With a very large number of companies now vetting the social media accounts of their applicants I was wondering how its seen if someone has no social media presence at all?
Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
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Re: Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
#2Dear god I hope not. I guess I am sheltered as an engineer? I would say no to anyone so fast if they asked for a Facebook or twitter account, and I never have heard of this. Do you have sources on this being a prevalent practice? Have you been asked?
Edit: unless you mean Linkedin or something like github as a social account?
Re: Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
#3I'd consider it a bonus (if they dont have a Facebook, they're probably not wasting much time on it).
There are enough people who use social media but hide their friends list, posts, tweets, etc. from all non-friends, so if you're concerned you can set up a profile which you don't use and keep your (non-)activity hidden.
Re: Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
#4Dear god I hope not. I guess I am sheltered as an engineer? I would say no to anyone so fast if they asked for a Facebook or twitter account, and I never have heard of this. Do you have sources on this being a prevalent practice? Have you been asked? Edit: unless you mean Linkedin or something like github as a social account?
no, its just a morning brainfart, the most ive had is someone mentioning in an interview that they couldnt find me online. it just struck me as something which may cause an issue, i too have made a point of never having had a social media account in my life, i was just wondering how recruiters and managers etc felt if they did their checks on only to find absolutely nothing
Re: Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
#5Dear god I hope not. I guess I am sheltered as an engineer? I would say no to anyone so fast if they asked for a Facebook or twitter account, and I never have heard of this. Do you have sources on this being a prevalent practice? Have you been asked? Edit: unless you mean Linkedin or something like github as a social account?
unless you mean Linkedin or something like github as a social account?
Those count, unfortunately. But I'm skeptical that a "github resume" matters much.
LinkedIn seems to matter a lot more strictly for getting offers from recruiters, though.
Re: Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
#6It depends on the specific company, but lots of companies require a Linkedin profile to submit an application and some companies go as far as requiring an FB profile. And in cases where social media profiles are optional, applications which provide them are viewed slightly more favourably than applications which don't provide social media links. /anecdata
Re: Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
#7I can speak for tech:
No it doesn't. What got me jobs:
- Good, to the point cover letter (what job are you applying for? why are you interested in it? invitation to view your resume and invitation to get on the phone to explore more).
- Good resume - tailored for the job (not super customized, just suitable for the title / responsibilities).
- Got a place online they can check out previous work? Huge bonus points. There's still plenty of competition for people who've actually built stuff. And, talking about an interesting project is far more fun than talking about past experiences, especially if it is a recent / current project.
- Social Media: I'd say not having a profile is better than having one.
Re: Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
#8Yes, I definitely think so. I investigated this for my school newspaper, six or so years ago.
Eighty percent of recruiters/hiring managers google you before inviting you in for an interview. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-p-joyce/job-search-tips_...)
Read the story about Pete Kistler: https://brandyourself.com/info/about
Re: Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
#9Dear god, I hope so.
If a social media presence (or disclosure of a social media identity) is a condition of employment at some particular (or peculiar) firm, then I think the only recourse is that I should prefer to be a scrivener and that I should prefer not to.
Re: Ask HN: Does lack of a social media presence harm employment chances?
#10[deleted]