You might have read articles about how employers are doing social media checks on potential employees, only to find shocking pictures of candidates on a wild night out.

Whilst you might be a lot better behaved than the headline grabbing examples we’ve all heard of, it’s important not to be too complacent with your social media footprint when looking for your next career move. Here are a few guidelines to avoid any mishaps...

Firstly, keep work and play separate. We’re all entitled a private life and social media is a great way of bringing your community of friends together, but be aware of who can see this content.

On Facebook, it’s worth checking your privacy settings; consider what content is visible if you are befriended by work colleagues or industry peers.

If you have a Twitter account, think about who could be reading it and how this might come across to people who don’t know you well. Remember Tweets, like emails, often lose the desired tone of voice. 

LinkedIn is another consideration. Make sure this tallies up exactly with your CV. Dates, employers, qualifications; everything must match up. And when you’re picking your photo, perhaps avoid the one of you by the pool on holiday after a few mojitos.

Now you’re probably thinking we’re sounding a tad paranoid, but whilst many might take your social media profiles with a pinch of salt and others won't even bother to look, some take the content very seriously. We have experienced many cases where this has come up at interview or as part of the recruitment process. Sometimes with warranted concerns, sometimes due to honest mistakes.

The flip side is that there are also numerous examples of where social media benefits a candidate’s application. So don’t start deleting all your profiles quite yet; just consider what’s publicly available and how this might be perceived by a prospective employer.