Your Social Media Accounts Clean Them Up Before Job Hunting or Leave Them As-Is - CareerEnlightenment.com

The verdict: When recruiters try to evaluate a candidate’s personality through social media, they might be turned off by a profile with no personality. If you’re applying for jobs with certain companies or in creative industries, make sure that your profiles maintain some personal flavor. The picture of you at a wedding, standing with friends and holding a glass of champagne, shouldn’t be a problem. That video of you vomiting in the bushes after a frat party? Definitely hit “delete.”Finding the Right BalanceBefore applying for a job, review your social media profiles, and keep the following tips in mind:Use privacy settings, but remember that they’re imperfect. To be safe, never post a photo that you absolutely wouldn’t want a future employer to see. Social networks change their privacy settings all of the time, and your supposedly private photos could end up embarrassing you.Know what might be considered questionable in your industry. If you’re applying for a job as a political consultant, don’t bother deleting political posts that express your positions as long as they display good taste. Do delete profanity, references to illegal drugs, racist or discriminatory comments, evidence of illegal activity or anything that suggests you lack good judgment.Be yourself. If something you’ve posted is integral to who you are and you feel that taking it down would compromise your authentic values, leave it alone. A company that would reject you for the post might not be a place you’d want to work anyway. Alternatively, a company that sees your authentic personality and likes it could be the perfect workplace for you.The TakeawayTake the time to clean up your social media presence. It could be the difference between earning a steady paycheck and sitting at home spending too much time on Facebook.