Do Recruiters Look at your Social Media?

Advice from even a few years back fails to convey how important it is to manage your social media. Especially when you are applying for a new job. It’s no longer something that is private and a part of your personal life.

The fact is that social media is an integral part of daily life, both personal and business life, means that it will be taken into account when you are applying for a job. Therefore, it’s obvious that recruiters will look at your social media accounts.

The fact that recruiters and potential bosses look at your social media can be an upside, or a negative, depending on how you maintain your various accounts. We’ll dive a bit more deeply into the specifics in later sections.

Is Instagram Good for Recruitment?

Let’s take a look at the most popular social media platform. And no, I’m not discussing Twitter.

The reason employers check out your Insta first is because it provides a fuller picture of your life and behavior. Of course, they will probably check out Twitter as well, but Instagram is always the first place a recruiter will look.

Instagram can be a plus for you, but it can also be a negative. Let’s look at some examples.

If a recruiter is higing for a social media firm, and the client has specified that they want someone with a certain energy (perhaps a bubbly, energetic type) and the recruiter sees an Insta filled with brooding poetry, goth photography, or other less than bubbly scenes, then they will likely pass.

If, on the other hand, the person’s Insta has your typical outdoors shots at parks or concerts, and happy photos…then it can be a plus.

Also, a well curated Instagram where the person is show to be social and successful can always help. People who are desirable are more in demand by employers, so a recruiter who sees someone online that looks to be “popular” stands a better chance to be recruited.

Finally, let’s not forget that people still want to get a visual on someone before recruiting them. Sadly, if you’re not someone who is presentable, then you’re not going to stand a good chance of getting a high end corporate role unless you get it through nepotism, favoritism, or some other reason unrelated to performance.

Companies, especially in spaces such as Public Relations, Marketing, Sales, and other “sexy” businesses, want attractive people to work in their space. While they will never say this, as it’s not acceptable, it’s just a fact that all recruiters will have realized.

Now, that does not mean that you have to be a model, but it does mean that you should have a nice presentation online.

The main takeaways here are:

If you have an Instagram, and you’re showcasing fun and wholesome photos: art events, family parties, beach trips, parks, nature shots, food and restaurant shots, then it’s fine and could even help.

If you have an Instagram where you promote wild parties, use profanity laced memes, or showcase / repost risqué material, then it could very well hurt your chances with a recruiter.

Should You Set Your Instagram to Private When Applying for Jobs?

Alright, here’s a somewhat delicate topic to discuss. Should you set your Insta to private when you are out on the job market? Honestly, probably yes, unless you have a very wholesome and attractive Insta profile with fun and well shot photos.

If you do like to post somewhat controversial material, be it risqué parties, hot takes on celebs or current events, or anything else, then yeah, you should set that Instagram to private.

As a rule, I would suggest that most people set their Instagram to private unless they think that it’s a slam dunk to be a net positive. And be honest about that. If your Instagram is too much (you post every day) or too “inspiration” (all quote memes) or anything besides a depiction of a “popular” well rounded attractive person, then I would set it to private.

I would certainly set it to private if you take stances on any sort of political or current events in your Instagram. Why? Because you never know the political leanings of the recruiter and, more importantly, the hiring manager at the company.

It’s best to be very middle of the road and non-political, non controversial when applying for jobs.

Do Employers Check TikTok?

Honestly, it’s less common to check TikTok because it has not reached the saturation point that Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have.

Also, TikTok is less popular with professionals. So, it’s unlikely that an executive recruiter would be working with someone who uses TikTok.

The demographics for TikTok users tend to be college aged individuals, and people who are not college graduates. It’s popular in the Medical Field (see the infamous Dancing Nurse videos) but those roles are not as heavily vetted as corporate roles in offices.

A nurse, for instance, can have almost anything on their social media and it won’t result in any kickback. The only time medical professionals can get in trouble is when they literally break the law by posting photos of patients, or behave in other unprofessional manners, Nurses and other medical staff can have outrageous social media profiles.

Some choice examples of bad posting on Social Media by Nurses include:

Posting about a dead patient.

Posting about a newborn baby with a birth defect.

There are even instances where nurses flaunt their paychecks on Instagram accounts. That sort of unprofessional behavior would not be tolerated in a corporate setting, so if your Instagram account is not professional, set it to private.

Can Employers See Private Instagram?

This leads us into our next section, and that is the discussion of whether or not an employer can see your private Instagram.

No, they can’t. Someone can’t see a private Instagram unless they request it. And most employers won’t request it. If it’s not easily visible, then recruiters won’t be able to see it either.

That’s why most people have turned to private Insta profiles. It just makes more sense. There’s really very little benefit to a public Insta unless you happen to be:

Attractive

Very-non offensive, non-controversial (read, no strong opinions on any current events)

Have a desirable life (but don’t post too much about it)

Otherwise, there are really too many downsides to public Instagram’s.

Private Instagram’s, on the other hand, can’t be found out even if your recruiter or employer wants to Insta-Stalk you.

As a final precaution, I always suggest that you set your Instagram to private and do not connect it with your real name. Try and not make it too easy to connect, unless, that is, you have a really well thought out and produced Instagram.

Can Employers See Deleted Social Media Accounts?

Whereas employers and recruiters can’t see private accounts, that’s not as true with deleted accounts.

While they can’t view your account anymore because the account is deleted, there are apps and sites out there that archive photos. The timeline on how long they archive them depends on numerous factors, but the fact is that if you’re material was put out on Insta, and it was public, then the odds are that it’s floating around one of the archive sites.

The food news is that most recruiters and employers aren’t going to go that far down the rabbit hole. It’s just not in their nature. Remember, they are looking for big red flags, and if your Insta is gone, they are probably not going to search out for archived versions.

And even if they do try and search out a deleted profile, many of the sites that attempt to archive Instagram are so buggy that they won’t find anything of substance and will give up after a few quick searches.

Not Hired Because of Social Media? Real World Examples

While most of the time it’s not made public, there are some famous examples of people who lose jobs because of their social media posting. There are also examples of people who had their potential boss check out their Instagram account and then they didn’t get the job. But it’s not uncommon for people to have their social media checked and then not get a job offer.

The vast majority of these events are never known to the applicant. If someone, for instance, has an Instagram filled with pics of them smoking a bong, and wildly inappropriate behavior, then a recruiter likely won’t contact them back.

Likewise, if someone has a public Twitter account where they are constantly engaged in heated politics and social arguments, it doesn’t bode well for their chances.

Even things that are not inappropriate can cause problems. A few years back a young woman was interviewing for a job and then later she saw that the company had posted her Instagram pics online. The photos were of her in a Bikini while on vacation. Needless to say, the resulting publicity surrounding this was huge and papers all around the globe took the side of the young woman.

Now, imagine what an employer would think if there was something truly unprofessional on your public insta!

What Social Media Do Recruiters Look At?

Generally speaking, the first “social media” that a recruiter will check out is your LinkedIn page. That’s because it’s a “professional” social media platform. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok aren’t designed for professionals. They are “social”.

However, it does make sense for a recruiter to occasionally check a persons Instagram and other social media so that they can determine if the candidate has any glaring issues that might make them a problem with the company.