Is Your Interviewer Checking Your Social Media?

Pause for a moment…
Now picture job searching as a two way mirror. What do you see?
On one side is yourself, an exhausted jobseeker, disappointed by the many failed interviews and now busy googling on anything you can find about a potential employer that you have to interview for in a few days’ time.
On the other end, is a focused HR manager, busy in her office perusing through your social media accounts trying to learn about anything they can get that will give them an idea of who you are before meeting you for the first time for that interview.
And now I am sure you’ve switched your mind to your social media platforms. Great!
Quickly Read This >>> Attending Interviews? What You Need To Remember
A recent study found that 84% of employers recruit through social media, and 43% of employers screen job candidates through social networks especially LinkedIn Account and other search engines for more information about the job candidate.
Your CV tells them everything about how good you are for the job but your social media profiles might help them determine your personality type and if you would be a good fit for company culture.
So now that you know why they’re looking, how about knowing what they’re looking at?
1. LinkedIn Account
When you’re looking for a job, keep in mind that your LinkedIn profile is a 24/7 information resource for the recruiters who are looking for talent.
In fact most employers now get most of their interview candidates through this professional social network.
They look at your profile summary, your work history, your headline and your thoughts throughout your timeline.
As an intelligent job seeker, your approach to LinkedIn should be the same approach you take to the rest of your career: Whether you’re actively job-hunting or just want to be an ongoing head-turner, you don’t want to miss this opportunities.
You’ve got to shine!
2. Facebook Account
Now this might be subject to several discussions but hey! Don’t shoot the messenger…
Recruiters and hiring managers are now concentrating their efforts on two sections of your Facebook page: your “about me” section, and your photo albums.
You might raise an argument on what happened to privacy or work-life balance but not today, we’ll discuss that in another article.
Employers want to see how you describe yourself and if it matches up with how you have described yourself in your cover letter and CV.
Did you lie on your CV? Wore unto you!
When it comes to photos sections, you might want to avoid using profanity, sexual or drug references on your captions.
3. Twitter Account
It is not really accurate to say that employers and hiring managers are necessarily looking at the same things when shortlisting candidates because each has his/her own preferences and job description.
But for the sake of this argument though, let’s assume they will look at your twitter account.
Most recruiters will like to see if you have any mutual connections and if you are connected with others leaders in your industry.
Others might also want to check to see if you share useful information, if you share information relevant to your trade or if you just use tweets to fight with other.
And if you are in digital marketing, then they will want to see how active you are across all platforms.
If you’re applying for a job, take a look at your tweeting history and consider deleting anything that won’t show you in the best light and most thoughtful to a potential employer.
All things considered,
A job interview is just like a learning to ride a bicycle.
The more you practice, the better you get while at it…
Prior preparation and practice prevents your poor performance and embarrassment in the interview to secure you that position.
If you need help beating those stomach butterflies and how to answer the most difficult interview questions, send an email to Esther at esther@corporatestaffing.co.ke and let’s get you into that interview room confidently.
Judith Moraa is a Communication Assistant at Corporate Staffing a leading HR firm that offers recruitment and FREE job placement. For more information visit their website on www.corporatestaffing.co.ke