Public Finance Blog

Social media can be your best friend or worst enemy while interviewing… seriously.

In the wake of social media and the strength of the internet, everything is apparent when it comes to finding out things about you.  When you are interviewing seriously for a position, you must not forget these avenues are available to both you and your hiring manager. Your social media presence can be an overall positive or a complete detriment in the hiring process.

About The Hiring Manager

Let’s talk about the positive aspects of your social media presence and social media platform.  It’s the best way for you to find out relevant information about the hiring manager as well as the brand your company you are preparing to interview with is projecting.  Checking up on your hiring manager may yield information like if you both went to the same school or you both were rivals; either way, this is certainly an opening to have instant rapport.  When looking at their interests you can see that they like golf and the list goes on.  The point is you have more insight into who they are as a person rather than just a hiring manager.

The Firm’s Culture

What about the firm’s social media presence?  On the company’s social media page, you can see what interests the company supports on a regular basis.  Is it the “Boys and Girls Club” or some other organization?  What community development do they support?  Or maybe they just rang the bell at the NYSE.  It doesn’t really matter what you unearth as long as you’re getting further insight into the company and its culture.  That’s the goal here.  The more you are able to learn, the more that you can be a better candidate for that firm.  Remember it’s extremely important in this day and age to make sure the company is a cultural fit with yourself.  Plus, this is a great way to identify their branding to determine the overall culture.

A Look At Yourself

Now let’s look at you, the candidate.  As you are doing research on the firm, you can bet they are doing research on you.  They are scouring your social media presence for anything that is going to make you stand out, positively or negatively.  You must remember this.  The posts that you like or dislike may be telegraphing information about you to your intended hiring manager.  Your personal information may reveal information about you, which could be insightful to a hiring manager as you go further down the interview path, again positively or negatively.  Before you start to interview in earnest, take a good hard look at your social media presence and ensure that it conveys who you are in a positive light.  Remove anything that may cause a hiring manager to take note, as you do not want to lose a coveted position by information that is drawn from your social media presence.  Beefing up the positives and eliminating the negatives is the best strategy for your social media presence while actively pursuing a new position in today’s politically charged 2025 world.

Conclusion

You don’t need a resume to chat with us! If you would like to discuss your options, please reach out for a confidential conversation at 760-477-1284 or email at harlan@hfriedmansearch.com. He can also be reached on LinkedIn. Harlan publishes a blog every Thursday here. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here, which is a compilation of our weekly blogs, so you never miss one. 

About Harlan Friedman, JD & Founding Member, H. Friedman Search LLC. Harlan is a thirty-year veteran Public Finance Banker turned recruiter who specializes in the placement of all levels Public Finance Bankers, Healthcare Bankers, Municipal Advisors, Compliance Officers, Issuers, and Bond Counsels.