Your Personal Brand
You've just graduated and now the process begins for finding a job. What you may not realize is that for the past several years you have been preparing for this moment. We're not talking about your college education. You have been creating a personal brand on social networking, blogs and other similar areas captured on the internet. Are you remembering posts or pictures you probably shouldn't have put out there? Its okay, but you must start cleaning it up right away.
Whether you are searching for the first job or fifth, employers are now conducting simple and complex searches of your history. They may be having the human resources department or a third party do it. Either way we are now in the age of the social media interview.
There are all kinds of legal issues coming up with this like invasion of privacy, but before you start sounding off on why it is you should step back and take a look at how you want to represent yourself. Think beyond just an employer. While Facebook and other sites have allowed you to manage privacy settings, there is always a way around these. For example, a friend is connected to a colleague and messages them about something you said about a boss. The hot water could be unbearable if that were to get back to who the post was about. Why use Facebook to air dirty laundry. Grab some coffee with a friend to complain - don't use a medium that everyone can see. Ask yourself the question, 'what does this really accomplish?'
Need some examples? Here are two.
- June 2012 - Minnesota Supreme Court upheld a decision to discipline a mortuary science student for posting she wanted to stab someone with an embalming tool and made comments about "playing" with a cadaver used in a dissection lab.
- May 2012 - Houston-based Francesca's Holdings Corp. reported it fired its chief financial officer, saying that he improperly communicated company information through social media.
These may seem like situations that you would never have. So here are a few scenarios that could or have happened as a result of Fraters misusing of the medium.
Posting a Serious Comment Meant for Venting
The comment read, "My current wish is to take gun and shoot all my classmates, enjoying their blood and [scared faces]."
In the aftermath of tragedies like the Virginia Tech Massacre and Columbine, joking about killing people on your profile is not okay. Maybe you hate a professor, a co-worker or an ex significant other, but saying something to this degree will get back to authorities and action will be taken. The student posted this in a different language thinking most wouldn't think about it. As a result of this post, within hours the individual was tracked down by police, arrested and brought to the station for questioning. While formal charges were not pressed in this case (unlike similar situations), the student was expelled and barred from every college in the United States. Nobody cares about your intent (like expressing distaste with others), they are only concerned with maintaining a safe environment at a school and beyond.
Posting a Picture of a Fake ID
The comment read, "At midnight, I will officially retire Mr. Jacobs, a 23-year old from Nevada. He has been a great guy, but now I must move on. Thanks for everything."
First and foremost, why would you ever admit on the biggest social network in the world that you have been breaking both state and federal laws? Second, why would you condone this practice publicly so others who look up to you can see it? It's not okay to steal and/or use another person's identity even if you consider getting into a bar innocent fun. Even though every state is different, the penalties typically are combined. Let's look at the State of Arizona, for instance.
If an underage person is caught with a fake ID the penalties are steep. Not only will they be fined and lose their license for at least six months, but they will also face criminal charges. In college towns, confiscation of fake ids is an everyday reality. This can be deemed as a misdemeanor, but recently has been more likely get upgraded to a felony charge. The reason is simple - the problem is increasing. If you are charged in either case it's like filing for bankruptcy - it's on your record for the rest of your life (unless you can get a judge to expunge it after your sentence with the likelihood of this being very small). You can't be a lawyer, a doctor or teacher and you can't get any certifications for career development. Every job application asks you about a misdemeanor or felony convictions and you must answer yes. You could lose your license for a year (mandatory) or have it revoked until the judge deems you are fit to have it back (hope you enjoy walking). Fines are levied based on felony class, but could be up to $15,000. There is also prison time - six months to one year.
There's also the danger of putting your personal information on the Internet when ordering a fake ID online. Recently in New York state a group of teens were arrested for getting IDs through a website it turns out was based in China. Police say the website sold their personal information, which was used to get fake credit cards and even mortgages. It may take years for students to discover they are thousands of dollars in debt, and their credit histories are trashed. Think it won't happen to you? Tell that to the student that is living it.
Not all social media style interviews are doom and gloom. This is an area where a prospective employee can demonstrate mastery of a relatable topic. For example, if going after a position in the corporate side of the food industry and you begin a discussion about an article on the latest trends in the business through LinkedIn, this can show how you are keeping up with new enterprise standards. It can both bring your resume to the top and be a great talking point.
Businesses are relying very heavily on social media for all aspects of success. Not only do individuals need to keep up on how various networks work, they need to have a healthy respect of it. The social media interview presents everyone an opportunity to gain a better understanding of each other. Take a look at what you are saying and posting to insure when potential employers call, they are more interested in you than the status update or picture posted a few years ago.
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