Importance of social media in securing a job

AJRBADGER

I'm in my early 30's, have worked for 2 company since I graduated - only ever having had 1 interview in my life up until this year. I was a principle engineer upon losing my last job, my role is providing expertise on critical safety systems for industrial plant. 

I lost my last job when working in the middle east and my company went bust. This happened immediately prior to the pandemic and I have been out of my sector for a while now as the job market has absolutely stagnated in the field I specialise in. I've been doing low paid, low skill, temporary jobs in the mean time. 

When I was in my early 20's I got into a bit of trouble due to social media, when a colleague posted pictures of us being young idiots and doing things we weren't supposed to be doing, and was very lucky to keep my job - and ever since made a conscious effort to have a minimal digital profile. I do not use any social media, nor even own a smart phone. I'm happy to say that I can find nothing about me when I google myself, other than something published in a local newspaper when I won a local sporting event. I will use forums for information, but always register with a fairly anonymous email and username - but that is the extent of my digital profile. 

So my question, how important is social media to the recruiting world. Twice now in failed interview feedback this has came back at me. The first time it didn't really stand out, but I felt that I had a poor interview -  but the feedback I have received today, on an interview I felt had went well - basically says my lack of digital profile was a major red flag to their hiring of me?

Is this common place?

TELLIT01

Ridiculous, but probably true in the era of people putting the minutiae of their lives on line.  I will confess to be of an older generation, but have never had anything more than an absolutely minimal presence on social media.  I'm not interested in what other people that I don't know well are doing, nor do I wasnt to let the world and its wife know my life.  I have always kept work and social life separate.

Possibly worth putting something on your CV to the effect that you don't use social media and have a minimal presence.  That would at least give the interviewer an 'in' to ask about it.

GrumpyDil

If social media presence is a requirement I'd better hang onto my current job. I do have LinkedIn and Facebook accounts but never post and rarely log in.
I too don't see any real need to post about my life etc on social media!
Now my daughter - that's a different matter. 

techwatcher

Seems a little 'off' for lack of digital profile to be 'a major red flag' against hiring unless social media was related to the role you were applying for(?)

Perhaps having a minimal digital profile on LinkedIn and Facebook could avoid the problem in future?

FWIW I don't really 'do' social media but I have a LinkedIn account with minimal information (literally name and job title) and I get frequent approaches from recruiters who 'know that this role would be perfect for me' - from just a job title. So it seems that (some) social media IS important to recruiters. 

74jax

When I was hiring I would use social media to check out applicants if I was down to maybe 3 and couldn't chose.  It's amazing how many will openly call their company on social media, even post photos on Instagram with the caption 'took a sicki today' and they were out at Alton Towers.................
LinkedIn was always my go to also, however I wouldn't not hire someone because I couldn't find anything on them - good or bad.

NaughtiusMaximus

I'd look on it as a blessing in disguise.

Any company which wants to snoop into their employee's private lives (which is effectively what they'd be doing in this instance) isn't a company I want to to work for.

Claddagh_Noir

Nothing wrong with not being on social media!  It's refreshing and somewhat alien in this day and age.  At least you won't have nosey colleagues making snide comments about your goings-on online when they see you in the workplace.  There are some jobs where it is in the contract to be on LinkedIn.  I believe that site is more employment based rather than the typical, vacuous 'look at all the fun I am pretending to have to try and impress you lot who I do not really like!' platforms.

Mickey666

First time I've heard of a lack of social media presence being a problem when looking for a job, though I've heard of plenty of cases where 'inappropriate social media posts have caused employment problems
I'm not on FB, Instagram, twitter or any social media, though I am on a few forums but always anonymously and do have a LinkedIn profile under a pseudonym, just to keep track of old work colleagues

In the context of employment, I wouldn't think of LinkedIn as social media really because it's more like an online CV, so I think I'd probably have a true LinkedIn account if I was still in the employment game, but nothing else.  I'd say it would be extremely harsh for any employer to mark someone down for not being on social media and I'm surprised that any employer would even admit it - especially in these days of discrimination awareness.  Is it even legal to discriminate on these grounds?

techwatcher

Claddagh_Noir said:

...LinkedIn.  I believe that site is more employment based rather than the typical, vacuous 'look at all the fun I am pretending to have to try and impress you lot who I do not really like!' platforms.

It is more employment-based, although someone described LinkedIn a few years ago as 'Facebook wearing a tie'.

NaughtiusMaximus

Mickey666 said:

I'm not on FB, Instagram, twitter or any social media, though I am on a few forums but always anonymously and do have a LinkedIn profile under a pseudonym, just to keep track of old work colleagues

Pretty much the same as me, I have both a FB and Linkedin account under (different) pseudonyms and uses 7 different user names across the 10-15 online forums I'm a member of.

In the early years of the internet it was considered naive in the extreme to use your real name online, then Facebook came along and managed to convince everyone it was the done thing.

[Deleted User]

It is becoming so, a recent application for Customer Service Advisor called for social media profiles to be added in ‘enhancing the application’ (absolutely not just LinkedIn so mind boggles) my personal view fbook is personal over professional (don’t post on except once or twice yearly not forgetting one time it got me out of a trapped room when door handle fell out of other side with no means of getting out of the only available window safely, tho who on earth would want to see that post) on what is a pretty personal profile for nearest dearest family, friends, and old connections shouldn’t come into it but yes it seems Employers are beginning to want to see this as routine nowadays.
Likewise I have started a new job when the norm is to have your mobile switched on during work hours for the purpose of what’s app being used as an office comm tool (old fuddy duddy who was brought up basically at work the mobile should be off unless break time and if you wanted a disciplinary being caught using it during work time, so had a few odd fish looks no doubt!!) why would I want to run my battery down and be left stranded on way home from work potentially with no mobile then to call for help.