Hundreds of employers sitting behind rows of tables at Lifetime Activities Center at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus gathered last week to recruit potential hires among SLCC students.
With the resumes polished and suits ironed, students are ready to go into interviews with the hopes of getting a job, but they may not think about future employers seeing their latest Instagram posts.
Social media usage has increased from 5% to 72% among adults since 2011, according to the Pew Research Center. Employers, too, say they have been using social media to screen candidates during the hiring process and to check on current employers, according to Business News Daily.
During the job search, students don’t always think about what they post on social media and how it could affect job prospects. “I don’t care about what I post on Facebook, I often have my bosses on Facebook,” Andrea Prussing, an SLCC animation major, says. “I just try to be more careful about what I post, my profile is private so only the people I want to can see my posts.”
Some other students think too much about what they post on social media. “I used to be very paranoid about what I posted to the point where I just wouldn’t post,” says Rylie Grissetti, an SLCC communication major. Grissetti says that she later realized that she didn’t need to restrain herself from sharing on social media, but just be cautious about what she posts, “If you wouldn’t say it out loud to your boss, why make it so strangers can see it online?”
Social media profiles and posts paint a picture of potential employees, says Tia Smith, manager for an online preschool program. “I don’t go out looking at people’s profiles,” says Smith, who works for Waterford UPSTART. “Your social media profile is personal, but if you’re throwing gang signs on social media and you’re trying to work for a preschool program, that is something that we would take into account.”
Smith says she has also protected her own social accounts so posts are available only to friends and family. “I have my profile private so people can only see basic stuff,” says Smith, noting how easily private information can be found online.
Career Services offers resources and advice for students seeking careers after college. For more information visit https://www.slcc.edu/careerservices.
