Are you Social Media Smart?
The major increase in the use and popularity of social media over the past few years has made it very easy for employers to keep an eye on employees, and check out interviewees. It can cause a very awkward situation if employers see something they are not happy with on an employee’s social media profile as it could reflect very negatively on the company’s reputation. We have put together a little checklist to make sure you are being social media sensible.
- Check your privacy settings
Be aware that your settings determine who can view your posts, it might be an idea to set your Facebook profile so that only friends can view your content and only certain people can find you when searching for you. On other sites like Twitter and Instagram you can chose to make your profile completely private, meaning only those who you allow to follow you can see what you post.
- Take a deep breath
Before posting anything on social media, we suggest that you take a step back and make sure that you are happy for people to see it, a good question to ask yourself is: “would I say this in public?” We can all get hot headed sometimes and can be tempted to have a rant on our Facebook status, but take a deep breath- especially if it is work related.
- Avoid controversial opinions
If you have a certain opinion on a matter which could be viewed as controversial or might upset others, refrain from publishing it. Remember that what you say can often be viewed publicly and it can be very difficult to take back what you have said, it could even be saved by others and then held against you.
- Remember you are representing your employers
Always bare in mind that what you post on social media can also impact on the reputation of your employer as well as your own, especially if you have your place of work visible on your profile. Just be mindful of the fact that you have a responsible to protect the image of the company.
- Be social media sensible
This is the final point and a combination of all those mentioned above. Just basically be sensible. People may judge you as a person by the way you act on your social media pages, obviously we can all have fun and nobody is expecting you to come across as a complete bore but just be careful.