Employers and Social Media
Finding a job in today’s uncertain global economy can be very tough for many people. If you are searching for work, you should do everything you can to protect your reputation, both personally and professionally. Many employers are using more than just your resume, cover letter, and job references to learn more about your character. Employers are now turning to The Internet to help them find as much personal information about job candidates and employees as possible. Some employers have even asked job candidates to log into their social media accounts during the job interviews and allow employers to read posts and view pictures on their personal profiles. If you want to increase your chances of getting a job, you need to protect your Internet presence. The same advice applies if you want to keep your job.
Social media websites like Facebook have privacy controls available for any account holder to use. If you have a Facebook account, you should definitely take control of your account and the access that other people have to your profile. Set your privacy settings on your Facebook account so that nobody can tag you in photos unless you personally approve them to be posted to your account. This way, embarrassing photos of you intoxicated at a party will not be available for the whole world to see. You should also set up your profile so that people cannot post any links to your account. Only you should have the ability to post links to your Facebook wall, and other people can post their comments to the posts. If you do not like other people’s comments to your posts, you can and you should delete the posts and possibly consider deleting that person from your Facebook friends list. You cannot afford to take risks with other people negatively impacting your online reputation.
Have you searched yourself on Google? If you have not performed an Internet search on your name, you should do a search immediately. Your employer and prospective employer should not know more about your Internet presence than you know. Keep in mind that other people might have the same name as yours, and employers might assume that someone else’s information and actions online are related to you. In a situation like this, you should use pictures to help differentiate yourself from people who share your name. Make sure that you upload pictures that clearly display your face on any of your social media accounts like Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. No one should have to wonder if an account with a profile picture of a bunny rabbit or a cartoon character belongs to you. Your face should be clearly displayed online in a close-up photograph.
Would you want people who you don’t know to be able to find out your home address, everything you do in your spare time, and every intimate detail of your life? If the answer to that question is no, then you should be very careful not to post those details about your life online. You should only post information online that will not come back to haunt you. Always remember that employers can quickly find out information about you online. If employers see that you use the Internet to divulge a lot of information about your personal life, they might think that you will also use the Internet to disclose confidential information about the company and that might affect your chances of getting promoted in the company. It is best to be discreet about what you post on the Internet, just in case other people get the wrong idea about your character and intentions.
It is important for you to know and understand that many employers feel they have the rights to demand access to your Internet social media accounts online. You have every right to decline allowing employers to access your social media accounts. Under no circumstances should an employer have the right to coerce you to disclose your passwords. At the same time, you should never give employers any reasons to doubt your character. You have complete control over the information that you reveal about yourself on the Internet, so, think carefully about the impact of the information you reveal online before you disclose it. Do not use the Internet as a platform for you to complain about your life, your employer, and your relationships with other people. Make sure that your presence on the Internet is one that will reflect your life in ways that will not damage your career.
