It’s 2018 and time to look for that next step on your career ladder, looking for jobs in Stockton California or anywhere else around the country. You’ve got your resume in hand, and you’re all ready for interview. But there may be something you’ve forgotten.

Although social media was a huge issue in human resources a few years ago, fewer people are talking about it now. But not a lot has really changed, and many of the liabilities that people have been talking about are still there. You really have to make sure you’re protected in the social media environment before you go trying to put your best foot forward for a new job.

The Surveillance State

The reality is that companies do check social media when they’re looking to hire candidates. Some HR people may even check the low hanging fruit before they ever interview an applicant. They might skim the resume and get a little curious — it’s as easy as googling the person’s name — unless their name is Jason Smith, in which case the online detective might have to do a little bit more work.

In most cases, your potential employer will eventually find you online, and what they find will be instructive. They won’t always check, but when they do, it can really impact your outcome.

Are You Friends with Coworkers?

One of the best rules for social media, if you can swing it, is to not be Facebook friends with anyone with whom you have a working relationship. If there’s any crossover, you have to handle the awkward or painful rejection on a case-by-case basis. Unfortunately, if even one person has access to your friends-only profile, you have to assume that that stuff could get out to anyone else in the company, or even to a third party.

Scrubbing Your Social Media

So what do you have to get rid of if it’s public?

First of all, you don’t want to be the ‘party person’ — no one wants recruiters or HR professions combing through endless sets of photos of you aat your last party.

You may also want to tone down some political and religious language on the web that could get you rejected by various parties.

In the end, it’s a mix of good judgment and common sense. Nobody can tell you exactly what to erase — you have to look at yourself from a professional eye, and decide what belongs and what doesn’t. You may even identify things in your private (non-business) social media that really don’t need to be on there.

Taking a Social Media “Cleanse”

Not too long ago, former president Barack Obama wrote an interesting piece that made its way around the Internet. Essentially, the article was a basic warning about the corrosive quality of social media.

We get this on an instinctive level — we know that all of this furious clicking and posting isn’t really doing us much good — but it’s tempting. Old habits die hard. If you can, take a break from social media and keep your profile and your feed more positive, and you will have a better outlook with which to pursue that next new great job.

About Full Steam Staffing

Full Steam Staffing is a full-service employment agency in New Bedford, MA focused on providing clerical and light industrial staffing solutions to manufacturers, distribution centers and other organizations that need qualified, reliable workers. If you are looking for a new job in New Bedford, MA, browse our available opportunities or contact our team today!