Social Media, or Job?

According to “How to ‘clean up’ online to land that job” 70% of recruiters turn down prospective employees due to online posts. However, 97% of researchers never look beyond the first 3 pages of search results. If you cannot get rid of unwanted information, flood search results with positive or neutral information. Creating a GooglePlus profile and a LinkedIn profile often help push unwanted information down.

Unfortunately, you cannot get rid of everything, and you cannot guarantee whether or not something you post will be taken the wrong way. Justin Sacco, PR executive, was fired over a racist tweet. Just before boarding her flight to South Africa, Sacco tweeted “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” Sacco did not yet realize the effects of her tweet until landing, when she then deleted her tweet and her twitter account, although too late. After Sacco made many apologetic comments, she still lost her job over the troublesome tweet taken the wrong way.

Dr.Phil was found apologizing after posting a tweet intended to evoke discussion to prepare for a serious show topic. The tweet sent from Dr. phil McGraw’s verified twitter account read “If a girl is drunk, is it OK to have sex with her? Reply yes or no to @drphil #teensaccused.” Although intended as a poll question to prepare for a serious show topic, it was taken in a different manner from many of his 1.1 million followers.

These articles show that you should carefully consider any type of content you choose to put online. Things can often be read/interpreted in the wrong way, and could cause you serious problems in the future. In the end, the basic decision you have to make: social media, or your job. My advice, don’t let your reputation on social media ruin your chances of getting a decent job in the future.