Facebook can be very addictive, I know as I love to post the latest photos and updates on my personal page, as well as keep our Challenge Consulting jobseekers informed of the latest job search tips on Challenge Consulting’s Facebook page.
This time of year as the champagne flows and we all relax into the silly season, make sure your nude run down the beach isn’t tagged into internet history forever. We all know that future employers Google us when we apply for work. And if you didn’t know then you haven’t read our previous blog post: What has your Googleganger done lately?
Now ask yourself: ‘How personal is my Facebook page? How many people can see my information and have access to my page?’ When you hit Google the screen will be populated with your Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts. What information is currently out there about you, and how would you view yourself if you were looking from a potential employer’s eyes?
So what are the 6 biggest social media mistakes you should avoid this holiday season?
1. Inappropriate Pictures – As per the example picture above, what may have been a funny memory at the time, this is the first thing that an employer will see when they look up your name, and wouldn’t you prefer to be remembered for the right reasons? At the end of the day, a party photo can do you more damage than good.
2. Complaining About Your Current Job – We all have a tendency to vent on Facebook in our status updates. And we have all heard the stories of someone venting about their job on Facebook only to find out later that their boss was their “friend”. Firstly, why is your boss your “friend”? Secondly, how did you forget that your colleagues and bosses were on your friend list? Thirdly, don’t forget that you only have one chance to make a good first impression. If a future employer can see all of your complaining, do you think you are the positive, self-starter they are looking for?
3. Statuses You Wouldn’t Want Your Boss to See – Similar to job complaints, swearing and inappropriate comments do not often paint the prettiest picture, as well as comments such as, ‘Getting drunk on a Tuesday’ or ‘Going to the beach!’ on a day that you called in sick. In fact it will probably get you out the door faster than getting you that promotion. Not only that, but if you share private information about your organisation on your Facebook page, you could be up for a legal battle as well, so be careful!
4. Not Understanding Your Security Settings – A common mistake often made is not being aware of setting your security settings on Facebook to ‘Private’ or ‘Friends Only’ as opposed to ‘Pubic’ viewing. This often can be the case with photos and status updates. When was the last time that you checked your settings? What can take only a couple of minutes to update can save you plenty of headaches in the future.
5. Losing By Association – What do your friends post on your timeline? What do they say about you? What images do they tag you in? Getting to know any individual for the first time, you want to know what they are like with their friends as they are the sources that know that person best. But sometimes those funny or embarrassing comments or images can create a bad reputation. Another thing I would like to mention would be looking into who is connected with you on Facebook. If they are a person that you met ten years ago at a friend’s party who hasn’t even spoken to you since adding you as a friend, then I would say they are not worth keeping on your friend list. People sometimes request a friendship so that they can view your personal information and images and it is important to consider who you really want to view your details and who you can afford to filter.
6. Posting Conflicting Information To What Is On Your Resume – This is something that I have also covered previously in terms of lying in your resume to try and get ahead. This can be anything from previous roles, educational background, age and identity etc. Any lies that you tell will come back to haunt you eventually.
So don’t let those latest Saturday night shenanigans stop you from landing that dream role tomorrow. Use some common sense, check your privacy settings, and ensure your online persona is consistent with your offline persona.
Have you seen any Facebook mistakes either yourself or through the grapevines?
