NederlandsAre you looking for a new job? Then there is a good chance that the company you are applying for will type your name into Google out of curiosity. Your future employer is of course very curious whether you are the right candidate for the vacancy and there is nothing crazy about you on the internet. Therefore, make sure that your search results in Google look spic and span.
Your social media channels are most likely at the top of the search results because your name is associated with them. Do you have any weird photos on social media? Then you don't have to worry about your first impression. However, if you are a party animal and your friends regularly tag you in bad shots, then there is work to be done. Time for a major social media cleanup!
You really don't need to delete all your photos. It is of course not the intention to take your piece of 'private life' on the internet. Een party every now and then should be possible! Make sure that your profile looks decent at all times. If necessary, ask your friend's unvarnished opinion about your photos and delete the worst. You can leave the nice tipsy or crazy photos, but go through your privacy settings carefully. You don't have to involve your future employer (immediately) in your private life by showing your friends what you like to do with your free time.
On Facebook you have several options to manage the privacy of your account. This way you can determine per photo who can see it. You can hide your entire profile or you can choose to have to approve when someone tags you in a photo before it appears on your timeline. We are happy to explain where you can find all these privacy settings:
desktop
To adjust your privacy settings on your computer or laptop, first go to Facebook in your internet browser and log in. In the top blue bar on the far right, click on the inverted triangle next to the question mark. Now you will see a menu appear, choose 'Settings' at the bottom of the menu. On the left you will see all kinds of options, choose 'Privacy' here. Various settings will now appear. Check everything carefully for each institution and make sure that nothing is left on 'Public' or 'Everyone'. You can decide for yourself who sees which content on your Facebook profile. Also check the option 'Timeline and tagging' in the menu on the left. Make sure nothing is set to 'Public' or 'Everyone' here either. Do you want only your friends to see certain content? Then choose 'Friends'. Would you rather that no one sees certain content? Then choose 'Only me'.
Smartphone
Do you want to adjust the settings via your smartphone? Then go to your Facebook profile on your phone. You will see four icons under your name, header and profile photo; 'Post', 'Edit profile' 'View as' and 'More'. Under 'View as' you can view your profile as someone who is not a friend of yours on Facebook. This way you can see what's on 'Public'. You can then adjust the mode of the photos that you would rather not have 'Public'. Go through your privacy settings carefully. You do this by going back to your profile and clicking the fourth icon 'More' with the three dots. A menu will appear. Select 'View privacy shortcuts'. Under the heading 'Privacy' you can go through all your privacy settings. For example, click "Check some important privacy settings" and Facebook will give you a clear tour of your privacy settings plus the option to make adjustments right away.
On Instagram you can choose to make your account public or private. We would like to explain how you do this:
Go to your Instagram account on your phone and click on the three dots at the top right. You will then see the 'Options'. Scroll down until you get to the "Privacy and Security" section. Choose 'Account Privacy'. Now you will see 'Private account' with a slider next to it to put your account in private or public mode. When your account is in private mode, only your followers can view all your photos. You decide who accepts you as a follower and who can view the content of your account. Someone who is looking for your Instagram profile and is not a follower will therefore not be able to view your content.
Do not focus only on yourCV , motivation letter and the final job interview . But also check in advance which results appear when someone Googles your name and what is visible on your social media channels. Now that you know how to shield your social media channels, we are confident that making the first good impression online will be all right. Have a look at the available vacancies .