Social media is like that pretty, new girl on the block everybody wants to befriend.

It doesn’t help that our government appears far removed from the people, so social media has become that last resort for Nigerians to vent and be heard; to effect change in a major way.

Where before Nigerians were somewhat confined to their homes and beer parlours to rant about the government’s ineffectiveness and what not, platforms such as Twitter, IG have given them access of a kind to the Federal government, because now they can tag the relevant government agencies in the rant of the moment.

If you are a job seeker, however, do not get too carried away by the advantages of social media as a social and political tool. Your potential employers are also using it as a “judgment day” tool to ascertain if they want you on the job or not.

Do see below:

Helloooo!!! Anybody here? Can I have your attention for some minutes as I share some insights on "Social Media Job Hunting" #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

I had intended to tweet on #SMJobHunt earlier in the morning, but @Omojuwa had the floor with #Reward4dHustle2. You don't compete with that.

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

My thoughts on #SMJobHunt are motivated by tweets indicating qualifications and ending with "…pls RT, my employer might be on your TL"

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Now these thoughts are SOLELY my opinion, formed after a couple of years on the "judgemental side" of recruitment & selection. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

I will attempt to answer as many questions as possible that this thread might evoke. But, only after I'm done. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

In recent times, Social Media has come to serve as a viable tool 4 recruitment. People now get jobs off #LinkedIn, #Twitter, etc #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Social Media provides a platform that helps connect employers with potential employees, and vice versa. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

In fact, the relevance of Social Media to recruitment is such that organizations often poach gainfully employed folks through it. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

And that's why jobseekers now try to use Social Media platforms to put themselves in the face of potential employers #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

…Social Media serves as an assessment tool for variables that can be disguised, or faked, during a regular interview session. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Such variables include: Analytical and Logical Reasoning, Emotional Intelligence, Racial/Ethnic Prejudice, Sexual Perversion, etc #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

You might not believe it, but what you share via Social Media: your thoughts, jokes, bants, etc, reveal quite a lot about you. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Honestly, it reveals what your CV might tend to mask, and what even the most thorough recruitment exercise might not unearth. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

To buttress my point, I'm going to share a true story that occurred last year, in a multinational company operating in Lagos. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

This multinational firm (name withheld) recruited a "bright" lady to work out of their Nigerian office in Lagos, Nigeria. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

This "bright" lady had a very impressive CV, multiple degrees, great job experience, you name it… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

During the different series of interviews, she dotted 98% of the "i-es" and crossed same percentage of the "t-es"… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

In fact, she was soooo good that the Nigerian HR person, a lady too, wrote a glowing recommendation to the HR team in Europe… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

"SHE WAS THE ONE!" She was offered the position, placed on 3 months probation instead of 6, travelled to Europe for training. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

6 weeks later, she was back to Nigeria and resumed promptly at her new position. All was going well, for her & the organization. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Until that fateful day when the BH video showing Shekau claiming that the Armed Forces had killed some Chibok Girls in a raid #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

I bet everyone can remember how that particular clip stirred up heated debate on Social Media, even after FG debunked the claim #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

In that office that day, our "bright" lady actually brought the attention of her colleagues to Shekau's video… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

She happened to be arguing that the FG were lying, and Shekau was the one being truthful. The argument dragged on for hours… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Mind you, though the office is in Lagos, they have a few europeans there too. Almost everyone joined in… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Our "bright" lady was the only one arguing for Shekau. All the others were against. The HR lady was quietly observing… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

That & other statements prompted the HR lady to ask: "so you mean you take the words of a terrorist over the FG & Armed Forces?" #SMJobHunts

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

The "bright" lady was quick to retort: "Why not?". She was then asked: "Who has the interest of Nigeria at heart more?…" #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

"…A terrorist, or the President and the Armed Forces?". She replied: "All of them are the same" #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Ladies & gentlemen, that was it. The HR lady had heard enough. She walked into her office, picked up a piece of paper & came out #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

She walked to the "bright" lady's desk and said: "during your recruitment exercise, you wowed everyone, including me… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

"…I've never seen anyone perform that way. It's rather unfortunate that for a highly diverse organization as ours…" #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

"…we couldn't test for such dumb reasoning & ethnic prejudice & hate you've exhibited. Guess what, I was meant to give you… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

"…this today, *shows her the paper* it was her confirmation letter, but I will give you something else. She tore the letter… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

And the surprising bit was that, none of her colleagues were sad to see her leave. She had that job for only 3 months. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

The Europeans amongst them started asking when would Nigerians learn to embrace each other regardless of their ethnic origins? #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Now you might be wondering why I shared that story, and how it relates to what I was on to before the story… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Thing is, when I heard this story last year, I asked for the name of the lady from the person who narrated it to me. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

I searched and found her on Facebook and Twitter. I read through some of her tweets and just shook my head. It was all there. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Had the HR lady checked her out on Social Media before inviting her for interview, she'd have saved her org time & resources. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

What most jobseekers don't know that a recruitment exercise is a very expensive process. From the ads, to the onboarding itself. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Social Media helps, in a small way though, to reduce that cost. Employers are beginning to figure it out… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

So when next you are advertising yourself and rounding up with "…pls RT, my employer is on your TL", ask yourself this… #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

…Would a potential employer, or HR person, be glad to hire you based on your Social Media posts? I suggest you think about it. #SMJobHunt

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

I'm done. *drops mic* #SMJobHunt pic.twitter.com/31zWkByMAW

— Bright Eugene VII (@BryteDude) February 21, 2017

Mmmm