Humans are the superior race on Earth, and yet, it is quite possible that technology and social media is slowly dominating us. Every year, month and day, new updates and devices emerge which tempts us to live our life through this technological world.
Idealistically, a company would hire a candidate based on their ability to effectively succeed in a position. Truth be told, many other factors take shape, such as location and life views posted on social media even if these factors form part of the unconscious decision making process. Often, however, we are unaware that our online footprints can essentially boot us out of the job field. To ensure you’re using social media for your own advantage, avoid these social media mistakes:
The text-message dilemma
We have all shared the same frustration with our old Nokia phones, taking hours just to send a simple text message. When text abbreviations such as ‘OMG,’ ‘LOL,’ and ‘TTYL’ arrived on our doorstep, it was love at first sight owing to the ease and rapid time it took us, effectively allowing us to manage our time more productively.
Nonetheless, as technology has improved, these abbreviations can appear as lazy and grammatically incorrect. Scroll through your social media accounts and ensure that your posts, tweets and pictures depict professionalism, class and the correct grammar. Confirm that your old and new posts are acceptable and if not, press the delete button.
Copy Cat, Copy Right!
In any career path, plagiarism is significantly undesirable and unacceptable. Not only is plagiarism dangerous for your professional career and reputation, it can also significantly depict how others may see you. Without realising, posts that are uploaded onto social media STILL need to be referenced accurately, especially if you are reposting. This includes pictures, quotes, articles and illustrations. Even though social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are mostly used for personal use, all platforms need to be presented in a professional manner.
Stereotyping:
Stereotyping is often a consequence of us creating an impression based on a limited number of posts, generally occurring on an unconscious level. Therefore, think twice about posting certain photos online that could depict controversial messages. Secondly, ensure that all posts are set to private, which will ensure that acquaintances cannot see old or new posts that could potentially damage your career. A little tip: Don’t post anything that you don’t want your boss or colleagues to see.
Google Yourself:
If you’re interested to learn about what others can see about you online, enter your name into the search bar of Google. You may be surprised at how permanent photos are once they are uploaded onto the internet. If you see a photo that shouldn’t be shown in the public sphere, try to seek it out and bin it.
Cut the inappropriate information:
Anywhere you go, you are representing the company that you work for. Therefore, be mindful that even if you consider your account as ‘personal,’ others may consider that you are representing the views of the organisation for which you work. It may be useful to have a think about (or discuss with your employer) about whether you should include a disclaimer on your account.
Conclusion:
Social media can be great for career building, where you can add vital connections to climb the ladder or even score your dream job. However, online posts can be dug up at the worst of times and sometimes during the recruitment process. Ensure that your social media accounts portray your best self. If you’re a volunteer for an important cause or you are involved in a special hobby, post these photos! Use social media to your advantage when applying for a job and don’t let the evil trolls of past posts poke their heads up to say hello!
