comments you make to be funny. You can post them out and then delete them, but guess what, there are people out there faster than you are capturing your stupidity. If you wouldn't say it to a person's face, don't type it on your social media sites.

Society is screwed up enough; you don't want your political, religious, or snide remarks to hinder you in the job market. Clean up your act so you'll be a viable candidate for the promotion, or new job interview.