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Social Networking and Job Search Tips

Using the Power of Social Media

Concentrate your networking and job search efforts on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn rather than social networking sites such as Instagram and TikTok. However, if you choose to use social networking sites in your job search, follow these tips:

  • Consider anything put online as public.
  • Make sure all of your social networking accounts are up-to-date and consistent with each other before starting a job search or personal branding campaign using social media.
  • Employers do not have the right to require access to your social media accounts but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be cautious about what you post.

Phase 1: The Google “Self-Audit” (Catching PI Data)

Before fixing your apps, you need to see exactly what an employer or scammer sees when they search your name. This phase stops PI (Personally Identifiable Information) leaks—the digital breadcrumbs like your phone number, location, or old accounts that bad actors use to track you or guess your security questions.

1. Go “Incognito” First

  • The Move: Open a private or Incognito browser window.
  • Why: Normal searching tweaks results based on your personal cookies. Incognito shows you the unbiased, raw results a stranger or recruiter will see.

2. Master the “Quotation” Search

  • The Move: Search “Firstname Lastname” in quotes to force Google to find that exact match.
  • Pro Tip: If your name is common, narrow it down by adding your school or city inside a second set of quotes: “Firstname Lastname” “University Name.” Check the first three pages of results.

3. Track Down Old Aliases

  • The Move: Think of old middle school handles, childhood gamertags, or old email prefixes. Search those exact usernames in quotes (e.g., “skaterkid99”).
  • Why: This helps you dig up forgotten, legacy accounts on niche platforms (Tumblr, VSCO, Pinterest, Wattpad) that are still tied to your identity.

4. Run an Image Search Clean-Up

  • The Move: Search your name in quotes, then click over to Google Images.
  • Why: Look for cached photos from old accounts. If a picture pops up from an old public profile, the account is either still live or needs a formal removal request.

5. Scrub Your Location Data

  • The Move: Search your name alongside your city or phone number to see if data brokers have scraped your data.
  • The Fix: If sites like Whitepages or Spokeo list your dorm, apartment, or family cell numbers, scroll to the absolute bottom of those sites and use their “Opt-Out” or “Remove My Info” links.

Instagram

  • The Tagged Grid Cleanse: Don’t just audit your main feed. Go to your tagged photos and untag yourself from frat party photos or messy weekend trips. Turn on “Manually Approve Tags” in your settings for the future.
  • Audit Your Highlights: Old freshman-year story highlights get overlooked. Click through them to make sure they still align with your professional brand.
  • Close Friends Only: If your account must stay public for networking or creative reasons, strictly reserve personal or weekend updates for the “Close Friends” feature.

TikTok

  • Lock Your “Likes”: Go to Settings > Privacy and set your Liked Videos tab to “Only Me” so recruiters or family can’t browse your late-night scrolling history.
  • Sound & Stitch Permissions: Remember that if you’ve posted videos that others have stitched or duetted, your original video content lives on through them unless you restrict it.
  • Fix the PFP: Swap out chaotic, blurry, or overly casual profile pictures for a simple, clear, friendly selfie.

X (formerly Twitter)

  • The Advanced Text Scrub: X is highly indexed by Google. Use the advanced search bar (from:yourusernname [keyword] to search your own history for old high school or early college rants, cursing, or controversial keywords.
  • Lock Down the Likes & Replies: Your “Likes” tab is entirely public on X. Ensure you haven’t liked toxic or explicit posts. Check your “Replies” tab to ensure old internet arguments aren’t visible.
  • Mass Delete: If you’ve been on the platform for ages, consider using a bulk tweet-deletion tool to wipe everything older than a year.

Bluesky

  • Block Non-User Viewing: Because Bluesky is an open network, it can be easily scraped. Go to Settings > Moderation and toggle on “Require login to view my profile” to keep employers from browsing your feed directly from a Google search.
  • The Handle Check: If your Bluesky handle uses your real name or a custom professional domain, treat the profile with strict professionalism.
  • The Decentralization Rule: Bluesky runs on an open protocol. If you delete a post, it may temporarily linger in the cache of independent servers. The best rule here is to never post it in the first place if you wouldn’t want it on a billboard.

Snapchat

  • Ghost Mode Activation: Turn on Ghost Mode in Snap Maps immediately so casual acquaintances cannot track your real-time physical location.
  • Clear Saved Stories: Audit your “Memories” and “My Eyes Only” to ensure nothing is accidentally auto-sharing to public community stories or your public spotlight profile.
  • Purge Quick Adds: Delete random people added via the quick-add feature whom you don’t actually know in real life.

Discord & Reddit

  • Sever Dead Servers: Leave old Discord servers you no longer use (especially unmoderated ones) to minimize data leak vulnerabilities.
  • Scrub Post Histories: Use history-clearing tools or manually delete old Reddit comments from years ago that contain identifying life details or edgy debates.
  • Decouple Usernames: Ensure your gaming and forum aliases do not match the handles of your professional accounts.

LinkedIn

  • The Professional Polish: This is your primary hub. Use a crisp, high-quality headshot—no cropped party photos where someone’s random arm or shoulder is still visible on your neck.
  • Activity Audit: Remember that future employers see exactly what you “Like” or comment on. Keep your feed interactions supportive, positive, and industry-focused.

Facebook

Many college students ignore Facebook, but it is often the first place an employer searches because profiles are easily searchable by your real name.

  • The “Wall” & Tagged Photo Audit: Go back through your timeline and tagged photos to remove old high school content, political rants, or party pictures.
  • Mass Restrict Past Posts: Use the tool in Settings > Privacy called “Limit Past Posts”. This instantly changes the visibility of everything you’ve ever posted on your timeline from “Public” or “Friends of Friends” to strictly “Friends.”
  • The Group Cleanse: Audit the groups you joined years ago. Being a part of legacy groups with inappropriate, edgy, or unprofessional titles is a hidden red flag that can show up on your profile.