Your social media can impact your job hunt and future promotions. Many employers today are conducting internet and social media searches, especially if you need to obtain a security clearance or authorize a background investigation. They use tools such as Facebook and Twitter to determine what quality of candidate you are and to obtain information you may not ordinarily give. While having an online presence isn’t a requirement to get hired or promoted, making sure your online presence is clean and presentable should be.
Although employers are interested in your skills and experience, they often want to gain a sense of the whole person. In workplaces with a diverse workforce, employers are being proactive in not hiring or promoting someone who may have strong opposing views which can hinder teamwork, create workplace disruptions, and potentially cause an ethics or EEO violation. They may ask about your social media account names and use your name and email address to conduct searches without your knowledge. Employers are searching for information which both verifies your experience and to see if there are reasons not to hire or promote you, especially if the position is public-facing.
Black society has to work much harder in order to be hired. We do not have the social networks, inside job information, and trusted referral system as whites. We are also judged on everything from our birth name to our hair styles and body types. Do not give employers additional reasons to not hire you. Use a professional email address as a point of contact. Remove posts and pictures which are provocative, overly political, and ties to groups or organizations that may hold racist or discriminatory views. Do not create posts or comments about drug usage even if the drug is legal. Once hired or promoted, keep your social media presence G-rated in case they continue to monitor you.