In my last post (which is my first ever) I discuss the idea of a potential or current boss using what you have on social media against you. Whether a picture of you in your bikini at your family function should be used against you based on showing to much skin. Even a picture of you celebrating with your friends at your 40th birthday with glass of wine in your hands represent that your an alcoholic ? Well since my first posting I started to research if this is really something that happens a lot? To my surprise yes! There was so many articles, videos and personal stories of it happening. I found a article titled "Yes,Employers will check your Facebook Before Offering You a Job" in the Huff Post Business and writer Rachel Ryan actually found her employees looking up potential candidates for a job and she was shocked that they actually do use social media to see what type of person they are. Ryan talks about how many people have been changing their name on social media so you are not able to find them. Then I think doesn't that defeat the purpose of social media of finding friends from your past? Ryan did ask her current boss if they found her and they said they couldn't find it under her name, then she admits she used another name. I feel that her comment of " we have all been in college" and might have the pictures of the red-solo-cup era up on your site but is that really a bad picture to show. I felt in the article she states that you can have pictures of a beer on there and shouldn't effect the results of getting job, but if your a person that has brain cells don't post a picture of you laying in your own vomit. I than wanted to check on the other side of this whether a person should play the game and change their social media stuff around to fit the perfect for that boss. Another article called. "How Social Media Can Help or Hurt You in job" published Forbes Magazine are finding that companies are using the social media to find out if they know how to spell, or if they are raciest in any way or party pictures on the weekends make him/her unstable? Can a picture really tell a story? If you received a story of a woman who had just lost 35 pounds and was so happy to show off her new body dancing at the club, she yes it shows more skin than normal. Next day a potential boss pulls it up and she is partying her weight loss, should the boss just assume its bad or pull in the person and ask about the story?
Now I have found in these two articles of a person looking for a job to use their social media to their advantages. Make their profile represent them as only professional and great communicator or do you place some of you just human and normal for them to see also? I have a Facebook that I had to change little bit cause my friends where posting pictures I wouldn't want anyone but my friends to see , basically being silly in the moment. So half of me would be normal but than should it not include that I am a fun person? Do I think a boss could over look that party picture? If they get into mine than I think I get fair game of looking into theirs. Does that sound fair?
So summing up the two articles has brought me to a confusion of use Facebook posting against you but at the same time the article brought up use the social media to show the world you are a over the top amazing person. Its like giving a fake resume. But companies are saying that they are finding potentials through social media, that the potential employee could research and be friend current employees that work there and have little conversation to feel more comfortable going in social media there could be to our advantage. So you could represent yourself on that professional organize person , BUT at the lost of one picture or post changes your employer view.
I see the two points in these articles..... Change your name and represent in professional matter only on there to guarantee a job, but I think that is boring. BUT, if you have a more wild social media does that really show your uneducated, alcoholic? I am finding out that you really need to lay it all out to see what would be your different as a employee or how this could just be bad for the potential employee. So now the question I will start to search on is whether you have to change completely who you are for social media? And does it seem far that they want to judge you on your sites so can we judge them? Can you use social media to see what type of boss you will have? I also am looking for answers on if does it matter what occupation you have??
the Huff Post Business
the Huff Post Business
You raise some good questions. For me social media is just that. Social. It is not my work life. I don't think employers really have the right to "look" you up. If it is part of your job to use social media, than you might want to think about what you are posting. Otherwise, it would feel like invasion of privacy to me!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good topic Leigh. Social Media interviews are quickly becoming more popular for business'. It is a chance for the business to see you outside of work and determine whether or not you can be a good professional role model for their company. One of the organizations that I know of that does this is the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. I think it is really smart because you don't want someone who has nude pictures on their Facebook saying "I am a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader". That would ruin the reputation of the entire organization just with one photo. I look forward to seeing how you develop your opinion of this subject matter.
ReplyDeleteI have so many friends who have finished school with bachelors and masters and have had jobs turn them down because of a picture with a bong in the background or an excessive amount of alcohol in the background. It's twisted and quite frankly everyone who uses Facebook it's their fault. I don't understand the trend and urge for people to constantly need to "express" themselves by updating their status on how cute their new outfit is or how shit faced they got the night before. Every picture is judged and planed. Friday and Saturday nights have to be proven by update after update. I don't have Facebook. I also don't have unlimited amount of people in my business. And I never have to worry about a job finding dirt on me which wouldn't be hard with my annual lake house photo's!
ReplyDeleteI do like your question about using social media to look at your potential employer. I think that's only fair..."You want to see my Facebook? Well friend me and I'll except...we can go from there"
As someone who makes hiring decisions, I understand where companies are coming from. Most employers are not interested in how “fun” you are, they want to know that you will bring value to their company and will not damage their reputation or offend their customers. Whether we like it or not, as an employee we represent our company all the time, both on and off the clock. Ultimately, you will have to decide what is more important to you, posting “fun” pictures on Facebook or getting the job you really want.
ReplyDeleteReading about social media and hiring decisions always worries me. I wonder what will happen when I start applying for jobs away from FRCC. Will some "innocent" comment on Facebook get distorted? How much should I censor myself online? I certainly don't have inappropriate photos (and I don't do drugs or anything like that), but I never know what might get taken out of context. I tend to post a lot of articles about issues in education such as the over-use of adjunct faculty. I feel that social media can be a useful place to voice concerns and discuss political issues... but maybe those posts will be seen as unprofessional down the road by someone else?
ReplyDeleteP.S. you still need to fix your links so they are in the post when you first introduce the sources; also, can you break up the first paragraph into smaller, more readable chunks?