Spring 2016 Business Communication Course at the University of Memphis Social Media Project

1. Social Media. Is it Right for Thing Your Future? 1
Social Media. Is it Right Thing for Your Future?
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Social Media during a Job Search.
Sarah McDowell (smcdwell)
The University of Memphis
Business Communications - MGMT 3510 M51 – 20161020487
Professor Dewey Hemphill
April 3rd, 2016

2. Social Media. Is it Right for Thing Your Future? 2
Social Media has become a widely used tool for people to communicate with one
another. Long lost friends can be reconnected, people can learn about breaking news and sports
updates that they may have missed, and they can also get information from up and coming events
such as their best friend’s birthday, an annual clearance sale from their favorite store, and even
concerts that they may not want to miss. Because social media has become so popular in
people’s everyday lives, they feel as though they cannot live without it. Although it has its
wonderful features that can help people in numerous ways, it may not always be a good idea for
people to share everything that they do. When someone is looking for a job they may want to be
cautious with what they put onto their social media pages that could easily prevent them from a
being hired. There are some advantages and disadvantages of using social networking while job
hunting and after reviewing some of the benefits and weaknesses it may possibly help someone
who is seeking for a career.
The first and most important thing about using social media while job searching is the
“impression” that someone profile can give off while observing his or her page (wisestep.com,
2015. web). Facebook is prominently known for sharing post, and occasionally people will share
something that they think is funny but someone else may see it as an offensive slur. The popular
social media website is also known for posting memories. For example, if someone decided to
post their pictures of their adventures from Bourbon St. last Saturday night and it was captioned
as “We’re such party animals”, it would give off a bad impression to any employer who is
looking to hire them. According to SRAVANI of wisestep.com, “…a survey directed by the
portal CareerBuilder in 2014, found that many applicants were passed on by recruiters because
employers found their social media profiles to be inappropriate, around fifty-one percent of
employers thought so” (SRAVANI, 2015. web). Since fifty-one percent of employers pass on

3. Social Media. Is it Right for Thing Your Future? 3
candidates applying for a job positions, that shows that a large number of candidates are not
being hired because of mistakes being made on their social media pages. However, there are
some advantages to using social media while job hunting. Employers are not only looking at
applicant’s social media pages to find their dirty laundry but they are also looking at other things
that could help them land the job. As stated by CareerBuilder.com, 29% of managers found
something positive on the profile page that offered the candidate the job. The employer got a
good feel from candidate’s profile and found a sense of professionalism in them. This also goes
back to how people can make an impression on social media. If the applicant’s social media
pages are professional and well structured, this would give the employer more of a feel for what
they are looking for (CareerBuilder.com, 2013. web).
The next important thing to be aware of while using social media during a job search is
knowing that “social media is an open platform” (wisestep.com, 2015. web). This means that
anything that a candidate puts onto their social media page is there for anyone and everyone to
see. If someone has a particular sense of humor, shares racist or homophobic posts that may
offend other people’s views, and also political opinions that others could also disagree with, it
may alter the employer’s decision on whether or not to hire them. Another downfall about social
media being on a platform is that if someone applies for a job, the employer who is looking at
their information could also see all of the other places that the candidate has applied to. Because
of this, the employer may feel as though that they may not take the offer because they have
applied for so many other job potions (SRAVANI, 2015. web). Nevertheless, social media can
still have advantages while job searching. According to Alasdair Smith of chron.com “With one
in four people around the world using social networking, according to industry research firm
eMarketer, these sites have the potential to hook someone up with thousands of concurring

4. Social Media. Is it Right for Thing Your Future? 4
individuals and recruiters, guaranteeing visibility in the jobs market”. For example, LinkedIn
may be a better way for someone to show their resume, professional skills, and portfolio rather
than Facebook and Twitter because a person is more likely to share how they feel and less likely
to show professionalism on those networking sites (Smith, 2014. web).
The final two important disadvantages to look for while using social media during a job
search are “Discrepancies can be harmful” and “Incomplete profiles work against you”
(wisestep.com, 2015. web). These two disadvantages go together because if a candidate has
multiple social media accounts and they are not careful with what they put on each individual
one, it can show the employer that they may be dishonest (SARVANI, 2015. web). As an
example, if an applicant shows respect on Facebook because they know that their family also
uses that networking site but post profanity and pictures of themselves partying on Twitter, it
could show dishonesty. Incomplete profiles can also be a disadvantage because if a candidate is
missing key information on a profile it can come off as careless. LinkedIn would be a good
example of a social networking site that would need to be looked over carefully because it is
considered a recruiting website for companies and businesses looking for new employees to take
on jobs. However, if the applicant forgot to put in important information then those companies
will gladly look over them. CrossRoads.com explains the last advantage of using social media
while job hunting. Social media is so popular and widely used by millions of users that if a
person is in the market for a career then it will automatically alert hundreds of people and also
friends and family members that can pass on the message (CrossRoads, 2015. web).
Networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. have become a huge priority
in people’s everyday lives but there can be some disadvantages and advantages of using social
media while searching for a job. The disadvantages that a candidate needs to be aware of while

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job hunting is the impression you put off onto your profiles, social media can be an open
platform for anyone to look at, discrepancies can be harmful, and incomplete profiles can work
against you. However, the advantages of using social media is that 29% of employers still look
for the positive things in profiles, networking sites such as LinkedIn can help show off
someone’s resume, skills, and portfolio that can help land a job, and finally posting that you are
in the job market onto Facebook and Twitter can help improve your search for finding a job.
After researching this topic, there seem to be more disadvantages than there are advantages for
social networking and because of this whoever is on the market for the job should be extra
careful with what they put onto their profiles.

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References
CrossRoads. (2015, May 16). Pros and Cons of Social Networking for Job Search. Received
from CrossRoads.com
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.
Smith, Alasdair. (2014, Jan 8). The Advantages & Disadvantages of Social Networking for Job
Hunting. Received from work.chron.com
SRAVANI. (2015, May 8). Top 20 Disadvantages of Using Social Media for Job Search.
Received from wisestep.com