The Chilling Effect: How Social Media Could Cost You Your Next Job

"You've spent hours updating your résumé, nailed the interview phase and thought the offer was locked in. Then the silence hits. Here's the thing - the reason may have nothing to do with your skill set - and everything to do with your social media. Employers are no longer just glancing at applications; they're dissecting digital lives. According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers screen candidates' social media before hiring, and more than half have rejected applicants based on what they found."

"From a corporate standpoint, the logic is straightforward: protect the brand from day one and at all costs. A viral post can cause reputational damage faster than any financial misstep. Employers are hyper-vigilant about confidentiality, regulatory breaches, and liability-and so they should be. But the question becomes whether or not the effort to predict reputational risk before hiring has crossed a line? Likely it has."

"What raises the red flags? Obvious ones, of course, like offensive posts - but also what you "like," reshare, or comment on that may contradict corporate values, direction or bias of the interviewer. A late-night meme, a blunt political take, or an ironic retweet may be enough to sink your candidacy. If organizations are selecting candidates that mirror their own ideals, might they be sacrificing diversity of thought for the illusion of safety? The human factor-growth, redemption, learning and individuality-in this model gets lost."

Employers increasingly screen candidates' social media and can reject applicants based on posts, likes, reshares, or comments. A 2018 CareerBuilder survey found 70% of employers screen social media and over half have rejected applicants for content. Employers justify screening to protect brand reputation, confidentiality, regulatory compliance, and liability. Predicting reputational risk before hiring can suppress diversity of thought and reward conformity. Surveillance-oriented hiring privileges sameness, undermining growth, redemption, learning, and individuality. Casual or ironic online activity, such as late-night memes or retweets, can jeopardize candidacies despite unrelated professional qualifications.

Read at Forbes