A 2015 survey from Jobvite found that 47 per cent of recruiters use Twitter when assessing job candidates, 55 per cent use Facebook, and 87 per cent use LinkedIn. Social media is thus a valuable tool for jobseekers to access opportunities, but if used incorrectly, it can also be harmful. Regardless of whether or not you’re looking for a job right now, here are three social media mistakes you should avoid to protect your professional image online:

If you wouldn’t put something up on the notice board at work, it shouldn’t be on your social media profile either.

1. Sharing inappropriate content

Remember the picture you shared on Facebook of that messy Friday night, or the dodgy joke you retweeted last week? While they may have been funny at the time, you could soon find they come back to bite you when a recruiter heads online to see if you really match up to your impressive resume. Content such as this can reflect negatively on you and cause you to appear unprofessional. A good way to tell if something is inappropriate is by considering whether you would be happy to put it up on the notice board at work. If you have any reservations, better to keep it to yourself.

2. Venting and negativity

When you’ve had a bad day, sometimes you just need to vent your feelings. While it can be useful to talk matters over with a friend, social media is not a good outlet for your frustrations. Complaining and talking badly about your boss, company or colleagues may give you some short term relief, but it can do serious damage to your online image in the long term. This is a big red flag for recruiters, and suggests that you may be disloyal or negative, which are certainly not attractive qualities to employers. Be sure to keep your vexations off your Facebook wall or Twitter page, and your future career will thank you.

3. Allowing radio silence

Finally, it’s not just what you do share online that can cause you problems in the job search, but what you don’t. Being inactive online or making everything completely private can be a disadvantage when it comes to being found by recruiters. You want to stay relevant and visible on social media, maintaining a solid online presence. Aim to post regular updates on your social media accounts, particularly LinkedIn, sharing thoughtful content or creating some of your own. This will help you establish a strong personal brand that will present you as an industry thought leader to your future employer.

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