In our hyperconnected world, the line between personal life and professional life continues to blur. We can no longer compartmentalize our behavior into “home” and “work” the way we used to.

One survey showed that 90% of employers check an applicant’s social media before making a hiring decision. And 79% report rejecting a candidate based on the content of their social media.

And they’re not just checking LinkedIn. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok are all fair game. While an employer should get your written consent for a social media background check, not all companies will. So you may not even know that they’re digging through your posts and comments until it’s too late.

Don’t miss out on a dream job, or risk losing the one you already have. Follow these six steps to keep your social media employer-friendly. 

1. Update Your Profile

Consider your profile a place to give the employer a little quick insight into your personality. 

A bio with something like “Keg Stand Champion 2021” is probably not going to help you. But a bio that shares where you currently work and something you’re passionate about gives the employer an indication that you’re proud of your work and that you have interesting hobbies. People want to work with people they like!

2. Scrub Your Feed of Inappropriate Images and Videos

No one expects you to pretend to be someone you’re not online. But depending on the type of job you’re looking for, you may want to omit certain content. Of course, exactly what is and isn’t appropriate is your call to make based on both your comfort level and career/industry. 

A photo of you in a swimsuit on your last beach vacation is not necessarily inappropriate. But a video of you out at a club on a Tuesday with that “I won’t remember this in the morning” look on your face may send the wrong message. And of course, any content that shows you participating in illegal or sexually explicit behavior is a big no-no.

If you have photos or videos that you’d rather an employer not see, you don’t necessarily have to delete them. You may be able to archive them or set them to private, depending on the platform. 

3. Check Your Political and Social Opinions

A tirade against certain views or ideations may accurately reflect your opinion, but it may not help you get the job. And it’s not even necessarily a matter of the employer’s political stance. 

A hiring manager has to consider the whole team, and most teams include people from across the political spectrum. While they may even personally agree with your views, they also don’t want the break room to turn into a debate stage. So your impassioned post may be cause for concern. It may be best to hide or archive this kind of post.

4. Remove Any Negative Content About Former Employers

Posts about how much you hate your job or how your manager is a big jerk can be red flags to potential employers. If you’re willing to bad-mouth your current company in public, why wouldn’t you do the same to your next company?

Scrub any complaints or angry posts about your boss, co-workers, or company policies from your public profiles. 

5. Share Relevant Content

An employer-friendly social media account isn’t all about what you shouldn’t post. It can also help to consider what you should post. Positioning yourself as a thought-leader in your industry—or even just as an enthusiast—can go a long way to making your candidacy attractive. 

If you work in the food and beverage space, you could share content from your meals out, or re-post exciting restaurant news. Someone in the travel industry could post tips for getting the best deals, and a hotel employee could share an influencer’s content from their stay at the hotel.

You could also post your professional achievements, like certifications, awards, or recognition from your current employer.

6. Consider Setting Your Accounts to Private

If you’re not interested in using your social media feeds to “build your brand,” you may want to consider setting them to private. When you have to approve new followers, you get to control who sees and shares your content, so you can keep your employer out of your feed entirely. 

You may also wish to turn on the Timeline Review feature on Facebook. This allows you to approve or deny any post you’re tagged in before they appear in your feed. Once this is toggled on, you don’t have to worry about your feed getting cluttered with compromising content posted by your friends.

Once You Have the Job, Then What?

You may think once you’ve been hired, you can post whatever you want. But many companies continue to monitor their employees’ online activity. They’re looking for any signs of racist, illegal, violent, or sexually explicit content that may paint the company in a bad light. 

We’ve all heard stories of someone going on a racist tirade online which then thrust their employer into a negative spotlight. To prevent this kind of backlash, employers may choose to keep track of their employees’ online behavior so they can take swift action before an inappropriate post becomes national news.
Remember: freedom of speech prohibits the government from curtailing your expression. It doesn’t prevent private companies from implementing their own rules or standards. And freedom of speech does not equal freedom from consequences. So keep your social media clean and keep your job!