5 Social Media Photos to Avoid Using During a Job Search

5 Social Media Photos to Avoid Using During a Job Search5 Social Media Photos to Avoid Using During a Job SearchAs a job seeker, you know how important it is to put your best foot forward during your job search. One of the ways to do just that is by having a great profile photo on your social media channels that represents you in the best light. Problem is, many times, what one person might consider flattering, another could perceive as a huge faux pas. If you want to be successful during your job hunt (i.e., land a job), below are five social media photos to avoid using during a job search.Five social media posts to avoid during a job searchStart your search for a flexible job here1. The Party Girl (or Guy) PhotoSure, you looking slamming in that party pic, but posting a photo of yourself at a party is a definite job search no-no. While no potential boss expects you to never ever go to a party, you shouldnt advertise your busy social calendar online, either. And that especially goes for any photo in which youre holding a glass of anything that could be construed as beer, wine, liquor, etc., as these can get your job application pitched to the trash can ASAP.2. A SelfieWhether you love them or hate them, selfies (and their sticks) are here to stay. That doesnt mean that you have to use a selfie as your social media photo, though. After all, your boss-to-be doesnt need to see you taking a shot of yourself using your bathroom mirror (and spying all the clutter on your bathroom counter, to boot). Grab a friend or family member to take a nice photo of you with a clean, well-lit background- and save the selfies for your private Facebook page.3. Your Wedding PhotoWhile you might have made a beautiful bride (or groom), you dont want to use a wedding pic as your social media photo. For starters, depending on when you got married, the picture could date you (e.g., your poofy taffeta 80s wedding dress can give it away), and you dont want to give a potential boss a glimps e into your personal life before hes even had the chance to call you in for a job interview. That said, you should get dressed up for your social media job search photo, though. Men should wear a suit and women can wear either a dress, or a blouse and a skirt or pants, to make them look as professional as possible.4. A Family Photo You color-coordinated all of your outfits to match, and the photo of you with your family got a ton of likes on Facebook. Surely, its good enough for your job search social media profiles, right? Wrong. Employers arent really allowed to ask you if you have children or not, but posting a photo of your kids automatically answers that question for them. Unfortunately, some hiring managers have a bias against job seekers who have children, and might pass over your (very qualified) job application in favor of a childless candidate. Yes, its illegal, but it does happen. So let a potential boss judge you by your skills, qualifications, and prior work experiences - not the number of children he can count in your family photo- and opt for a pic of just you.5. A Quote-Filled PhotoYou live by the mantra Carpe diem. But that doesnt mean that it has to be the first thing a hiring manager sees when he searches up your social media profiles. Try to avoid using quotes as photos- and ditto for adding them at the end of your email signature, too. Keep it simple and straightforward by using an image of yourself in a well-lit environment with a clean background- and seize the day instead by focusing your efforts on having a great job search that puts you in the best light possible.During any job search, there are always a bunch of dos and donts. But make sure your search goes smoothly by posting the right pics of yourself- and avoiding the wrong social media photos.Readers, have you ever posted one of the dont social media photos above? Did you find that it affected your search? Let us know in the comments belowphoto credits istockphoto.com