Biggest Red Flags in Job Seeker Social Media Profiles

Biggest Red Flags in Job Seeker Social Media ProfilesBiggest Red Flags in Job Seeker Social Media ProfilesWhile its a great start to get rid of that questionable bikini picture from your last vacation or that detailed account of your frats reunion party, smart job seekers take extra precautions. Plenty of other online actions also may cause a hiring manager to think twice. Make aya your job seeker social media profiles support your candidacy by eliminating the following sabotaging behaviors listed below.Here are some of the biggest red flags in job seeker social media profiles.Leading with an unprofessional photo.Since a picture is worth a thousand words, make sure your profile one says the right things. A clear head shot against an appropriate background gives a positive first impression. As Marc Prosser, co-founder of Fit Small Business, leides, If your profile pic on LinkedIn was taken in the blue light of a dance club, what does that say about you as a potential hire? Youre not o nly making it clear that you like to party, youre making it clear that you cant separate the party from your professional life. If thats how you treat a LinkedIn profile, how will you act in front of a client? Im not really worried about my employees private lives, but I do consider how candidates present themselves in public.Badmouthing past employers or coworkers.Employers want positive people capable of getting along with others. Airing grievances can mark you as petty, immature, or difficult.Candidates who take to social media to bash their former employers are dead wrong if they think their actions wont come back to bite them later, says Michael Lan, senior resume consultant at Resume Writer Direct. Recruiters and hiring managers who see candidates badmouthing employers will immediately see that they are not gruppe players. In addition, they put private, confidential, or sensitive company information at risk. In short, they cannot be trusted, and employers will run the other wa y as fast as they can.Ranting about your opinions and views.Yes, you are entitled to express your viewpoints- just realize that prospective employers are equally permitted to judge you based on them (especially when filled with expletives or hate talk).Marina Byezhanova, co-founder of Pronexia, encountered such a situation last year when looking to fill an internal position within her recruitment firm. After interviewing dozens of job seekers, she came upon a seemingly ideal candidate. We felt we had found our newest hire. However, a routine scroll through his Twitter feed quickly proved us wrong Our rising stars feed was chock-full of highly religious and thoroughly judgmental commentary showing clear condemnation of anyone different from him. Talk about a red flag It was clear that he would not fit within our highly open-minded company culture where were meet people from very different walks of life on a daily basis.Making errors in your profile.Lastly, just as improper grammar, t ypos, and spelling mistakes can doom a resume, they also can be detrimental online- especially for jobs requiring writing, communication skills, and attention to detail. As Lan notes, Taking a couple of seconds to quickly do a simple proofread of your social media posts can go a long way to setting a good impression on recruiters and hiring managers.Readers, how important are job seeker social media profiles in having a successful job search? How do you keep your profiles job search ready? Share with us below