How Your Social Media Profiles Can Affect Your Professional Life.

How Your Social Media Profiles Can Affect Your Professional Life.

Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. Snapchat. With so many different social media platforms, there are multiple ways to allow others access to our lives, activities and opinions. The question is, how much should we post and how much do these posts affect others opinions of us? Particularly coworkers and employers.

Many people make mistakes on social media; this includes celebrities, public figures and large corporations. They often make posts, which at the time may have seemed harmless but turn out to be controversial or offensive. Or sometimes people make post that simply indulge too much personal information or information that should remain in the workplace.

It is easy to find someone’s social media accounts using a simple search on Google. When you apply for a job, there is a good chance in today’s modern times that employers will do a quick search and check out your social media profiles. Sometimes our coworkers find us and add us, trying to establish a relationship outside of the workplace. What do your profiles say about you? Do they show you to be tolerant? Outgoing? Friendly? The type of individual an employer would want to hire?

Why do employers want to see what’s on your social media profile? Well often they want more insight into your interests and values. They want to make sure that you will fit into their current company culture. All of these things are important when contemplating hiring a candidate for a position so social media has become the quickest and most efficient way to get an idea of someone’s character.

Those who are currently seeking new jobs aren’t the only ones who should be precautious of what they post on social media. Even if you are currently employed, if your page is public, you may want to be extremely careful with what you post. Your personal stance on political or social issues may not align with those of your company. This could cause issues if your employer finds out you have been making posts they don’t agree with or they find offensive; furthermore, you may risk offending coworkers without even realizing it.

Also, it is best not to post about clients or current projects without the “ok” from your employer. Some information may be sensitive or confidential and a simple social media vent about the annoying client meeting you had today, could end up costing you your job.

Some good practices to follow when posting on social media are:

1. Make your accounts private; that way, you are free to post whatever you want and the content of your accounts remain between you and those who follow you.

2. If you decide to keep your page public think long and hard before you post. Ask yourself the following questions. Is this offensive? Is this racist, sexist, or homophobic? If you can’t immediately answer, “no it isn’t”, then you should probably hold off on posting it.

3. Delete. Delete. Delete. Luckily, social media platforms have the option to delete what we post. If you post something and later realize that it may be offensive or controversial, it is never too late to go back and delete the post. While some people may have seen it, it is far better to delete it anyways and avoid it being viewed by any additional people.

Those are some major points to keep in mind when navigating the world of social media. Now go out there and enjoy!

References:

5 steps for responding to a social media crisis. (2015, June 30). Ad Week. http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/5-steps-for-responding-to-a-social-media-crisis/622654

Job hunters hit social media. (2012). Hospitals & Health Networks, 86(5), 19. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libproxy1.usc.edu/docview/1021727555?accountid=14749

Mandell, R. (2015, June 15). The three biggest social media snafus that can cost you your job. US News. http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2015/06/15/the-3-biggest-social-media-snafus-that-can-cost-you-the-job