What impact does social media have on job seeking?

Whilst social media has proved itself as staple to everyday 21st century life, it’s influence on job-seeking still remains unclear for many.

As a legal support recruiter, I work with candidates at all levels of their career, which means I have seen a variety of approaches to social media, but the consistent message I have witnessed is that if you don’t want an employer to see it, you shouldn’t post it.
In our personal lives, social media is a great place to connect with others, share inside jokes and overall be a source of joy. It can also be used in these spaces for doom scrolling, unhealthy comparisons, and intense social discourse. In both cases, social media becomes a platform for divisive and context-ridden language.

Should this have an impact on job seeking? Considering how personal social media can be, many don’t think so. By contrast social media platforms like LinkedIn have built their success on being a tool used for the workplace.

What I have noticed is that over the past decade, employers are increasingly more likely to use social media to gain personal insight into the behaviours of their potential candidates. I have seen personally; candidates lose offers because of TikTok’s they have posted that did not fit in with the law firm’s vision.

For candidates, this is a sign of the importance of social media monitoring and privatisation. Being aware of what you are saying publicly vs. privately is going to become a crucial part of being a job seeker moving forward. Whilst social media can be used as a digital CV and networking opportunity, ensuring what you are saying is appropriate for that space is also vital.
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