With social media playing such a large part of the professional world, students should know the “do’s and don’ts” of what they put out into the social stratosphere.
There are professional social media sites, such as LinkedIn, but many employers look to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out who a person really is.
Christy Hartin has worked for KCBD Newschannel 11 in Lubbock for the past 15 years. She said it is crazy that social media has become so influential with employers, that it is the first thing they turn to.
Hartin talked about the differences in her personal and professional social media pages
“When I first started, there was no such thing as social media,” Hartin said. “We were just transitioning into using the Internet.”
Hartin said she remembers when she first got a Facebook.
“I thought ‘this is kind of cool,'” Hartin said. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that Facebook would now be a tool that we use to generate story ideas, to make contacts with people, to get phone numbers or updated information on stories. Never would I have imagined that, that is what the Internet and social media would become.”
Facebook is a way for employers to eavesdrop on someone’s life, Hartin said, and pictures and posts are some of the things they look at. She said it plays a huge impact on the way employers think of a potential hire.
“Employers will undoubtedly look you up on Facebook. Without question, every single person that we have ever had some interest in hiring, we have scoped out their Facebook, their Twitter, maybe if their Instagram is open.” Hartin said, “It is undeniably a mirror of the person.”
Hartin said if you have things on your social media accounts that your mother would not be proud of, it is probably best to take them down.
The image of who you are and what you represent online, Hartin said, is what directly impacts an employer’s willingness to hire you. She said if you have the slightest question about it, even if you think it will be private, do not do it.
“Once a picture is on the internet, it is no longer yours. It does not matter if your profile is private,” Hartin said. “If one person can see it, one person can save it, and one person can share it.”
“I think it’s important for students to know how to use social media when going out and applying for jobs,” Hellmueller said.
Students should be conscious of what they post online because, Hellmueller said, it’s digital memory. She said social media does not forget and one of the worst places to post inappropriate things is Twitter because once it is retweeted, it cannot be deleted.
One of the things Hellmueller said she teaches in class is that Twitter is an open book to people’s lives.
“Facebook is different because someone has to be your friend to have access to it, but Twitter is totally different,” Hellmueller said. “You have to be careful because everything you say is basically public.”
Hellmueller said it does not matter the number of followers, you should always think twice before posting something. She said many people will associate your personal accounts to your professional life.
Photo courtesy of careermoves.com
“Even if you have a personal Twitter account, employers want you to be professional on that account,” Hellmueller said. “They feel that your name is a brand, and that is attached to the organization, so everything that you say can reflect on the company.”
Hellmueller said even though social media is a conversational place, you do not only need to watch the pictures you post, you need to watch your language as well. She said professionals should also watch the things they say about competitors.
“I know some organizations have policies and social media guidelines,” Hellmueller said. “You want to remain credible. You want to grow and get better but not by putting other people down.”
Click here to learn other ways to avoid posting inappropriate things on social media and how to do housecleaning on those sites.
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