How your social media posts affect your job prospects – and what a CU researcher thinks you should do about it

Your social media use may affect your career prospects more than you think. 

If you’ve been job hunting recently, you know what to do on LinkedIn:. You keep things professional and probably not too controversial.  

But a University of Colorado researcher says what you do on other platforms – like Facebook or X or BlueSky – might matter more than you think. Jason Thatcher has been studying how hiring managers use social media to make decisions about candidates. 

And he found 60 percent of hiring managers decide who to interview or who to hire, in part, by checking out applicants’ social media accounts.  

So how do your Facebook rants about the recent election affect your chances of landing your dream job? What can you do to make your social media accounts more appealing to hiring managers? . And what are the red flags that hiring managers look for?  

In the NoCo’s Brad Turner spoke with Thatcher about what he’s observed.  

You can also check out Jason’s previous In The NoCo interview, on how to limit “technostress” that can drive you crazy at work. 

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

What is In The NOCO?

KUNC's In The NOCO is a daily look at the stories, news, people and issues important to you. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show explores the big stories of the day, bringing context and insight to issues that matter. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we explore the lighter side of news, highlighting what makes this state such an incredible place to live.