How Social Media Can Affect Your Future Employment

At a friend’s birthday party, you danced half naked with a bottle of vodka in hand. No big deal, right? Right—unless you were tagged in the photo and it is seen online by a potential employer. Nowadays you make your first impression with a Google search, not an interview.

There was a recent study done that confirms it. 70 percent of U.S. business managers decided not to hire an applicant because of something they found out about him/her online!
Now you may be thinking, “We work in affiliate marketing, it’s hardly a professional industry.” But, think again. Although it’s true, some employers don’t mind a steady stream of selfie shots on your Facebook profile, it does determine their initial impression of you. In fact, 90% of my clients looking to hire ask me for the candidates Facebook profile before they ever request a phone interview.

Based on this, it’s quite obvious that your virtual self needs to be kept up. Here’s how:

Give your pages a facelift

Social-media sites, like Facebook and Twitter rank very high in search engines so make sure you have the highest privacy settings possible (or at least set them that way when you have a potential job interview) Additionally, make sure that there is no negative speech, complaints about your job or boss, or any confidential information that the employer does not need to know. You should probably remove or make private any photos that could paint you in a bad or inappropriate light.

Build a self brand

Perhaps you’re an affiliate manager by day but your real passion lies in fostering dogs or giving to your favorite charity. Our industry is relaxed enough that this information is acceptable, or even encouraged to include on your social media profiles.We live and work online so it’s only fitting that we should express ourselves there too. Feel free to include your personal life but make sure it’s done with intent and nothing embarrassing surfaces and ends up biting you in the you know what!

Keep a good reputation online

Especially since we work in the online space, it is crucial to have some kind of digital footprint online. You don’t want to be so private that you’re virtually nonexistant in Google. Instead, make it a point to strategize your online presence. For example, if you’re applying for an Affiliate Manager job, maybe sign up for a few relevant industry forums and make a few posts about the latest trends in Affiliate Marketing. If a potential employer googles your name and finds it, it could up your chances of coming across as legit.