What does it mean if you…
Send wild tweets in the middle of the night?
If you only post fantastic over the top selfies?
If you obsessively edit, crop, and otherwise enhance your selfies every single time?
Do you primarily post pictures of other people and never yourself?
Sometimes post embarrassing or humiliating pics of other people without getting their permission?
Are you constantly share images of what you’re eating every single meal?
Rave about what you’re doing every single day?
Complain about what someone has done to you at work?
Take a good, hard look at your Facebook and Instagram pages. If more than one of the things from above applies to your pages, then it’s time to back up and think about things. Social media is a very visual medium, and the way we see others, the way other people will think you are, is based solely on your actions in social media. So, what could be some of the posts and images on your social media pages that allow others to characterize who you are?
Typos and incomplete profiles – Excessive typos and incomplete profiles can show visitors that you have little to no attention detail. Whether you admit it or not, posting with typos and misspelled words sends a message (correct or not) about your background, particularly how educated you appear. Too many photos of yourself. If every day the only thing you post is a new selfie, that tells people you don’t have anything interesting to say. All you can do is take selfies in the bathroom mirror.
What type of social presences do you display? When employers screen through applicants on social media and believe me, they will, what will they see? Will they see a party animal who loves to drink and be wild? Will they see a grumpy, negative person who posts mean things about people. Yes, it’s tempting to let it all hang out on social media, in your little cocoon behind the computer keyboard, but is it a good idea?
Employers know that people attend parties and have social engagements, and they also know that everyone has a bad day here and there. But when all they see is selfies, or parties, or negative comments, that is going to send them away. Employers usually attempt to hire someone who can get along with various types of people. Your negative social comments and memes may indicate that you’re unfriendly and unwilling to be a team player.
Do you actively network and join online groups work on your skills? Employers may even look at your social connections and the groups you’ve joined. They want to see if you are willing to interact and connect with people. This may be crucial to your potential employer to understand your interests and hobbies and how you can blend and interact with others while representing their business.
Take a second look, and clean up your social media pages. Perhaps looking at them will give you the incentive to engage in more activities which center on becoming someone other people want to be around.
Cindy Fletcher
