By: Justin Blake

Religion, Recruiting, and the Real You

Religion is the common thread that ties Marriott students together. But could religious social media posts hold you back from professional success? With the “Triple-F Framework,” your answer can be a confident “no.”

Marriott Students’ Fear

If you’re a student in the Marriott School of Business, chances are I already know two things about you: (1) you’re religious, and (2) you’re stressed about landing a job or an internship. To the first point: according to statistics provided by the university, 96 percent of all BYU students are members of the university’s sponsoring church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.¹ No two students who walk the halls of the Tanner building are exactly alike, but most of them are tied together by the common thread of religious affiliation.

The Church is an evangelical organization that believes in fulfilling Christ’s commission to “go and make disciples of all nations.”² Each year, approximately 30,000 “missionaries,”³ most of whom are young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, are sent to locations as close as Salt Lake and as far as Sri Lanka to preach the gospel. The Church has been quick to embrace social media as a tool to proselytize. In this modern era, many missionaries spend time sharing their beliefs through social media. Around 63 percent of the students in the Marriott school are returned missionaries,⁴ many of whose social media post histories are filled with expressions of faith.

Religion is certainly one commonality between Marriott students, but it’s not the only one. All Marriott students are expected, if not required, to find an internship after their junior year in the program. Upon graduation, many students must find full-time work quickly, so they can provide for their young families. These reasons, among others, cause students to stress about whether they’re doing enough to land the job of their dreams. During a recent lecture on the topic of recruiting and finding a summer internship, one student nervously asked the professor, “Are recruiters going to look at me differently because I post about being a member of the Church?” The head nods around the auditorium signaled that the concern was not unique to her.

For BYU Marriott students, this is an understandable source of anxiety. Given that a large percentage of BYU students are returned missionaries, many students list mission-related experiences on their resume and have extensive social media post histories from their missionary service. Some may begin to wonder, “Could I be rejected by a company if an employer sees my profile and disagrees with my beliefs?”

Recruiters

At first glance, it seems entirely possible. Marriott Professor Cody Reeves worked as a human resource manager at the Lehi-based Gerber Construction company for several years before coming to BYU. According to Reeves, “70–80 percent of companies are looking at social media to get to know and evaluate candidates.”⁷ And while he doubts the effectiveness of using social media as a measure of a person’s work ethic or responsibility, the reality is that it happens frequently. A 2018 survey conducted by the Harris Poll reported that 57 percent of all hiring managers have rejected an applicant based solely on their social media post history (See Figure 1). Granted, discrimination based on religious affiliation has been illegal in the United States since the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, but individual recruiters may deny candidates who are pushy, extreme, or overbearing on social media.

Reeves gave this advice to Marriott Students going through the recruiting process:

“Think about what [your posts] would look like through a recruiter’s eyes. And the counsel isn’t ‘do not have anything religious’―I don’t think that’s necessary. You don’t have to go to any kind of extreme like that. But are you the one who is wielding religion as a hammer? Who is attacking others, or getting in contentious debates? If that’s the case, for a recruiter to come across that―that might be a preface of what’s to come, and you’ll find most companies don’t want that kind of antagonism in the workplace.”

The takeaway? BYU Marriott students should feel free to post about their religious beliefs on social media, but should also review their post history to check for inflammatory or politically charged statements that may scare off potential employers.

As you evaluate your posts, consider the following “Triple-F Framework” from the perspective of someone not from your faith tradition:

Frequent—How often are you posting about the same topic? All musicians know that composers must incorporate a variety of notes to create harmony and melody. Similarly, your social media feed will seem more authentic to viewers if your posts about religion are interspersed with the other things you value, such as hobbies, family events, or career achievements.

Foreign—Would somebody outside of your religious tradition understand? You don’t have to define every religious word you use but be intentional about the language you employ to express your feelings. Try to post about the core tenets of your faith (e.g. prayer, scripture study) rather than obscure topics. Make your posts approachable and relatable to a wide audience.

Fanatical—Is your religious or political fervor off-putting or discomforting? Feeling passionate about one’s beliefs is not a problem, but sometimes that passion is conveyed in less-than-ideal ways. Do not say things that would marginalize others who may not hold your same beliefs. Be careful not to conflate your religious beliefs with your political opinions. Avoid condescending, sarcastic, or belittling remarks.

Many people’s political leanings may be influenced by their religion, but the Church has remained silent on most hot-button political topics. As Dallin Oaks, former President of BYU and current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—the governing body of the Church—taught, “We teach correct principles and leave our members to choose how to prioritize and apply those principles on the issues presented from time to time. ”⁹ Never speak for the Church as an organization or its members.  Avoid saying things like “All good Church members believe . . .” Rather than strengthening your argument, these statements can alienate those of your religion who may hold opposing views.

Professor Mark Hansen, a longtime strategy professor at BYU, has seen thousands of students walk in and out of the Marriott school in his time. He teaches, “Companies are concerned about what their clients are going to see. They don’t want to send you out to see a client and have that client look you up on social media to see that you hold an extremist view. They’d be much more comfortable with somebody who comes off as more neutral.”

Some students chafe at the notion of having to control what they post on social media, arguing that they have a protected right to free speech. Professor Hansen recently visited with one such individual. The student was indignant that a mentor had advised him to delete several fiery political posts from his social media pages. Hansen recounted advising that student, “There is nothing stopping you from expressing your right to share your views. But you have to remember that a potential employer has a right not to choose you from a pool of candidates because of their concern about those views. You can’t have it both ways.”

Building a Brand

Evaluating your social media feed is only the first step toward making a good impression. Once you’ve done that, you can begin to build your own personal “brand” to share things that are important to you. Professor Reeves encourages students to ask themselves, “What is it that you want to show that you bring to the world?” Professor Hansen similarly counsels, “We can all have a voice that can be a voice for good and positive things.” Both of those statements beg the question, when somebody looks at your social media feed, what will their impression be? People are complex. Everybody is a combination of their likes, dislikes, interests, and hobbies. Social media is one way to show that you’re a three-dimensional person.

Naturally, if you feel that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been a positive thing in your life, it only makes sense that you would tactfully share that belief on social media. As Apostle David Bednar once said in a speech given to BYU students, “I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood.”

By following the “Triple-F Framework,” you’ll be equipped with the tools you need to share the gospel in a way that makes people want to listen without turning away potential employers.

Conclusion

Marriott Students often experience anxiety about how their religion and social media profiles may be perceived, but there are things they can do to represent their beliefs professionally. If you’re worried about how others may perceive your online platforms, begin now to curate your social media feed by evaluating whether past posts are too frequent, foreign, or fanatical. You should also consider asking a trusted friend or mentor to review your social media history and give you honest feedback.

While it’s easy to worry about everything that could go wrong during an internship or job search, it’s unlikely that your social media feed will hold you back from professional success. By following the advice in this article and reviewing your social media feed, you’ll experience the blessings of the promise in Doctrine and Covenants that “if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”

Sources:

1. “Y Facts.” BYU. Accessed November 5, 2021.

https://web.archive.org/web/20080608222029/http://yfacts.byu.edu/viewarticle.aspx?id=135.

2. The Holy Bible: New International Version. Lutterworth, England: The Gideons International in the British Isles, 2012.
3. “Statistics and Church Facts: Total Church Membership.” newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. Church Newsroom. Accessed November 5, 2021.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics.

4. Walch, Tad. “BYU Sees Dramatic Jump in Number of Returned Missionaries.” Deseret News. Deseret News, April 4, 2016.

https://www.deseret.com/2016/4/4/20585929/byu-sees-dramatic-jump-in-number-of-returned missionaries#:~:text=The%20percentage%20of%20male%20returned,from%2046%20percent%2 0in%202012.

5. Allen, Christie. “BYU No. 1 in the Nation for Launching Business, Foreign Language Ph.D.’s.” News. BYU, April 6, 2021.

https://news.byu.edu/byu-no-1-in-the-nation-for-launching-business-foreign-language-ph-ds#:~: text=BYU’s%20other%20No.,courses%20in%2063%20foreign%20languages.

6. “Apartment Listing 2019 – PDF.” BYU, 2019.

https://pf.byu.edu/https:/brightspotcdn.byu.edu/6b/fa/cb1df00949edab3fbebdd9c6052f/apart ments-by-ward.pdf.

7. Cody Reeves, conversation with author, 11/1/2021
8. Mark Hansen, conversation with author, 11/1/2021 | 15 Endnotes
9. Hayes, Ladan. “More than Half of Employers Have Found Content on Social Media That Caused Them Not to Hire a Candidate, According to Recent CareerBuilder Survey.” Press Room | Career Builder. Career Builder, August 9, 2018. https://press.careerbuilder.com/2018- 08-09-More-Than-Half-of-Employers-Have-Found-Content-on-Social-Media-That-Caused-Them NOT-to-Hire-a-CandidateAccording-to-Recent-CareerBuilder-Survey.
10. Oaks, Dallin. “Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2021.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/51oaks?lang=eng.

Justin Blake

11. Donovan C. Baltich. “Elder Bednar: To Sweep the Earth as with a Flood.” The Daily Universe, August 22, 2014.

https://universe.byu.edu/2014/08/19/1elder-bednar-to-sweep-the-earth-as-with-a-flood/.

12. Smith, Joseph. “38:30.” Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1998.
13. Grossman, Robert J. “Religion at Work.” SHRM. SHRM, April 11, 2018. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/religionat-work.aspx.
14. Wallace, Michael, Bradley R. E. Wright, and Allen Hyde. “Social Currents – Culture on the Edge.” Social Currents Magazine, 2014.

https://edge.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Social-Currents.pdf.