Applying for jobs is a stressful time. But it can also be the most rewarding time.

It’s the gateway to your next adventure and soirée into a new career. You’ve studied hard for years and are ready to reach for new challenges. Before the job interviews come rolling in, there’s one last to do in order to stand out from the crowd: Clean up your social media.

With these five tips, you can ensure your social media profiles show you in the best light before applying to jobs and rest easy knowing your ambition and hard work will get the recognition it deserves.

1. Change Privacy Settings

The first and easiest step to controlling who can view your content online is by changing privacy settings to the most strict level possible. Don’t worry – friends and family members you’ve approved can still see everything, but strangers cannot. This is a win-win. You can still show off limited content like name, photo, and choice posts to hiring professionals while preventing unwanted attention on unrelated posts or from unknown folks. Employers will also be impressed that you know how to present yourself professionally.

2. Manage What Friends Post About You

This is a tough one. It’s fun when friends take a cool photo or make inside jokes on social media. You’re included and get to share those memories with others. However, they’re not what hiring professionals are looking for. If those photos are misleading, inappropriate or unbecoming in any way, that’s a negative strike against your resume. As absurd as that it, navigating the digital climate with poise and class is an essential part of succeeding in the real world. That starts with knowing how to speak up when something makes you uncomfortable online.

3. Never Post Inappropriate Content

Speaking of discomfort online, under no circumstances should you ever post inappropriate content. Ever. This is the internet we’re dealing with and for all the cool stuff you can find on there, there are some pretty regrettable posts that are now enshrined for eternity on the web. Don’t do something you’ll regret. Think of it like this: Is that post something you would email along with your job applications? If not, hit delete and move on.

4. Google Yourself

Open up a new tab on your web browser and find out what exactly those employers are learning about you. 67% of women and 48% of men set strict privacy settings across social media. It’s not at all uncommon to close off your social presence to unwanted attention. This prevents all of your posts from being found by search engines around the world. Pretend you’re reviewing job applications and scanning the web for reasons to turn down potential students. If you don’t like what you see, change those settings.

5. Block and Report Spam

Something less obvious to help you in your job quest is to pay attention when spammers or seemingly fake accounts interact with you. Whether through a tweet, Instagram follow, or Facebook friend invite, they’re out there. Not all spam is inappropriate, but all spam is preventing other humans from using these social sites the way they were intended. If a user seems unsafe, block them. If there is something hateful, inappropriate, or harassing going on, report them immediately through the social app. This is an option on every social site and should be used when necessary to help identify online abuse.

6. Don’t Accept Unknown Friend Requests

As tempting as it is to say yes to a new “friend,” don’t. You don’t know if they’re real or not. You also don’t know how they found you or why they’re interested in you. This is an easy one to walk away from and not feel bad. Your real friends will find you and that’s all you need to worry about.

Find More Ways to Clean Up Your Social Media

Contact us for more information about jobs in Hawaii and setting yourself up for success by understanding the impact of social media on job applications. For more tips on managing your social media accounts during a job search, check out this blog post.