Can Your Digital Footprint Harm Your Job Prospects?

How much do you know about your digital footprint? Here are some interesting facts for you:

• The average adult shares 276 posts on Instagram yearly

• The average adult shares 170 posts on Facebook yearly

• The average adult shares 141 tweets yearly

That amounts to 9,828 photos, 10,811 social media posts, and 126 email addresses in a lifetime. And, that's just social media. Google processes approximately 99,000 search queries every second. The list of statistics could go on - they all prove that we perhaps do a little too much online. And, yes, you can remove your data from Google, but what if your digital footprint is already harming your job prospects? 

Read on to find out.

The Visibility of Your Online Activities

What you share online stays online (unless you use data removal tools), often longer than you might think. 

Photos from parties, politically charged Facebook posts, or even a heated debate in a comment section can pop up with a simple Google search of your name. Search your name now and see what comes up. We're living in a time where 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring, according to a CareerBuilder survey. 

And the impact of these digital artifacts is not trivial. A careless tweet or inappropriate photos could be all it takes to put your professionalism in question.

The Issues With Social Media

Social media platforms can be a career launchpad, especially if you want to be a digital nomad. You can showcase your professional achievements, network, and expertise. On the other hand, they can also reveal aspects of your personal life you wouldn't typically expose in a professional setting. 

A LinkedIn profile might show your career milestones and professional recommendations, but your Twitter or Instagram might expose less flattering angles of your personal life or opinions. You have to be consistent across platforms. Or, rather, you have to be sensible. 

Managing Your Digital Footprint Proactively

Taking control of your digital footprint is essential, especially when job hunting:

• Google Yourself: Start by searching your name on various search engines and social media platforms to see what comes up. That'll give you a clear view of what potential employers might find.

• Enhance Privacy Settings: Adjust your privacy settings to control who can see your posts, photos, and profiles. Make personal accounts private.

• Clean Up Your Content: Remove or edit any posts, images, or comments that could be unprofessional or don't align with the image you want to project to potential employers.

• Build a Positive Online Presence: Actively curate a professional persona on platforms like LinkedIn. Share and create content that reflects your professional interests and expertise.

Long-term Implications and Strategic Thinking

Understanding the long-term implications of your online activities can help you make strategic decisions about what to share. Perhaps you can create a professional LinkedIn, share interesting posts on Facebook, or generally clear up your digital footprint to make your job prospects better. Building a professional online presence isn't just about censoring the bad (well, it is). It's about strategically creating content that can enhance your career prospects.

Your digital footprint is an extension of your resume in today's digital world. Not all employers will look at it, but we can promise you some will. It tells them a story about who you are, professionally and personally. Even if it's just a quick scroll through your social media to see what you like to do, some employers are interested.