Social Media Mistakes

Over 90% of adults in Ireland have at least one social media account. However many people are not aware of how their social media personality can affect their careers. Even if your account is set to the highest privacy settings, there is still the chance of a friend of a friend seeing your posts or even someone in your network taking a screen shot of something you thought was private.

 

How can you prevent social media from damaging your career prospects? Here is a list of 5 mistakes to avoid.

 

  1. Complaining about your company and/ or boss. Everyone has bad days and sometimes it helps to vent about what’s bothering you. Having said that, avoid hitting that “post” button and go for a coffee with a trusted friend instead.
  2. Using text-speak. It may be quicker to type out “Had gr8 time 2nite”. However, considering that 66% of employers look unfavourably on poor spelling and grammar, it’s probably best to spell everything out.
  3. Posting photos with alcohol. Yes, even if you’re nearly 30 and it’s a photo of you sophisticatedly drinking a 2004 California Cabernet, this is one to avoid. Such photos can be taken out of context.
  4. Forgetting about “zombie content”. You might be social media savvy now, but what about 10 years ago when all this technology was new? Check search engines using a phrase like “your name facebook” or “your name myspace” and see what forgotten content is out there.
  5. Posting at the wrong time. Are you guilty of blogging or facebooking during work hours? Because most online content is time stamped, it won’t take long for your boss or a vindictive co-worker to figure out you’re wasting company time.

 

 

Do you have your social media personality up to scratch? For more information, contact RecruitmentPlus on 01 2788610 or visit www.recruitmentplus.ie  .