Applying for jobs? This new law could make the hunt a lot easier

Be honest.

How many of us have set every single one of our social media accounts to private before we start looking for a new job? Just the thought of a new employer reading that dodgy drunk Facebook status, or seeing those 800 (heavily filtered) selfies on Instagram is enough to make us never want to leave the house again. Worse even, is the possibility that a potential boss could decide not to give us the job because of something they saw posted on social media. It's arguably not the best reason to go for another candidate, but we're fairly sure it happens on the regular. However, that could all be about to change. A new EU regulation set to come into effect next May will mean that employers will need to inform candidates in advance if they plan to look at their social media accounts. The information they are looking for must also be "relevant to the performance of the job." The update comes as the EU is working to tighten data protection policies across the continent. According to recruitment company CareerBuilder, 70 percent of employers looking for new hires already use social media to screen those who apply for jobs. This could be a good thing for all of us - and not just those who regularly post non-work friendly content on Facebook or Twitter. Although the worst thing that a person could reference on social media before applying for a job is apparently illegal drugs, employers have also said that they aren't fans of references to alcohol or cursing either. The new EU regulation means that recruiters will need a "legal ground" before they pop off to Instagram to check what their candidates have been up to. It also means that using profanity on a post probably won't be grounds for not giving someone a job. Which is, of course, great news.