Cleaning up your online presence before searching for a job

It’s safe to assume that, with 70% of employers checking social media when considering a job candidate for a role, it is important to make sure your online presence reflects what you want the employer to know about you. Here’s our pointers to cleaning up your social media presence.

• Google yourself: It’s a good idea to find out what comes up in search results when you put your name into Google. Consider what personal information you can find or what old websites you might have registered to in the past, you’d be surprised what Google picks up and if you don't want the employer to see it, make sure to remove the information.

• Decide what is personal and what is professional: Make sure you know what purpose your different social media accounts have - is your Twitter account full of personal opinionated Tweets that might conflict with your prospective employers or company’s views? If so, consider removing any damaging posts.

• Make personal accounts private: If you like to post photos of nights out or political views on your Facebook feed, make sure these posts are only viewable by your immediate circle of friends, and tighten up the privacy settings of your social profiles. They might sway an employer's opinion of you regardless of your how well you conduct yourself professionally.

• Keep professional accounts up to date: If you have a LinkedIn profile, this is definitely something you want the employer to find. Make sure that it is up to date with all your current employment history and skills and that your name matches what is on your CV to ensure they find the correct profile.

For expert advice from the recruitment specialists on any aspect of your career, email consultants@1strecruit.co.uk or call 01534 875444. in Jersey and 01481 736444 in Guernsey.