Why your social media posts can affect future job opportunities

The global career space continues to evolve everyday.

Nowadays, employers tend to look for a ‘clean’ digital footprint of their prospective applicants.

Employers do this by scouring their applicant’s social platforms to find if they are a perfect fit for the company.

Mtaa Wangu sought the expert opinion of two professionals in the human resource space to expound more on how one’s social media footprint can work for or against an applicant.

Nancy Wambugu, a Human Resource manager in Nakuru, notes that an applicant can make their digital footprint either positive or negative.

“Social media is an integral part of our lives. However, using social media effectively in a professional setting requires discipline and restraint,” she says.

Nancy adds that applicants need to balance the information they share digitally.

This includes being careful about sharing personal life details, political opinions, religious views, and other sensitive topics.

“Employers routinely conduct background checks on applicants to assess their suitability. Sharing sensitive content online can negatively impact career prospects, potentially portraying an employer in bad light,” she says.

Nancy continues, “For instance, if we find you are a person who incites others online, we may fall back on plans to take you up as an employee because we may not want individuals who might disrupt the workplace or compromise confidential information. As professionals, we discourage such as to maintain peace, work ethics, and integrity.”

Online etiquette is another thing Nancy lists as a priority for prospective employers, noting that besides good credentials and astounding achievements, inappropriate language can be off-putting, and as such, applicants need to be careful about what they are posting on social media.

On her part, Mary Njeri, an Agricultural Communication Specialist, says she’s careful about what she posts on social media and limits her posting there too.

“As a prospective job applicant, I maintain a minimal presence on social media which helps me avoid potential biases that might arise from others' perceptions of my online activity,” Njeri admits.

Njeri takes a firm stance on sharing sensitive topics on social media like posting about political views, religious beliefs, sexuality, and personal relationships, and views these as potentially problematic.

“I believe that online etiquette is a non-negotiable skill that should be possessed by anyone in the digital space. Since the space is mostly public, we should limit what we post there,” she sternly says.

Steve Wambugu, an Assistant HR, agrees with his counterpart and notes that applicants have an opportunity to redeem themselves from past social media mistakes.

“Prospective applicants have the opportunity to come back from past digital missteps and attract potential employers. They can do this by closing up and deleting old accounts and opening new ones. By this virtue, they ought to also have changed the way they communicate, their attitude, and the things they post,” he says strictly.