Internet background checks are becoming an increasingly common hiring procedure, and what you post may pose a risk to your professional life.<\/p>\n
Recently, a brusque remark about ex-First Lady Michelle Obama made its rounds on Twitter and Facebook, ending with nonprofit director Pamela Ramsey Taylor\u2019s temporary job suspension.<\/p>\n
Evidently, the liberty to post whatever one wants can cause serious repercussions.<\/p>\n
You have probably witnessed vicious arguments on Facebook or Twitter, and while some users simply scroll past, others may pitch in with their occasionally explicit responses.<\/p>\n
Avoid going online if you feel irritated<\/p>\n
Although your emotions may be temporary, anything you share online is permanent. You don\u2019t want your inflammatory comment on Facebook to be brought up during an interview.<\/p>\n
In Ramsey Taylor\u2019s case, the responses generated by her post ranged from snide comments about her weight, to heated racial insults. Regardless of how much you might feel a person deserves it, calling someone a \u201cwhite trash inbred\u201d isn\u2019t a great way to represent yourself online.<\/p>\n
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Be wary of what sites you regularly visit<\/p>\n
Virtually anything that requires a personal email can be traced back to you, and sometimes can be used to track cyber whereabouts. Any information that is included on a resume can be used by your employer to run a background check, and that includes your email.<\/p>\n
Maybe it’s time to consider cancelling your premium membership to that certain website.<\/p>\n
It is preferable to create a separate email account specifically for job prospecting. Not just for the sake of preserving your dignity, but to practice making your social and professional life independent from each other.<\/p>\n
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Tone it down a few notches<\/p>\n
While exercising your first amendment rights is encouraged, sharing controversial photos or videos can give potential employers a very one-sided perspective of you. Radical political views can be interpreted in many ways, and you don’t want to seem like a crazy nationalist to your future boss, so why risk it?<\/p>\n
Being behind the camera and voicing any internalized hate, is another matter. Most potential employers don’t want to stumble on a 37 minute video of you rambling on about the faults of certain ethnic populations. In other words, avoid going on racist rants. In public and online, at least.<\/p>\n
Using the \u2018mom filter\u2019 on Photos<\/p>\n
The unpredictability of social media has the potential to ruin our public image in a matter of seconds. Out of the all the risks that accompany the freedom of social media, photos can ultimately be the most damaging.<\/p>\n
One rule of thumb when it comes to posting pictures is simply asking yourself, \u201cWould I show this to my mother?\u201d If the answer to that is \u201cNo, my mom wouldn’t be particularly proud,\u201d then consider posting something else.<\/p>\n
If your mom doesn’t want to see that unflattering picture of you, neither do your employers.<\/p>\n
Why this matters?<\/p>\n
The importance of maintaining an appropriate Internet personality is oftentimes overlooked. Employers seek individuals who will represent their company in a refined, professional manner.<\/p>\n
If, for example, a photo surfaced of you passed out on a dirtied floor during Cinco De Mayo with your frat brothers, then it could be slightly difficult to find employment at a white collar level. Even if you already occupy a job, being cautious with what you post can avoid any problems that may arise concerning your social media profiles.<\/p>\n
Being part of a company means you are an embodiment of their values and ideas, and anything you say and do is a reflection of them as well. Employers know this. They waste no time in investigating what your media persona is like, and whether or not they consider you a potential asset to their company.<\/p>\n
Being conscious of what you post can save you from a humiliating interview, no longer do you have to fear a read aloud of your tweets from two years ago.<\/p>\n
So remember to think before you post, it can greatly affect your chances of hired.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Internet background checks are becoming an increasingly common hiring procedure, and what you post may pose a risk to your professional life. Recently, a brusque remark about ex-First Lady Michelle Obama made its rounds on Twitter and Facebook, ending with nonprofit director Pamela Ramsey Taylor\u2019s temporary job suspension. Evidently, the liberty to post whatever one…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"staff_name":[685],"class_list":["post-11358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","staff_name-leslie-aguilar"],"yoast_head":"\n