Filtered or unfiltered? Trump’s effect on social media

Students are warned their entire college career to watch what they post on social media. Don’t post pictures with alcohol, drunken night snapshots or scantily dressed selfies on your profile. The common suggestion is to keep your profile professional in case future employers take a look at your news feeds.

Our newly elected president has taken a different route when it comes to his social media presence. President Donald J. Trump doesn’t have an issue expressing who he is through social media and has made headlines for his sometimes overly honest tweets.

President Trump’s tweets have not been welcomed by everyone and some like Chris Biagini, the inventory manager at Raygun in Des Moines, fear that the president’s social media patterns will influence the next generation of young professionals.

Photo by Ben Moeller

“The posts Trump is making aren’t setting a realistic view for young adults,” Biagini said. “It’s warping the view of what’s ok and not ok to say on social media.”

Biagini said Raygun is a very socially involved company, so when they look to hire someone, they will research how the applicants are presenting themselves, not just in person but also their online persona.

Biagini is not alone in this though mentality. According to Business News Daily, 60 percent of businesses check personal accounts during the hiring process. It seems as if President Trump is an exception to an overwhelming ruling that states social media is not the place to unleash everything that you are or think.

At Grand View, some agree that students should continue to monitor what they post on social media. Susie Sterns of the Grand View Career Center said that one’s presence on social media can be a determining factor of who the applicant is to possible employers.

“Most employers search social media sites to find information that will help them find good information or affirmation of the candidate and consistency with the persona the candidate displayed in the interview,”  Stearns said. “One’s digital footprint can be a very significant differentiator for hiring managers – particularly in positions that require social media, digital marketing, public relations and design expertise.”

Photo by Ben Moeller

According to Business News Daily, 53 percent of hiring managers said they want to see if a candidate has a professional online persona. An additional 30 percent would like to see what others are posting about the candidate as well. Therefore, one might not only have to watch what they post but also what others are posting about them.

Trump might be breaking the norm of social media caution, but many others conclude that prospective employees should maintain a pristine image to display to their future employers.

With all this information, what will you post to your social media?

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