Before the Internet allowed vast amounts of information about everybody and everything to be instantly accessible, remaining employable consisted of having a high school diploma, dressing nice for an interview and providing a couple references to show an employer the potential employee wasn’t an escaped convict. Today, being employable means a lot more than wearing dress clothes and possessing a rudimentary education. Now it means remaining vigilant about what you post on social media sites as well as how you conduct your personal financial undertakings.
For example, after you send a CV to a hiring manager, you have literally sent him or her a fairly complete life history of yourself. Just by inserting your name and address into a web search site designed for employers to investigate potential employees, the hiring manager can discover whether you have been incarcarated, if you are on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and what kind of attributes you may have gained from past employment to make you the perfect candidate for the job.
Staying neutral on social media sites about “touchy” subjects like politics, religion and perspectives towards world cultures is strongly recommended to avoid appearing insensitive and narrowminded to employers. Social media sites offer privacy settings to prevent these problems so make sure you use them accordingly, especially if you are actively looking for a job.
While we all have posted photos of ourselves having fun, enjoying a party or just being plain silly, employers may view these types of pictures as revealing an employee with a questionable personality or lifestyle.
Stay employable by using privacy settings and watching what you post on the Internet!
