7 Social Media Mistakes That Will Cost You a Job
A healthy dose of common sense is usually enough to stop most social media blunders before they start. Yet given our culture of constant sharing, it’s easy for a momentary lapse in judgement to turn into a big problem. Short of shutting down all your profiles, your best approach is to think before you post. That should help you avoid these seven big social media screw-ups, which are potential career killers.
1. Making racist, sexist, or other offensive comments
Posting inflammatory content online is a quick route to a pink slip, a lesson many people have learned the hard way. Policing what an employee says outside of work may seem unfair, no matter how despicable their comments. But a company that ignores those comments may be putting themselves at risk.
2. Complaining about your job
Everyone needs to vent sometimes, but publicly sharing your true feelings about your job on social media can land you in hot water. While valid complaints about working conditions are protected speech in many cases, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), general gripes about your boss probably aren’t.
3. Sharing confidential information
Accidentally sharing your company’s secrets online may be easier than you realize. While posting confidential reports and documents is an obvious no-no, even innocent updates may inadvertently reveal information that your employer would prefer to keep private.
4. Posting something stupid on behalf of your company
It pays to think twice about what you post if you’re in charge of your company’s social media. If you’re tweeting or sharing on behalf of your employer, remember that whatever you do reflects on them. While some mistakes are truly innocent, post anything wildly out of line and you’re likely to be shown the door.
5. Sharing when you should be working
Not only does using social media while working make you less productive, it could reflect poorly on you as an employee. Some old-school employers may still look unkindly on any kind of social media activity during the workday.
6. Posting drunk photos from work gatherings
You and your co-workers hit the bar after a long day at the office, and everyone indulges in a few too many drinks, including your boss. You snap a few goofy picks of everyone and share them on Instagram, not thinking anything of it. That is, until the next day, when your boss sobers up and isn’t so happy that those photos are out there in the world for anyone to see
7. Broadcasting your job search
Social media is a key tool in the modern-day job search. But if you’re on the hunt for a new gig and your current boss sees that you’ve suddenly connected with half a dozen recruiters on LinkedIn, it could make for an uncomfortable situation at the office. You may find yourself passed over for plum assignments or even first on the list of employees to be let go in the next round of layoffs.
