It’s often been reported (more examples here and here) that employers often check a job applicant’s background by viewing the applicant’s social media presence. I always thought these news articles were exaggerated.
While photographing an event today, a group of guests motioned me over. They wanted to talk about cameras and photography. The conversation turned to how they use photos in their jobs.
Their jobs: one person does the Canadian hiring for an international engineering company; another does the hiring for a technology company; the third does the hiring for a department of a major Canadian bank.
All three people said that after looking at job applicants’ résumés, they will check out a promising applicant’s social media presence. They will view the applicant’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts and most importantly, they said, they will review the photos because pictures don’t lie. (Of course pictures can lie but I didn’t interrupt).
One person said that if an applicant has nothing but party pictures or photos showing less than desirable activities, he will not hire them. It doesn’t matter how good their résumé is.
I suggested that a person’s social media presence shows only their private “off duty” persona and doesn’t reflect their business side. One guest then replied, “I can’t take the risk of the wrong persona showing up for work.” He went on to explain that even if people can turn responsibility and professionalism on and off, he doesn’t want to hire a “part-time” professional.
The photos on your social media accounts are being judged not just by your friends but also by potential employers. Of course, (here comes the commercial), a good business portrait, or two, can go a long way toward creating a strong, positive impression.
