Infographic: Managing Your Personal E-Reputation
Filed under: consumer, infographic, lifestyle, social media
Social media and the web has become a major part of life, so everyone has an online personal reputation whether they know it or not. With so many social media platforms, applications and information sharing sites it is hard to keep track of who you’ve connected with, who’s following you, who’s talking about you and who you’ve befriended.
You probably have connected with mates from school, sporting clubs, past colleagues (and more worryingly, current colleagues,) people you met travelling, a guy you met on Saturday night, business contacts, industry contacts….and the list goes on and on. There needs to be a point where you make a strategic decision about who you do and don’t accept into your social network. Let’s face it; your boss doesn’t need to know you’re “doing nothing at work today cause I was out partying till 5am this morning!”
You need to rethink what you’re posting online as nothing is private these days. People have lost their jobs and even been arrested because of things they’ve posted online, so one small mistake can cause you a lot of trouble.
In recent Cyber Safety Research conducted by Telstra, it was reported that more than a quarter of Australian bosses are now using social networking sites to screen job candidates, with almost half of these employers admitting to turning away prospects based on something they’ve seen on Facebook or Twitter.
Managing your personal reputation and building a professional brand is necessary in this competitive job market, as it allows you to differentiate and position yourself from the competition. Job seekers need to have a professional online presence that can be easily found by companies and recruiters, which creates a positive first impression of you as a top quality candidate that they would want to represent their organisation.
Social media checks are slowly becoming part of the formal recruitment process so make sure you are aware of your brand, and manage it before you (or someone else) sabotage your chances of scoring that dream job. Below is an awesome infographic by kbsd that sums up an e-reputation, why it matters, what recruiters look for and tips for improving yours.
Think before you post!
What interests me with this article (and the similar ones posted here and elsewhere), is why the emphasis seems to be almost exclusively on telling people not to say things online because of what an employer/recruiter might find.
What about reminding employers/recruiters/people in general – that one shouldn’t take things they find in social media out of context.
Or am I just being naive in thinking that people should be able to have a private life that is private and a professional life that is judged on its merits, not what one happened to be photographed doing during ones spare time?
Hi Heath,
I totally hear what you’re saying, but unfortunately that’s the reality of the world we live in today. Social media checks have become part of a recruitment process whether we like it or not, but unfortunately some people don’t realise the impact some posts/ comments/ pictures could have.
Reputations are important- whether they’re online or not- so if you create a bad impression you are lessening your chances of getting a job. In a competitive job market employers will most probably go for the candidate with the right behaviours and attitudes, over the one without.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got plenty of photos of my personal life online and I don’t try to cover up or hide who I am, but some people take things a little too far- there are hundreds of examples and horror stories online that prove that! Would you want to hire someone who spends all day online bagging their job, workplace and manager?
People just need to use common sense when posting, avoid posting negative/ derogatory/ defaming comments about their employer or colleagues, or just learn how to use privacy settings properly!
Cheers,
Brie
Brie,
This is going to sound somewhat cliche… but the ‘reality’ is what we make it. If we tacitly reinforce the idea that its acceptable to take information out of context, then things won’t change.
Biting the hand that feeds you is, I agree, poor form.
However I am thinking more about situations like the teacher in the US who was denied admission to practice because of a photo of her drunk at a college party the previous year. What she did at a college party surely isn’t relevant to how good a teacher she is likely to be?
We also have situations such as school principals warning against Facebook use because “Mistakes made at 15 may be still retrievable by an employer 10 years later.”
(http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-fear-schooldays-could-be-most-damaging-of-your-life-20110325-1ca1o.html)
How can what someone did at fifteen really be relevant to their job application ten years later?
Whilst advising teens to show some forethought before posting is sound, I think there should be an accompanying warning to employers (and people in general) about not taking things out of context. As this article from the US discusses, there may even be legal risks opened up by using social media to screen people.
(http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/social_networking_consumer/229401928)
Individuals need to be sensible about not breaking the law or openly disparaging their employer. But equally – I think employers should be advised more often to respect the personal-work divide.
Hi Heath,
I’m loving the debate you’re providing here… Problem is, I totally understand and agree with most things you are saying.
By writing this blog I was not encouraging employers to do social media checks, nor am I saying that employers should take things out of context. I’d hope that hiring managers were mature and professional enough to realise this.
Last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother was a good example of how things should be; (a video surfacing of you streaking at uni,) silly but harmless things done when young, not affecting your professional job chances.
By writing this blog I was hoping to raise awareness for people who haven’t considered the impact social media can have. I have seen so many times people doing stupid things: rubbishing their employers on Facebook or Whirlpool; whinging about customers they’ve just dealt with; leaking sensitive information online; spreading rumours about colleagues; and more. To make it worse they’ve befriended their boss and all their colleagues, which is why they’ve found themself in trouble.
Most employers hire for attitude and behaviour, so by publicly displaying a poor attitude, disrespect and lack of a customer first mindset, then you’re not helping your chances.
My main piece of advice is for people to get more savvy when using social media. Don’t post things you wouldn’t say out loud in a work environment, think twice about who you invite into your personal life, and UTILISE YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS.
Cheers,
Brie