Of 585 Singaporeans polled by recruiting experts Hays Singapore, 33% said they do not alter their social media habits when job searching because employers won’t look at their profiles. But 50% said they change their privacy settings when job searching and the remaining 17% untag pictures and edit content.

“While there are many advantages to using social media as part of your job search, it can also work against you if you are not careful,” says Chris Mead, Regional Director of Hays in South East Asia.

Most candidates have a social media profile, and when it comes to job hunting it is important you are responsible with it. A growing number of hiring managers believe that such content can give a good insight into a candidate’s character and likely cultural fit with the organisation.

In such cases, a Facebook profile with a public setting, content on video-sharing sites or on forums or blogs may reveal information that could make an interviewer see you in a different light.

That’s why we advise candidates to assume that all publicly available online content could be used as part of the decision making process. Change your privacy settings and be sensible in the content you post online. But don’t just restrict your focus to pure social sites like Facebook or Twitter - Google your name to make sure all online content is appropriate.

This will help keep work and social lives separate in the job hunting process, particularly if candidates feel their personal life should remain outside the assessment process.”