Do Social Media Postings Influence Your Decisions

My friend Jacque posed an interesting question on Facebook last week inquiring if hiring managers viewed candidates’ social media accounts and if so, if posts and photos influenced their hiring decisions. She was particularly interested in the posts that were more political in nature.
My response was “I definitely look at social media and see how active they are. I do look at their posts and their photos. The question regarding their political posts is an interesting one. I would like to think that I would remain neutral as I was viewing those kinds of posts, but I’m challenged to think that that is completely possible. I do want to get an idea of what kind of individual I’m going to be talking to and social media certainly gives us an inside look into a personality, positions, active in the community, etc.”
For as long as social media has been a part of our world, I’ve been preaching to graduating seniors the importance of monitoring their social media accounts as companies were going to be looking at them.  I advise them to be aware of the photos they are tagged in; I’m sure they had fun on spring break, but I don’t need to see the hundreds of photos of the various adventures.
Similarly, as an agency who manages social media for clients and whose team members easily blend their personal accounts with work-related activities, we remind everyone here at HMA to be aware of what their posting and the potential impact it may have on our agency and our clients.
I think the challenge with political posts or really any posts that could be deemed controversial lies with the way in which the information is shared.  Different opinions, sure.  Healthy debate, ok.  Name-calling, bullying, shaming, not ok.
So I guess my advice remains the same, be careful what you post as potential employers, clients, etc. are likely viewing it.