In 2025, your social media presence plays a far greater role than simply showcasing vacation photos or keeping up with friends; it’s an extension of your professional identity. Whether you’re actively applying for new jobs or simply considering your next career move, it’s important to know that hiring managers will often take a look at your online profiles as part of the screening process. And what they find could potentially help or hurt your chances of landing the role.

What Are Hiring Managers Looking For?

In many cases, hiring managers are including an online search or Social Media Background Check as part of their hiring process, and are primarily looking to see the level of professionalism you project online, as well as any indications of how you might represent their organization. What many job seekers don’t realize is that even small digital interactions, like a comment on a public post, can surface in search results and contribute to how you are perceived. Whether it’s a thoughtful industry comment or a questionable meme, these digital footprints form part of your professional narrative.

How to Improve Your Online Presence

Before you can improve your online presence, you need to know what’s already out there. Begin by conducting a search of your own name using an incognito browser. This provides a more accurate view of what a hiring manager might find when they look up your name. Take note of what appears on the first few pages of search results, as well as image and video results. You can even run your name through other search engines, to see if there are different results. Once you have a clear understanding of your digital footprint, you can begin to take targeted steps to shape it into a more professional reflection of who you are today. Here’s how to get started:

Adjust Your Privacy Settings: If an old Facebook post from 10 years ago happens to pull up, it could be as simple as adjusting your privacy settings on that particular site. Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc. – all of these can be adjusted by reviewing your account privacy settings.

Delete or Untag Yourself: If there are any past comments or anything that does not represent who you are today, you can remove the content. In most cases, you can find the post you’re tagged in and manually remove the tag, remove yourself from the post, or delete.

Build Your Online Presence in a Positive Way: Create or update your LinkedIn profile, share helpful content on LinkedIn, YouTube, or even on a personal website. Whatever you choose to do, your goal should be to showcase your knowledge, provide thoughtful comments and advice, and celebrate the success of others.

Use a Professional Profile Image: When selecting the profile picture that you use across social media platforms, aim to use a professional image. With LinkedIn, for example, you’ll want to use a headshot photo: from the chest or shoulders up, looking straight at the camera, a neutral background, well-lit, and professional clothing. If you’re using a cropped picture of you from a wedding years ago, with people walking in the background… it’s time for a new profile picture. 😉

Your online reputation is an increasingly important piece of what hiring managers look for. Make sure you do your part to create a social media footprint that you’re proud of, and one that reflects who you are. It doesn’t mean you have to present a perfectly polished version of yourself – perfection is NOT what hiring managers are expecting! Rather, they’re looking for consistency, professionalism, and oftentimes, to simply learn more about your story.

If you’re preparing for a job search and want to make sure your online presence strengthens your chances, now is a great time to assess your social media profiles. If you need any guidance, our experienced team of recruiting partners are here to help. Reach out today to get personalized advice and support as you take the next step in your career journey.