The 10 Worst Things to Post on Social Media as a Job Seeker

The 10 Worst Things to Post on Social Media as a Job Seeker Social media can be both your best friend and your worst enemy in your job search. Although  it can be an extremely valuable tool for learning about vacancies and creating a professional personal brand for yourself, all of your job hunting efforts could be crushed if you present yourself poorly online. Whereas sharing photos from a crazy night out might seem like a bit of fun between your friends, an employer might not see it that way; so its essential that you  sensor what you post on social media and who can see it. Here are just a handful of some of the worst things you can post on social media as a job seeker! Are you guilty of any of these?! 1) Unprofessional photos Im afraid I dont think potential employers will see the funny side of a photo that shows you drunkenly slumped at the side of the road or sporting a mankini. 2) Bad language Painting yourself as a polite and approachable individual in all of your job applications and then swearing like a trucker all over social media is probably a tad counterproductive. 3) Negative remarks  about a past/current employer or colleague Something got a bee in your bonnet at work?  It can be tempting to use social media to vent, but employers will be looking out for this kind of thing, so avoid the public bad mouthing! 4) Reference to illegal activity FYI bragging about drug use, anti-social behaviour, etc. is more likely to land you a spell in prison than a new job! 5) Controversial comments Expressing strong political views or controversial opinions can be dangerous. Its likely that a lot of people may not agree with what you are saying and its possible that someone may take offence. 6) Whinging and whining Nobody wants to work with a moaning Myrtle! They bring the mood down in the workplace and can be impossible to please. So if youre using social media to complain about every little thing thats ticked you off each day, think about how its portraying you as a person. 7) Comments and tags from other people Weve all got that one friend who loves to tag us in awful photos or is forever posting inappropriate links on our Facebook page!  If youre at risk of them tarnishing your reputation, make sure you change your settings so that you have to approve tags or ask them to stop all together. 8) Posting hastily Posting carelessly when youre in a hurry or getting excitable can lead to spelling/grammatical errors and poor judgement. Before posting something on social media make sure you read it through. 9) Outing yourself Bragging about skiving off work to go on a jolly or making a joke out of being late for work for the third time in a week doesnt really scream star employee! 10) Not posting anything at all No social presence at all can sometimes be as bad as a poor one! In this day and age job seekers are expected to be in touch with the latest technology and being proactive about creating a personal brand for themselves. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]