Social Media Professionalism

Social media can be a professional liability. Prior to hiring, employers may search potential employees’ Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Without updated privacy settings, entering a name into Google will display all active social media accounts. While hiring decisions cannot be made solely on what is found, it certainly can influence opinions. Once hired, employers can check these sites to monitor behavior, comments, and status updates at any time. To keep social media professional, here are a few helpful tips:

Think before you post. Social media posts are meant to be active, engaging, and non-offensive. Stay clear of foul language, discrimination, and comments that demean personal character.

Who will read the post? Before posting, determine if anyone reading the post will be offended personally or professionally. Also, social media posts are time stamped. This makes it easy to place where you were at the time of the post. Were you at work?

A picture is worth a thousand words. Posting inappropriate pictures can cause educational consequences, professional dismissal, or public shame. A photo posted online can be seen by millions.

Who will remember this? The internet is forever. Once something is posted online, it remains forever. If deleted from a particular site, the image, or comment, is still in cyber space and detectable if searched for properly.

Aside from professional social media forums, educational institutions have now included social media guidelines within their ethics policies. Indecent commentary or negative portrayal of an institution can result in expulsion or criminal charges.  Before posting online, check privacy settings. They can usually be found under account settings [privacy]. Since social media sites update regularly, account settings should also be checked periodically.