6 Things That Will Damage Your Job Search

6 Things That Will Damage Your Job Search What you say through social networks is public. I remember hearing someone say once that if you wouldnt feel comfortable seeing something in the headlines of the New York Times, then you probably shouldnt say it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Google+. So why do people still do it? Did you know that employers scour social networks? They can and will use what they find to weed you out! Why take the chance theyll find bad digital dirt? According to Jobvites 2013 Social Recruiting Survey:   93%  of recruiters  are likely to look  at a candidate’s  social profile. What are they looking for? Social profiles give  recruiters more  confidence in a  candidate’s professional  and cultural fit. On LinkedIn they look at: Professional experience Length of professional tenure Specific hard skills Across Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and blogs they look for: Cultural fit Industry-related posts Professional experience Just to be safe, avoid: Politics and religion has always been considered risky topics in conversation, though they may not negatively impact an employers perception of you they are viewed and considered neutral. You Wouldnt Do These Things In Public or At Work Think about the stuff you share online. Would you say those things at work? Would you share those photos with your co-workers or boss? Would you tell that off-color joke? When the employer is scoping out candidates, part of what they seem to be assessing is your fit in the organization. If they assume that what you post is of interest to you and your friends, but it wouldnt fly at their place of work, youre out. Your judgement is also in question. How responsible are you if you are sharing this kind of stuff online? Do they want to take a chance that you may have poor judgement in the workplace as well? What are the 6 things employers deem as negative as they assess candidates online?  Squeaky clean is the only way to go! Youll have to go read my post on US News World Report.