You’re on the hunt for a new job and you’ve done all the important things to make yourself stand out as a great candidate — you’ve updated your resume and professional profile on job searching sites; you’ve written the perfect cover letter that establishes you as a hard worker who’s ready to take on the world and you’ve got the perfect outfit ready for the interview that could change your life and land you the job of your dreams.

Quick question, though: How do your social media profiles look?

Many job seekers in Hawaii and beyond forget that their public personas on social media can easily and quickly be searched by potential employers. What you post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok and other platforms might be the first impression possible employers will have of you and if they’re not impressed by what they see, you might not get that phone call for an interview. After all, an estimated 60% of employers say they make a point of reviewing the public social media profiles of job candidates while going through the interview process.

Here’s how to make sure your personal life on social media doesn’t hinder your professional aspirations.

Consider what you post.

Everyone has embarrassing photos of their childhood, but how many photos from being out with friends over the weekend might cause adult you to cringe with shame? No one’s going to tell you to stop going out and having fun with your friends, or to take photos when you’re really feeling good about how you look, but those might not be the kind of photos your future employer wants to see. It might not send the best message about how you’d conduct yourself in a professional setting.

You could go private, or you could set up a different account for your professional activities.

Depending on the kind of job you’re interested in, social media might play a role in your next job. If you make the decision to put a lock on all your accounts and go private, it could appear to your potential employer like you don’t use social media or have no concept of how it works. Another option is to create a professional account in which you interact with and follow companies or people who are working in the field you want to work in, showing that you have a professional interest and presence. These accounts will be more formal and less freewheeling than your personal accounts, but there’s plenty of room for overlap: Feel free to share content from accounts that show your personal values and interests, like volunteer opportunities, community fundraising or support efforts, interesting topics pertaining to your (current or future) job or field and great articles that you find inspiring or interesting. If you choose to keep your personal account public, you might just want to consider taking it easy on the selfies for a little while and maybe deleting or locking down some of the wilder posts you’ve published in the past.

What’s in a name?

If you’re a graduate of the AOL Instant Messenger generation, you probably had a fun social media handle in the past. If someone’s looking for you on social media now, they’ll be looking for your legal name, but they might find out your Instagram name is “FlirtyGirl69” or “FunFratGuy420.” Is that how you want to be known? You can change your social media handle without creating a new account and it’s probably time to use your real name. This is important for another reason too — with more platforms cracking down on bots, or automated computer-drive accounts, you’ll want to show that you’re a real person and not a program. Another option? Deactivate any accounts you haven’t used in a while, especially if they wouldn’t be flattering or impressive to future bosses.

Update your profile photo.

What does your cover photo look like? Do you have one uploaded at all? Generic images of eggs (on X/Twitter) or silhouettes (on Instagram) show that you don’t care that much about your account or don’t understand how to select a photo. Instead, make sure your photo is flattering, well-lit and shows your whole face, so people can see you and recognize you when you walk in the door for an interview. A natural smile can be your best asset! It’s certainly a welcoming image to make a first impression.

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and proofread.

Not everyone is great with grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. You want your professional job searching profiles, on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, etc., to show your work, highlight your professional achievements and talk about your great skills. Now that your resume is in great shape, check out your profile and see where some touching up might be needed. Check your profile and cover photos and make sure they’re looking great and professional, then give your page to someone you trust to read and check for clarity, grammar, spelling errors and general readability. If you have an account with a program like Grammarly, which can check for all of those key points, now’s a great time to use it! Little mistakes that can be easily corrected could sink your chances.

Looking for a job is stressful; you don’t need to make it harder by having unprofessional or unflattering posts and mistakes all over your social media profiles. Take a few minutes to tidy things up and see how much of a difference it can make!

Find a Great Job in Hawaii Today

If you’re looking for a great new job and could use a little more help, call Bishop & Company. We partner with great companies looking for talented candidates like you and we can help you make the best possible first impression — while putting in a good word for you! Take a look at the open positions on our job board and let us know what interests you and we’ll take it from there. Call Bishop & Company today to get started!