More and more companies are scouring your social network profiles to determine who you are – and they find things you wouldn’t see on a traditional CV.

If you’re currently looking for a job, you can be sure that recruiters are researching you – and the internet is their favourite place. More and more companies are scouring your social network profiles to determine who you are – and they catch things you wouldn’t find on a traditional CV.

It’d be best for you to avoid these social networking mistakes.

Avoid swearing. 

To put this very plainly, swearing is unprofessional. If you’re able to do it in a public space, what’s stopping you from losing your cool and doing it in an office environment too? This may sound a little outdated, but keeping your social media updates clean does count in your favour.

If u ryt lyk dis, say goodbye to new job opportunities. 

Recruiters and hiring managers will scan your social media pages to see whether or not you pay attention to the little things. If your spelling and grammar is bad on a public forum, where everyone can see what you’re doing, you probably either have poor writing skills or you simply don’t care what others think.

Keep those drinking photos somewhere private. 

Your potential employer or recruiter does not need to know that you had a crazy wild bash on Saturday night. Seeing pictures of you partying and drinking like there’s no tomorrow won’t do your reputation and image any good.

Watch: Can social media affect my career? 

Drugs are a no go zone.

If it’s illegal, stay away from it. Joking about drugs or taking photos of you with a joint will only do you harm.

Don’t be inappropriate. 

Think about your reputation. Think about the message you’re sending to recruiters. Think about everything you say and post – if the roles were reversed, would you, as a boss, want a vulgar, inappropriate employee handling your company’s assets? No, right? If you wouldn’t show your mom a picture, don’t post it on social networks.

Be discreet. 

If you’re job hunting and you're currently employed, don’t advertise how unhappy you are in your current position. It’s never a good idea to talk badly about your current employer on a public forum or while talking to a recruiter.

Avoid sharing personal problems. 

Personal problems should remain personal. Employers want to hire hard workers who will focus on their work and not get distracted by outside factors. If you’re comfortable with sharing your problems on social media, you might find a “venting buddy” and offload your issues at work, which could potentially decrease productivity.

Recruiters are ultimately looking for the best people for their company – and your social media profiles allow them to see if it could be you or not.