What does social media tell us about a person?
With more businesses turning to social media screening to determine the suitability of candidates for a job role, we present 5 social media personality types to hire (or not).
There are many types of social media personalities you can find on the likes of Instagram, Facebook and X, but how do you decode the posts and shares into actionable hiring decisions?
Many people use social media to reveal aspects of their everyday lives, show off about their latest holiday or share the inevitable flat-white-from-above shot. But there’s way more to it than that—with a little know-how you can quickly translate the words and images you see on someone’s online profile into a psychological profile.
Perhaps they are an impassioned Activist or a Social Butterfly, some of the most popular social media personality types that are well worth hiring for their social skills, enthusiasm and dedication. Or perhaps they are someone to avoid, a Ranter or Changeling whose social media activity leaves something to be desired…
…Social media screening is exceptionally useful for employers and recruiters looking to know more about the people they hire, but it really helps to know who it is you’re looking at when you generate a background report, on a much deeper level.
Read on to discover and decode these common social media personality types, and learn exactly what your social media says about you as a person…and job candidate.
Social screening that goes deeper with the data
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3 social media personalities to spot…and hire!
When recruiters receive a social media screening report they are often looking for red flags—the unsavoury information that perhaps shows a person is unsuitable for the job role in question. While this is extremely important, it’s also very useful to assess a person’s personality type and emotional intelligence (EQ), before you bring them onto a new team.
The three social media personalities below are common across most social media platforms, and with the right role in mind, they often make for good, solid hires that won’t come back to haunt their employer.
Learn to spot these types of social media personalities, and make your next hire a Passive Observer, Social Butterfly or Activist.
The Passive Observer
The majority of people on social media and online generally are Passive Observers—individuals who browse rather than participate. They may have a social media account but generally are unlikely to be frequent posters, and rarely (if ever) comment on content shared by others.
Why hire a Passive Observer?
Despite the sinister name, Lurkers usually make great hires! They represent the majority of people (normal folk) who like to occasionally drop into social media to read content, watch videos or scroll on their downtime.
The fact that the Lurker rarely contributes to social media conversations can be seen as a good thing. They tend to use social media as passive entertainment and understand that a life lived online isn’t the same as a life lived in the real world.
In short, little or no social media activity is usually a good sign that someone has a grounded sense of reality.
Things to look out for on your YOONO report:
Very few words, images or posts appear; social media content is vague and related to hobbies or general lifestyle; little or no mention of personal life on social media.
The Activist
Some individuals use social media as a platform for speaking out about a cause that means a lot to them. You won’t see this type of social media user, the Activist, sharing posts of skinny lattes or exotic holidays—their accounts feature charity events, volunteer work and calls for change. They might use their social media following to raise attention or money for a good cause, and have a supportive attitude towards fellow Activists.
Why hire an Activist?
If you’re looking for passion and motivation, you’ll find it in an Activist. These individuals tend to be highly driven and proactive when the cause aligns with their own values. Non profits and caring professions are a great work fit for Activists, but they can also find their niche in roles that require particular passion and dedication, such as careers in law, medicine, sport or teaching.
They can bring huge value into a business, often looking to make positive change in everything they do and get others engaged and involved.
What if someone’s posts are a little too…political? Some individuals may use social media to put forward their political or moral views, and in some cases these may not align with those of your own organisation, so use your discretion when assessing an Activist’s profile.
Things to look out for on your YOONO report:
A moderate level of posting that often refer to a cause or organised event, rather than their personal life; connections with other charities and like-minded individuals; words relating to motivation and charity like: ‘marathon’, ‘fundraising’, ‘volunteer’.
2 social media personalities to spot…and never hire!
Which social media personality types are bad, as in people to definitely not hire? These two common social media personality types are certainly ones to avoid, online and in hiring. Demonstrating a lack of professionalism and respect for others, it’s advisable to spot the danger signs on a background report, and act accordingly.
The Ranter
Highly opinionated might be a nice way of describing a Ranter, an individual who shares their (often mean-spirited) inner thoughts about anything and everything. Ranters often post negative, angry or abusive content on their social media, and have an unhealthy interest in negatively commenting on the posts of others.
While ‘troll’ might describe a Ranter gone stratospheric, the same spirit of meanness pervades in their content. There’s clearly something else going on that’s causing them to behave this way, but as a recruiter it’s quite frankly not your problem. Spot them and move on.
Things to look out for on your YOONO report:
Frequent level of social media activity, usually targeted towards others or designed to provoke a response; expression of extreme views or opinions; evidence of abusive language, bullying or aggression on comments and posts; a fight-or-flight mentality where they like to engage in online spats or drop negative comments before vanishing into thin air.
The Changeling
Around 5% of social media users adopt completely different identities and personalities when they go online. While in some contexts this is done in order to protect the person’s real identity (and is advisable for individuals who, for example, have been victims of domestic abuse or stalking), it can also be for more sinister means—in order to use social media without consequence.
For the latter context, this may be in order to participate in illegal online activity without being traced, or trolling behaviour without any IRL consequences.
For these reasons, it’s not always a great idea to hire a Changeling (though good luck with finding them first if they have used a completely different user name). They may have ulterior motives for going completely incognito online, so you’ll need to learn more about them from other sources to build a clearer picture, such as their CV and employment history.
Learn more—a lot more—with an intelligent background report
With a YOONO report guesswork in hiring is a thing of the past. Our AI-powered background searches bring you intelligent insights that peel back the surface layer, revealing the real truth of the matter.
You can use a YOONO report to assess a candidate’s suitability for the role, bringing in more information about their personality type and motivations, without risking any bias. Data into intelligence, and your hiring process instantly streamlined. Try searching on YOONO today, and see how our compliant and comprehensive reports can bring you and your business clarity.
The Social Butterfly
The Social Butterfly is a dedicated networker, with the evidence documented in every post, comment and story. While they tend to have lots of online followers, they are highly social in real life too, enjoying socialising in-person, attending events and hangouts. Their social media types of posts tend to always feature other people, whether friends, family, colleagues or connections, and they post on a frequent and regular basis.
Why hire a Social Butterfly?
If you’re looking for someone to inject energy and team spirit into your business, a Social Butterfly is a great pick. They tend to get on well with everyone, and have the power to make others feel involved and ‘seen’.
Often extrovert personalities, they make for both good team leaders and collaborators, and are unlikely to shy away from making new acquaintances, making them a good choice for client-facing roles.
If you’re looking for a heads-down type of employee, the Social Butterfly is unlikely to fit that mould, but in the right type of role where they can thrive in a highly social environment, they will reward you with unfailing enthusiasm.
Things to look out for on your YOONO report:
High volume and regular posting of social media content; images featuring people and social activities; positive and extrovert words and phrases like ‘love’, ‘best day ever’, ‘psyched’.
What's included in a report
What's included in a report
What's included in a report