To Delete or Not Delete
In
Melissa's article Social Media and your Future she asked if we
would recommend job applicants having a social media platform. I believe with
social media being integrated into the way employers recruit and seek out job applicants
as well as job applicants seeking out employment, having social media accounts
is appropriate. If there is one platform I would recommend it would be
LinkedIn, the site is set up for people and businesses to be represented in a
professional manner. This media platform is geared towards professional networking,
whether seeking out employment, recruiting, or simply making new connections.
However,
if actively seeking a job I would suggest an applicant temporarily deactivate
its pages if it doesn't represent what employers want to see or get familiar
with the delete button. As we learned employers have various ways to check out
a job applicant’s social activity and representation. Some of which include
illegal practices. There are ways to protect social media accounts from
employer invasion, but is never full proof. “Remember that whatever goes on a
network might eventually be seen by people not in the intended audience. Think
about whether you would want a stranger, your mother or a potential boss to see
certain information or pictures” (Private Rights Clearinghouse, 2010). Once
information is put on a social or web-based platform it is always available for
others to find, even if it is deleted.
When
actively seeking a employment here are some tips that can be used to protect social
media accounts and employers from viewing your information (legally that is):
- Make sure personal information is private (e.g. birthday, age, place of birth) if it is needed to create social media account. If the social platform does not need personal information to be activated, avoid using it (Private Rights Clearinghouse, 2010).
- Review privacy policies before agreeing to them (Private Rights Clearinghouse, 2010).
- “Provide only information that is necessary or that you feel comfortable providing. Remember, you can always provide more information to a social network, but you can’t always remove information once it’s been posted” (Private Rights Clearinghouse, 2010).
- Only add people you know and make sure viewing settings are on “friends only” (McGuire, 2016).
- Be cautious of third party applications and shortened links(McGuire, 2016)
- When actively seeking a job, ask friends and family to not tag you in those fun weekend photographs (McGuire, 2016).Those are just a handful of tips. The safest route is if you’re worried about your information getting in the wrong hands, don’t post it.As stated previously, social media has become integrated in the way company’s conduct business, recruit, and even the way people seek out employment. Just like job applicants want to check out a company online and its social media accounts to be sure it’s the right fit, companies want to do the same (McGuire, 2016). I do not think it is ethical to create fake accounts or use illegal means to view a job applicant social media platform. I also do not believe because a person likes to party or uses inappropriate language on social media that is a full representation of their skill set, professionalism, or who they are as a person. With social media being so largely integrated into companies and their policies it is understandable why companies want to see who would be representing them. However, a person’s social platforms shouldn’t be taken at face value. Just think about it, how many of us know people who are nothing like what their social media accounts claim them to be, good or bad?
McGuire,
L. (September, 20 2016). Your social media matters when it comes to the job
search. Retrieved from career.uconn.edu:
https://career.uconn.edu/blog/2016/09/20/your-social-media-matters-when-it-comes-to-the-job-search/
Private Rights
Clearing House. (2010, June 1). Social Networking Privacy: How to be Safe,
Secure and Social. Retrieved from privacyrights.org:
https://www.privacyrights.org/consumer-guides/social-networking-privacy-how-be-safe-secure-and-social#tips
Hi Ste-Aria, I hope you are having a nice week. Happy Friday! You make a very interesting point when you encourage people to temporarily deactivate their social media accounts. You gave some really great tips about protecting privacy - thank you for sharing! What if the applicant was applying to a social media position? Do you think the applicant changing his or her profiles to private would do harm? Do you think the company would want to see specific examples of how the applicant advertises their personal brand? I am interested in opening up this discussion with you!
ReplyDeleteHello Meredith,
DeleteI believe if an applicant is applying to a job related to social media they should expect a potential employer would like to see its social media accounts. In this case it is understandable why an employer would want to do so because it directly relates to the position the person is applying to. However, I feel an employer should be upfront about seeking this information out and not take illegal measures to do so.
No, I don't think an applicant changing its privacy settings could cause harm because it's not information made public. However, if the employer has already searched the candidate and went back to the page and found it was private, yes, it could likely raise some red flags. I believe the issue of employers using social media to view candidates is not a problem if it is done ethically and the candidate is aware.
Hi Ste-Airia,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point regarding LinkedIn. I personally think that is basically a digital version of your resume and all of your connections could be potential references, employers, or clients! I also think that if someone who is either actively seeking employment or has a career path isn't on LinkedIn, they are missing the boat.
Shin (2014) explains that LinkedIn is an extension of your resume and should be a way for one to showcase what can't fit on a resume. She continues on to advise on how to effectively use the site;
1. Make a findable and visually appealing profile.
2.Use your LinkedIn profile to showcase everything that doesn’t fit on your resume.
3. When you’ve got a profile you’re ready to show the world, strategically connect with others.
4. Once you’ve got a valuable network, snoop.
5. Stay active on the site (Shin, 2014).
I also agree with you when you say that you cannot judge a person's entire character by their social media page. Just as they say, you cannot judge a book by its cover, you cannot judge an applicant based on their social media pages. I do believe extreme privacy settings should be implemented however. I have my own Facebook settings so that I need to approve all posts on my timeline and all photos or comments that I am tagged in. This is mainly because my definition of professional or appropriate is not always the same as my friends! I will say however, while you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, a picture does speak 1,000 words. If I was interviewing a job candidate and I checked their Facebook page (which I always do) and their profile picture was of them doing kegstands and the comments read "great partying last night" I would form an opinion of them prior to even meeting them - especially if they were interviewing to represent my company because if hired, they will most likely change their job description to my company name which is now associated with keg stands and partying.
References
Shin, Laura. (2014, Jun 26). How to Use LinkedIn: 5 Smart Ways to Career Success. Forbes. Retrieved: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/06/26/how-to-use-linkedin-5-smart-steps-to-career-success/#1d61b0ca6fe5
Hi Melissa,
DeleteThanks for your reply! I too have my Facebook settings set the same as you do as to avoid unfortunate situations. I also understand your point about an applicant linking itself to the brand of the company in an appropriate way. However, I know for me, I don't list my employer and other private information on my social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). It has nothing to do with me having inappropriate post or concealing what's on my page, but to ensure my privacy and safety (especially because I work in the mental health field).
Hi Ste-Aira,
ReplyDeleteGreat tips on privacy settings. I agree that deleting profiles and being too private might raise some red flags, especially if someone is vying for a position in communications or social media. I'm not super active on my personal pages - I share pictures of my dogs, the occasional selfie with friends, but nothing incriminating. Luckily, I don't feel like I have anything to hide.
A lot of my acquaintances on social media have taken firm political positions this year and I have seen many offensive, insensitive, and inappropriate posts. Aside from doing keg stands and posting about drug-use I can see this as a behavior that would definitely turn off a potential employer.