We’ve all scrolled through LinkedIn and read hiring “horror stories”. Every employee has experienced the occasional rough patch; and whether they’d like to admit to it or not, many of us have passive-aggressively dished out our grievances online.
It’s not uncommon to read a post about someone having an unreasonable boss or a poor interview experience. A couple clicks through the site and you’ll discover a treasure trove of negative posts.
It’s normal for our professional and personal lives to overlap. LinkedIn gives employees a platform to share their stories. But when a hiring manager sees your post, will they still want to hire you?
Whether you’re looking for a job or not, here are some things you need to remove from your LinkedIn profile as soon as possible.
Political posts
We’re coming out of the election season with a stockpile of political posts. Sure, it’s great to be passionate about your beliefs, but nothing is more polarizing than politics. Unless you’re planning on launching a grassroots campaign or a political career, you need to remove these types of posts from your feed.
It’s advised that people keep politics out of public view completely, especially during a job search. Meaning, if you have a public Instagram or Facebook, you may want to privatize some of your post. You’re running the risk of losing clients/customers from your current industry. For job seekers, you have no way of guaranteeing every hiring manager shares your opinion(s).
Your chances of changing someone’s mind online are practically non-existent. Most comments on political LinkedIn posts are complaints on how it should be kept off the platform.
To sum it up, you can debate all you want in your personal life but keep it out of your networking endeavors.
Negative work experiences
This is probably the biggest issue networkers run into on the platform. No company is perfect and venting about your job will drag you and your colleagues down. When a hiring manager researches you, they don’t want to see ramblings about your current role. Why? It’s the same reason why you don’t speak negatively about your former company during an interview. They will assume, true or not, that you’re difficult to work with. Nobody wants to hire someone that will turn on them and slander their business.
Remember, that although you may get caught up in the moment, it’s difficult to erase something once it’s online. You can delete the posts, but the consequences are often permanent.
If you have serious issues with an organization you’ve worked with, you can always voice your opinion on platforms like Glassdoor.
Argumentative comments
Even if you’re not the one making the controversial posts, you can still engage in negative discourse. If your network is constantly publishing questionable content, it’s likely time to start clearing out your connections.
People can see what you’re commenting. Not only does it pop up on your profile, but it often pops up on your connection’s feeds. Stay pragmatic. Don’t go out of your way to post disagreeing opinions where it’s not necessary.
Anything that displays unprofessionalism
LinkedIn is not Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Tinder. Don’t treat it like a social network. It’s a networking platform. If you’re trying to use LinkedIn as a dating site, the word will get around and you can easily get blacklisted from good opportunities. While not everything needs to be robotic and dry; this isn’t the place to build a social life.
If you’re not sure whether something is appropriate for LinkedIn, assume it’s not. This is one site that it pays to veer on the safe side.
Finding talent that exudes professionalism can be difficult. If you need help with your job search, reach out to one of our recruiters!