June 7, 2011—In recent years, utilizing social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become a common marketing strategy for companies and businesses to reach a larger audience. At the same time, employers have also taken these sites into account when seeking employees to join their companies. What you post on the internet about yourself is a representation of who you are, and your reputation online can change in a matter of minutes, or in a single tweet.
Imagine your employer reading what you posted on Facebook and looking through your profile pictures. According to a 2010 CareerBuilder.com survey, 45 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates, a number that had doubled from the previous year. The survey also reported that candidates were not hired 53 percent of the time because of inappropriate photographs or information.
The same simple tips for maintaining a good reputation offline can be applied to maintaining a good reputation online. Using common sense is a surefire way to avoid destroying a reputation; think Rep. Weiner. If your mom or dad would be ashamed of what you’re posting, don’t do it. You always have the power to control what is posted on the internet about you. So to reiterate a past blog post of ours: Think before you tweet, post, or share. The technologically-advanced world that we live in today requires us to.
