The Office of Career Services at Southern University and A&M College recently partnered with social media screening service, Filtari, to assist students with “cleaning up” their social media profiles before applying for employment. Southern is the first historically Black university in the U.S. to enter into this partnership, taking an active approach in helping students to present a professional look online.
“We understand the impact social media can have on potential career opportunities,” said Tamara Montgomery, executive director of career services at Southern. “We invest in our students by providing access to Filtari to help scholars understand the impact that social media can have on their careers and future employment opportunities.”
During Southern’s Spring Commencement rehearsal in May, 50 graduating seniors were able to participate in the pilot program with Filtari.
According to a 2020 survey from The Harris Poll, 71 percent of U.S. hiring decision-makers agree that looking at candidates’ social media profiles is an effective way to screen applicants. Additionally, for those that use social media to vet candidates, 55 percent have found content that caused them to not hire the applicant.
“Everyone makes mistakes on social media,” said Spencer Cheng, CEO of Filtari. “It is important for students to understand that those mistakes can have a lasting impact on their future careers. We want to make sure that each student is presenting their best self to prospective employers.”
According to the company, “Filtari looks for content that recruiters say are the biggest red flags when reviewing candidates. Filtari’s AI-trained system looks for photos and posts containing references to alcohol, drugs, toxic speech, NSFW content, and weapons on the platforms of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Students opt in to authorize their social media profiles and let Filtari’s software do the rest.”
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