Central Minnesota May Have a Social Media Problem

If you've posted to social media lately and you're looking for a job, you may want to start getting rid of some of that questionable content that makes you look like a recluse. Employers are watching!

If you've ever browsed the St. Cloud Workforce Center, you'll see this area has a ton of job openings. People are moving up here for job solutions all the time because of that. If you're already living here and still unemployed, you might want to take a look at your social media accounts to see if that's the reason for why you're still jobless.

We're not all that different from other areas of Minnesota when it comes to the content of your social media pages, but I've noticed a fair amount of negative or "questionable" content on social media pages of people from this area, that seems to be a little more than those from the Twin Cities. Whatever the reason -- it may be time for you to really look close at what you're posting online, cause employers are looking you up!

Last year a whopping 70% of employers admitted they turn to Facebook and Twitter to qualify a candidate for a job, according to CareerBuilder. They want to learn about you before calling you in for an interview, to see who you REALLY are. Here are some of the things they naturally look for in your online postings:

1. How much of a party animal you are. If you post drunken pics (or are tagged) often, they can assume you may not be reliable to show up for work at your best.
2. Your attitude overall. Does everything you post have a negative vibe to it? Hate your job and use social media as your soap box? It might be time to stop letting the world know how negative you are to be around.
3. Non-stop selfies. This shows that you really are high-maintenance, always fishing for compliments about yourself. Still posting duck lips and the ugly "cow tongue" pics? You look immature to employers.
4. Your filthy language. This not only looks terrible to an employer, but is just overall bad practice and doesn't make you look desirable to anybody.
5. Posting all day and evening. If you're a social media junkie then you are obviously turning your attention to that -vs- what you're supposed to be doing at work. People who post non-work related content during the day and evening scare an employer, as they know you won't be focused on your job 100%. Turn off those game updates and put a limit on sharing non-stop Pinterest photos.

Do yourself a favor and Google your name to see what an employer would see. It will give you a realization of how others view you overall. If you aren't impressed then start cleaning it up. Do you really want the out-of-towners taking our St. Cloud area jobs from us?