It's been five months and 17 days, but who's counting?
Since my last post, I've taken (and aced) my GMAT, got into my first choice grad school, graduated from undergrad, and landed my dream job. The awesome part about that last point is that beer-battered ramen actually proved to be a tool in helping me land it.
So as I enter this new phase of my life, obviously the blog goes with me - this time we're turning it from college stereotypes to post-grad dilemmas, inspired by none other than the world of social media.
One of the biggest things that I always preach (and will continue to do so long as people are posting relationship woes and job complaints on Facebook) is about your online image. And one of the biggest questions I've been getting lately is about what specifically to look out for.
Luckily, the great people over at Mashable have an extraordinary ability to read my mind! So they've released a list of 19 slip-ups that will get you fired. Here are three that were most interesting to me:
Serial Daters: We all know one. They come in two forms: the ones that seem to have a new significant other every month, and the ones that are "living up the single life" and have to announce that they're simultaneously texting two prospects while Skyping with another. Either way, the biggest red flag is that it makes you seem disloyal and flaky.
Openly Insecure: This one's my favorite. Especially because these people are either known to fish for complements or have some deep-rooted issue that would best be resolved professionally. Airing your insecurities won't make people care, it'll make you an entertaining spectacle. If you wouldn't go on a first date and point out how your eyes are too far apart or your nose is crooked, then don't put it online. Period. The end.
Plotting Revenge: We all know that person(s) that insist on outlining what they would do to their ex's new fling if they ever saw him/her, and it usually ends with how they pity this person because they don't know what they're getting into. It's not only immature - but it can have serious legal repercussions. Think about it.
I usually hate everyone and think they deserve every shitty thing that can come to them for being stupid, but it boggles my mind how people continue to let their careers be affected by Facebook. If you're going to be an idiot with your social media, make sure your privacy settings are set so that your employer can't even find you. How is it that hard? You shouldn't be friends with your bosses or anyone you work with if you don't hang out with them on a consistent basis. If you do decide to be friends with people you don't really like because you just want to avoid having an awkward conversation, LIMIT THE STUFF THEY CAN SEE ON YOUR PROFILE.
ReplyDeleteIf you get fired for your boss seeing how hungover you were yesterday, that you dressed a cat up like a ninja and tried to have a swordfight with him, or that you took a giant shit and subsequently got pinkeye... I don't know what to tell you other than that you should probably get ready to take my order at White Castle at 3am when I'm coming home from the bar, posting ridiculous shit about my night, and not getting fired for it because I know how to work the internet.
See, there's also two sides to that. I absolutely agree - social networking should be separated for business and pleasure. I use Twitter for my friends only, Facebook is a hybrid of both coworkers (because I use it for work) and friends, and LinkedIn is strictly professional.
DeleteBut, you also have to think, you don't know who your friends are friends with, and with Facebook's privacy settings, you can only be so private. Think about the ticker - if someone was to like your Facebook status, then their friends may be able to see it. Timeline also makes it impossible for you to hide every single detail. A lot of people also just blatantly freak out if a boss or coworker friends them and accepts from fear of the repercussions if they don't.
All I'm saying is that you don't know where your stuff will end up, so better safe than sorry!