How Instagram can make or break your job prospects

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Nowadays, it is common for companies to screen potential candidates’ social media, exploring their blogs, Instagram, Facebook and X accounts, to get a better sense of their personality, interests and communication skills. In fact, a 2020 study by American market research firm The Harris Poll, found 67% of the surveyed recruiting professionals using social media sites to research potential job candidates, of which 55% found content that deterred them from hiring the applicant. Over 20% were unlikely to hire a candidate without a social media presence, the study found.

“Companies are increasingly leveraging social media profiles—beyond just LinkedIn, to include Facebook and Instagram—to support their hiring decisions," says Upasana Raina, human resources (HR) director at HR services organisation GI Group. “While initial stages of the hiring process still rely on conventional methods, additional insights from social media profiles play a significant role in the final stages." A candidate’s content, adds Raina, highlights passions such as volunteering, creative pursuits, or additional technical skills, providing a more comprehensive view of the person.

Small wonder then more people are curating their feed to showcase the best versions of their professional and personal lives. For independent professionals, particularly in creative fields, social media often attracts business from clients. For recruiters, it can help figure out if a candidate is a cultural fit for an organisation.

But there are risks to using social media in the recruitment process. A Facebook or an Instagram profile is a space meant for creative expression and individual opinion. Biases can creep in if recruiters base their decisions on the content they see. The profile can, for instance, reveal details irrelevant to a person’s professional abilities like marital status, sexual orientation, political views and pregnancy status, that can inadvertently influence a recruiter’s decision.

The new ‘Google’

Instagram is not just the new LinkedIn, “it’s the new Google," says Delhi-based Rhea Mehta, 28, founder of marketing and public relations agency Digi Duck.

“You check out legitimacy of the company or brand you want to work with, or check on an individual to see if they follow similar pages as you do and if they have common connections," says Mehta. Most of her clients discover her through social media—Mehta’s company and personal Instagram accounts are public—and while she does not deliberately curate her feed, she “subconsciously puts out things which people would correlate with me." She shares personal snippets—food, travel, hobbies—but is cautious about sharing too many details, lest clients misinterpret or take anything out of context.

Often, the screening works to a candidate’s advantage, exposing strengths not evident on their CV or in the interview.

“This is common for roles that don’t require a candidate to be an excellent conversationalist," says Janoo Motiani, founder-chief executive of talent solutions company Reed & Willow, recalling how a client once rejected a candidate because they couldn’t express themselves well during the interview. This was for a graphic designer position, which required minimal stakeholder management. However, the client changed their mind when they saw the candidate’s strong Behance and Instagram profiles. It’s been two years since, and that candidate now heads the design function at the same office, says Motiani.

There’s another plus of social media scanning: it alerts companies of potential red flags, like posting inappropriate or offensive content, or frequent displays of unprofessional behaviour. “We avoid candidates whose online presence could negatively impact the company’s reputation or reflect poorly on our team culture," says Rakesh Goyal, director of Probus, an InsurTech platform. “Additionally, if a candidate consistently posts about sensitive topics in a way that may disrupt workplace harmony, it could impact our decision."

Biases and inaccuracies

A big problem with assessing people based on their social media personas is, as mentioned earlier, biases creeping in if recruiters disagree with aspects that are unrelated to professional skills and achievements. They may also see details that they cannot ask about during an interview, like sexual orientation. There is also the issue of inaccuracy, as people only share content that they want others to see, sometimes exaggerating or underplaying things, providing a skewed portrait of themselves.

“One should remember there is front-stage and back-stage behaviour. Front-stage refers to how people behave in specific ways when others are watching, while backstage refers to their true selves," says Ernesto Noronha, organisational behaviour professor at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad. “Companies need to understand backstage and be wary of front-stage behaviour colouring their decisions."

A 2020 research report in the Journal Of Applied Psychology indicated that recruiters are impacted by everything they view on social media. For instance, in the study, candidates with married or engaged statuses got higher marks than singles; older individuals rated higher than younger ones; and those who indicated their religious beliefs got lower ratings.

So how does one navigate this terrain? It is unlikely that biases will not feature, but companies are attempting to limit this. “We focus on ensuring that our decisions are based on qualifications and professional interactions," says Goyal, adding that they use a diverse panel of interviewers and clear recruitment guidelines to help mitigate personal biases.

It is also important not to rely strongly on social media for determining a candidate’s suitability. “Individuals may present themselves differently on social media, making it unwise to base decisions solely on these profiles," says Raina. She recommends a similar approach with current employees where their lack of engagement with company posts on social media shouldn’t automatically imply disengagement.

Thota agrees. “Companies should have the maturity to respect personal and professional lives of employees as separate from each other and shouldn’t take decisions based on social media profiles."

Prof. Noronha advises against tracking current employees or assessing candidates based on their social media content. “But they could use this information to probe the employee during the interview."

Aware of social media screening being common practice, some individuals are becoming more cautious of what they share. Some of Mehta’s friends, for example, have “finsta" (fake Instagram) accounts, which they can share publicly, and use their private accounts to express themselves more freely. “I’ve had employees hiding their stories or posts from me. That’s understandable," says Mehta.

Any information that is unrelated to professional abilities, should be taken with a pinch of salt, believes Motiani. “We all have an Instagram account, and we have a life. Many times, these are two different worlds, and people behave differently based on who shares these worlds with them."

Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com

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