Social Media has always been a melting pot of endless opportunities. But for some working professionals, it could mean the end of a fruitful career. Not just that – it could also sour your future career opportunities. Whatever your Social Media of choice, we’ve compiled the five most popular Social Media Mistakes to avoid.
- Stop complaining! Especially if it’s about your boss or place of work.
We know – this one is hard. For some of us, Social Media is our most favorite venting tool, but making this (very public) mistake might see you getting the boot. Even if you privatize your account, that not-so-nice colleague of yours may forward that witty anti-work comment to your boss.
The problem is that these comments often come back to bite you long after you’ve made them. A future employer might see it – many of which don’t appreciate employees who aren’t team players. This may seem far-fetched, but trust us, we’re in the industry.
- This one may seem strange, but sharing that job offer you got might not be the best idea.
Sometimes in the excitement of getting offered that exciting new role, we forget that the offer may be completely confidential. Just because you got the shiny new offer letter doesn’t necessarily mean you have the job for sure. What this means is, that if you break your confidentiality agreement, your new employer may see you as untrustworthy and take back the offer!
- Using “lazy typing” text language.
On social media this may not seem like a big deal (ppl obvi do it) and it’s convenient, especially when that tweet reaches it’s character limit. But sometimes, it’s better to just spell.it.out. A recent JobVite survey found that 66% of employers look quite negatively upon bad spelling and lazy grammar. Communication might just be your shining badge, don’t waste it on a badly spelled tweet.
- Don’t post tasteless comments!
And this rule stands for any comment that’s meant to offend another person or group. Seriously – it could cost you your job. Don’t believe us? Just look at what happened to Justine Sacco, a communications executive who was fired, quite publicly, after posting an inappropriate tweet.
- Those photos of a night out is a no-go.
Even if you’re above the legal age limit for alcohol consumption, posting pictures of it online could have a very negative impact on how your employer perceives you. As with any of these “don’ts” , this could land you in trouble with the boss. Well… that’s where it got Tedd Erdman after a night out with his friends.
So… the bottom line? Don’t forget your boss and coworkers also have access to social media. If they don’t, our job is to identify instances where poor social media conduct could lead to a negative impact on a business’ overall perception. Want to know more about our services? Why not look into our Reputational Risk and Compliance services.
