How to Clean up Your Social Media Account

If you are concerned about what might be lurking on your social media accounts, there are a few things you can do to clean them up. Run a background check – The first is to run a background check on yourself using one of the sites we have recommended in this article. This will show you the type of information that will show up when someone else performs a background check on you. It will reveal old accounts you forgot as well as the scope of your current social media accounts to reveal.

Delete old accounts – If you have old accounts that you no longer use, you should delete them. Not only do they represent a potential risk to your application, but they can also have long-term privacy implications. Yes, their data can remain in the Way Back Machine, but most employers will not go out of their way to search so deeply for an old social media account.

Clean up existing accounts – Social media accounts you are still using are worth checking out to clean up anything that might be a problem with your new boss. It may seem like a lot of work, but the reality is that you usually do not need to double-verify your entire account. As long as you clean up content from previous months, you should be fine. However, if you have a high profile role (like a politician), be prepared to have someone go through all of your accounts to try to find something.

The best way to make sure your social account content does not show up in a social media background check is to use an anonymous account. If you have an account with a username that is not directly linked to you, contains no personal information, and is not registered to an email address linked to you or your own name, there is no no reason for you to have a background check.

The most comprehensive background check sites to view your social media history

Your social media accounts, especially ones you may have stopped using for a long time, can reveal all kinds of things about you. Like everyone else, you have probably posted things you regret or stupid things when you were drunk or angry and then completely forgot about them. However, if your new boss sees them, it might give him an unfair impression of you. Therefore, it is a very good idea to do a background check before applying for a job to see exactly what information about you may come up.

Is Social Media Background Checking Legal?

Yes. It is legal for a company to have social media experience before hiring you, and many do this, either as a separate exercise or as part of a broader employment background check. Some things related to social media background checks may be illegal. In many states, it is illegal to request passwords for users’ social networks, and as a requester, you should never give them up. It is also illegal for companies to look at your social media accounts and not hire you based on something that could be considered harmful, such as your ethnicity or sexuality. But most social media checks will only see publicly available content and will be done by a professional background check provider as per regulations and it’s all perfectly legal.

Can background check see private social media?

No. How you set up your social media sites is up to you, but if you make your account private, there is no legitimate way for your potential employer to see your account. However, it is wise to be careful what you post as there are unscrupulous employers or HR people who may gain access to your account through a mutual friend or even try to log in.