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One of the main distinctions people note between Gen Z/Gen Alpha and the older generations is how people show up online. While Millennials, Gen X, and older folks often have a certain degree of separation between their “online selves” and their “IRL selves”, increased usage and savviness around social media have gone a long way in merging these two selves in the younger generation. Younger people put more of themselves online because there are actually spaces to do so. It’s a great way to find and build community, to organize, or even just to express oneself. But it also comes with risks, particularly while job hunting. Employers will absolutely look you up, and with a strong social media presence, you may give them ammunition to reject your application, regardless of your strength as a professional candidate. Check out our tips below to help you get your social media in shipshape when you’re looking for a job.
Google yourself to see what comes up.
This is step one, so you can see what employers will find when they search for your name. If you’re like most people, a simple search will turn up a few social media profiles, maybe a local news article or two (especially if you were a high school or college athlete), and perhaps a picture or two. If you’ve got a really common name, this may actually work in your favor—there are too many Rebecca Johnsons and Michael Browns for anyone to be sure they’ve found the specific person they’re looking for. Even so, it’s still a good idea to see what might come up on a cursory Google, as it gives you a good idea of whether or not anything embarrassing pops up.
Scrub it or go private.
The simplest way to clean up your social media presence is to make all of your accounts private. If you aren’t trying to live that influencer life, then there’s not really any reason to be public. Going private means you can still do whatever it is you want on your profiles without it being out there for the world (i.e., potential employers) to see. But if you don’t like the idea of taking your accounts private, I would definitely advise either archiving or deleting anything that might make you look like a risk. You don’t need to ditch all of your fun girls’ night selfies or bachelor trip photo dumps, but it would be prudent to archive posts that include hot-topic political rants, too-dark humor, a tell-all about your last job, things like that. To reiterate, anything that makes you seem like a risk to employers.
Polish your LinkedIn to a shine.
Your LinkedIn profile should be squeaky clean while you’re job hunting. Where tips regarding TikTok or Instagram are more about making sure certain things aren’t seen, cleaning up your LinkedIn is about just the opposite: ensuring that anyone who drops by your page knows exactly who you are as a professional, what your skills and experiences are, and that you’re ready to join their team. Your LinkedIn should be at a similar level of polish to your resume, as it’s the first place that employers will go when checking out your online presence.
Build a consistent presence across platforms.
There’s a lot of advice out there about building your brand as a professional. It’s not bad advice, exactly—lots of people do it, and it works for them. But it’s not really necessary, in my opinion, and particularly so for folks who are earlier in their careers. So long as your profiles and posts for professional social media are all geared toward your skills and your openness to work, that should suffice for a “brand”.
One of my main pieces of advice is to use the same name consistently throughout your applications and social media. If your name is Samantha, but you really only go by Sam, then it’s in your best interest to have your profiles and resume all say “Sam” to avoid any confusion. Or, alternatively, have everything be “Samantha” but introduce yourself as “Sam” during the interview process—both ways are fine, but having your resume say Samantha and your LinkedIn or GitHub read Sam adds a layer of friction to the hiring manager’s vetting process that you’re better off not having.
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