6 ways to prevent social media from ruining your career options

6 ways to prevent social media from ruining your career options


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Remember when you posted that hilarious photo after about five drinks too many? How about those low-cut, high-hemmed, skin-tight dress selfies in front of the bathroom mirror? Or what about those status updates about your lame boss keeping you late on a Friday night? Well, any (or all) of these could be hurting your career prospects.

According to a CareerBuilder survey, 37 percent of employers perused social media profiles of prospective candidates before making a decision about hiring them. So how can you avoid social media-induced unemployment? Try the following tips.

Avoid cursing

You may be out of your parents' house and on your own, but you should still listen to your mother when it comes to posting status updates and photo captions. Social media posts that are riddled with four-letter words could ruin your chances of getting that dream job if your potential boss happens to be of the clean-language camp.

6 ways to prevent social media from ruining your career options
Photo: Shutterstock

Playing hooky? Keep it on the down-lowSure, we’re all guilty of calling in sick (or calling in with a flat tire, a dead relative or mental incompetence) when we’re fully capable of putting in some office hours. That said, if you decide to play hooky, practice some stealth: no future (or current!) employer will be the least bit impressed when you boast about skipping work to lay out by the pool.

Keep the selfies to a minimum

We live in the selfie era, rife with self-portraits taken and posted for, well, any reason (or no reason at all). But your 17 selfies (just on Thursday) might be telling your prospective employers that your primary interest is, well, you. Most careers require you to work well with other people and practice teamwork. Your endless selfies may not be sending that, um, exact message.

Keep yourself covered

You may think you looked super sexy at that bachelorette party last weekend, but posting a bunch of photos wherein your anatomy is taking center stage is likely to impress college-aged boys, but not potential employers. Keep the cleavage shots at a minimum. And guys, you’re on the hook, too: Your soon-to-be-boss doesn’t need a dozen shirtless snapshots or that pic of your “European” swimwear.

Talk about things that matter

If your primary purpose for social media includes bragging about how much you lifted at the gym this morning or complaining about the rude receptionist at your dentist’s office, you may want to elevate the conversation a bit. Employers like to see smart, well-rounded candidates. So make sure your social media is a little more CNN and a lot less Jerry Springer.

Use proper grammar

You could be a closet Einstein, but if you’re mixing up “too,” “to” and “two,” you could be sabotaging your potential career. Use spell check (even for quick posts!) and review your profile now and then to make sure that it appropriately reflects the thoughtful, well-spoken budding professional that you are.

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