Thursday is for reviewing, editing and deleting any social media posts that may cost you the new gig.

Can you recall those #ThrowbackThursday pictures of you at some beer festival? Well now is the time to chuck them out of your Facebook timeline. If you’re serious about landing that new job soon, use Thursday to sweep up your social media presence.

By now you should be aware that what you post online becomes part of your personal brand. The good news is by having a social media presence you’re giving the hiring manager a snapshot of who you are. Think of your social media profiles as your personal book cover – you want them to be clean, to give a glimpse into what your work and life are about and to also give a hint of your personality. Although recruiters won’t spend countless hours digging up your social media archives, you surely don’t want any undesirable posts to be the first thing they see either.

Read: What are you really telling your colleagues?

Facebook and Twitter are above everything else sharing tools. So in essence they’ve become platforms where many people can rant and rave about anything and everything. While a well-worded tweet or Facebook post about a trending news story is one thing, an account littered with complaints about work and other distasteful content, may raise recruiters’ eyebrows.

The great thing about Facebook is that if you can’t keep your fingers off the sharing link, you don’t have to share your thoughts with everyone. Make sure your settings are set to private and be very picky about who you allow to view your profile.

The same goes for Instagram. Because Facebook and Instagram are so closely intertwined, you want ensure that you use the platform for its best potential. Upload a professional image of your profile picture and really give good consideration about what you post. You’re more likely to get positive feedback from recruiters and boost your following if you display images you’ve taken yourself and that reveal who you are and what your lifestyle is like.  

Check out our Instagram photo series @Careers24SA

On Twitter you need to be very vigilant about how you engage on the platform. A Twitter feed with a stream of F-bombs or even one case of an offensive tweet can be the end of your reputation.

Remember Penny Sparrow? #EnoughSaid

Once you’ve reviewed, edited and deleted anything that doesn’t paint you in a positive light,  you’re one day away from sending your job application.