Recent CS graduate with no social media profiles. Am I suspicious? [duplicate]

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

I'm a recent university graduate looking for work.

For privacy reasons, I have never registered in any of the social media sites under my real name. I cannot easily be found on Facebook/Twitter/Linkedin, there are no pictures of me on the Internet. I really want it to stay this way.

Now almost everyone I know has profiles in the above networks + a personal site with a link to their gitHub.

I know prospective employers tend look you up on the Internet and find it strange if you aren't there.

Is my absence in the public space seriously detrimental for my job search (in Canada)?

manpreet 2 years ago

American by the way here.

No, you are fine. And I don't think most employers look you up on social media; you aren't that interesting. Most companies run a background check to ensure you are suitable to work there. Background checks cover things like criminal background and debt (things you can't hide readily), but could be more in-depth depending on the employer (FBI for example is much more thorough than McDonald's).

If an employer asks for your social media information, it is not a place you want to work as it shows they don't understand personal boundaries and are unprofessional. The could be in the right to ask if you know how to use Facebook or Twitter if it is relevant to the position, but to ask to see your account would be a privacy invasion.