Social media is a powerful tool that connects people every day. While there are over 3 billion users on social media, many millennials use their accounts to post their personal life, connect with friends/family, and for professional reasons. Recruiters are starting to look at prospective employee’s social media accounts before deciding if they should be hired. According to smarp, 41% of recruiters are not happy with candidates’ social media, while 59% say they are happy. What does this mean for you as a young professional looking to get into the workforce? Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of having separate social media accounts. Here are some suggestions to have a great balance between your personal and professional presence on social media. TLC explains why you shouldn’t put more work on yourself to manage two social media profiles.

Controlling your privacy

Pro:

Many people like social media just to interact with their loved ones and friends. You can post many pictures about your personal life and can truly be yourself. Many of us like to express ourselves and thoughts on social media. If you have a separate personal social media account, then you won’t be held accountable for what you say.

Con:

Social media isn’t always private and anyone is bound to come across a picture or tweet. If you want to have two social media profiles so you can post about private party sessions with your friends, social media may not be the best place for that. Remember that pictures get shared and you cannot control who may end up seeing pictures you wanted to keep private for friends and family. There are privacy settings on every social media site you can edit, but it’s best to avoid posting pictures you wouldn’t want a recruiter to see just in case it gets into the wrong hands.

Being Yourself

Pro:

If you have a separate social media profile, you won’t be held accountable for what you say and you can be yourself. When you are using your business social media account, you can post statuses that are geared toward the industry you are in.

Con:

When you have two separate accounts, you have to do more work by managing the accounts and people don’t get a chance to see who you really are. According to CAA executive Caroline Garcia, recruiters want to know you for you. They want to know if you will fit in with the company culture and team members. Authenticity is what people respect.

Things you should consider when deciding:

If a recruiter doesn’t agree with your social media, then the company may not be a culture fit for you. We aren’t talking about a recruiter not agreeing with a picture of you wasted at a party on the floor. That is not good for your brand. We are talking about political tweets, what you stand for, and who you are. If you’re passionate about protesting and justice and a recruiter doesn’t agree with your opinions, then the company culture is probably not the best for you. Who wants to work at a place where they can’t be who they really are?

Remember that the Internet never forgets

Whatever you decide to do, remember the Internet never forgets and it is hard to delete information. You should always be mindful of what you post. Many people lose jobs over social media. When you say yes to a company, you are representing yourself and the company’s brand.