We rarely think about what we share in our social networks: photos, news, jokes, and so on. As it turned out, any word on your page can cause many problems in the future, for example, the reason for dismissal or even denial of office! To prevent this from happening, HR specialists gave some tips on how to manage your page on the network without harming your career.
What is the personnel department looking for in social networks?
After conducting some surveys and studies, interested people came to the conclusion that about 66% of employers look at the accounts of social networks of their employees or those who only apply for a particular position. It turns out that only a third of the “bosses” are content with the information presented in the resume.
Of those 66% who are not indifferent to your page, 45% want to know what you are as a person, what your hobbies are. On the one hand, such an impulse can be understood, because first of all, all employees are people, and people at work will need to spend a lot of time together, interact with each other. However, do not forget that not everyone reflects their personality on their page: someone prefers to be someone else on social networks, without revealing the essence of a large audience to the truth.
Also, 26% of employers pay attention exclusively to photographs, while the other 25% look at the profiles of social networks in search of confirmation of their resume information. The remaining 4% of leaders check your social circle. As you can see, employers are quite serious about choosing their employees! That is why it is always important to control the maintenance of profiles on the Internet.
"To dismiss or not to dismiss?" - that is the question!
So, we realized that it is likely that the employer will look at the information and files on your page on the social network, and also find out what exactly might interest him. But what is the likelihood that certain photographs and notes will affect the decision to accept your candidacy for a position in the company?
According to polls, viewing social accounts can really deprive you of the opportunity to be hired. About a third of employers can refuse a candidate, provided that extremist publications are found on the page. About 23% are ready to refuse you if, after viewing personal information, it seems that you do not share the values of the company. For the next 14% of recruiters, frank photographs of applicants can simply serve as a reason for refusal. But there is good news: 30% of the employers who participated in the survey firmly assured that the information of a personal account on the Web would not cause a candidate to refuse.
From the data on the importance of the page in the social network for employers, the question follows: is it worth editing your account during the interview process to get a job? Only 51% of applicants know that their page can be viewed in the personnel department, but only 13% of them decide to “play it safe” by editing some information, notes and photos. This is a purely personal matter for everyone, of course, but now you know that you can wait.
Bitter experience
There is no doubt that social networks have been able to destroy the careers of many, many people. And here are some examples of such unpleasant stories.
Once Gloria Gadsden, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of East Stroudsburg in Pennsylvania, on Facebook expressed her complete dissatisfaction with the students' behavior: "Nobody knows where to get a decent killer? Yes, today is still a day." After about a month, the theme continued in a different vein: “Today was a good day. I didn’t want to kill a single student.”
In principle, many people realize that the work of a teacher requires a lot of patience and strength. But the university administration, learning about such statements, was very worried. Therefore, Gloria was sent on indefinite paid leave, but a month later they were allowed to return to work.
Ashley Payne, a professor at Winder College in Georgia, was not lucky either. On her Facebook page, Ashley posted obscene messages and some photos from a trip to Europe, which was accompanied by rampant drinking. The director of the institution found this behavior unworthy, so he asked Payne to quit.
There were more “funny” cases: when people posted on the wall the record “My boss is a pervert,” while completely forgetting that their boss is on the list of “friends” and sees such publications. Typically, such stories rarely end well for the employee.
Be on the alert!
So, it’s worth making a few rules for yourself that would allow you to be able to use your account on the social network for the benefit of your work and career in general!
1. Keep track of when and what time you make new entries on your page. If your leadership notices that most of your work time is “online” and you are actively sharing something with your subscribers and friends, then this is unlikely to be of benefit to you. Of course, it depends on company policy, but it can be a pretty good reason for dismissal!
2. It is better if all personal photos are available only to a narrow circle of people. Even the graduation photos are probably stored somewhere on the Internet. It is better to remember this in advance and "hide" from prying eyes.
3. Try to fill out the page not only with personal experiences, but also with informative posts that would show the employer that you are truly interested in what you are doing.
4. Try to separate your personal and work spaces, even online. Moreover, make sure that the online profile matches the image that you show to your colleagues.
Keep your chin up!
Yes, at first it may seem that we are surrounded on all sides and do not have the right even on the Internet to be who we are. Yes, your boss can really check your page. However, modern technology allows you to remain anonymous where you need it, as well as restrict access to everything that should be accessible only to close friends and family. Everything is simple, to be neat!