How Your Social Media Footprint Can Impact Your Career

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In so many respects, we live in a digital world. As you would probably guess, some of the most popular social media sites are Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, and LinkedIn (for those who haven't used LinkedIn, it's primarily a professional networking site).

 

Think about all the sites that you use and how you use them. Do you read information? Watch videos? Post updates and photos about yourself and people you know? Do you post opinions? Comment on other people's opinions? Periodically "like" and "dislike" what other people have posted? Do you use online dating sites, belong to other types of online groups, and/or engage in professional networking? Whatever the nature or extent of your activities, it's important to know that you're constantly leaving a social media footprint.

 

What is a Digital or Social Media Footprint?

 

Demi Hornsey of EdenScott has an interesting way of defining this: 

"Think of your digital footprint like walking through the woods. As you walk, you leave your tracks behind. By following your tracks, people can tell where you’ve been and what you’ve done. It’s much the same with a digital footprint - people can retrace your online journey to understand where online you’ve visited, and what actions you’ve taken." (Read More Here)

 

TASK: Write down the 3 sites that you use most often.

 

Site 1:

Site 2:

Site 3:

 

Next, think about (or better yet, take a look at) what you've posted and commented on during the last 2 months. Are your posts reasonable and informative or do you sometimes post content that's nasty and reckless? Would you want an employer or prospective employer to read through your online activity? 

 

Quick Tip #1: The way you use the Internet can have a positive or negative impact on your current job status and / or future career goals. Why is that?

 

There are many reasons. Here are just a couple:

 

1. If you're looking for work, prospective employers don't simply rely on documents that you give them (e.g. resumes, cover letters) nor how you present yourself during an interview. A significant percentage of prospective employers try to learn about you by viewing your online presence -- your social media footprint.  

2. If you already have a job, while it's likely that your current employer doesn't spend time searching through your online activity, there's no question that staff members, including supervisors, sometimes "google" each other out of curiosity. If you've posted alarming or highly offensive content, it's possible that a colleague will report that to management, and you may face some difficult consequences.

 

The bottom line is that the way in which you "journey" through social media sites can have an impact on your career. Job seekers have lost employment opportunities after a prospective employer discovered problematic social media posts. And people with jobs have sometimes gotten fired for offensive posts (e.g. content that was racist or threatening).

 

What constitutes truly problematic content?

Some of the most common types of content that employers find problematic are ones that contain:

1) Vulgarity / Obscenities / Bullying

2) Bigotry

3) Threats and/or violent intent

4) Revelations of irresponsible conduct (drunkenness, etc)

5) Sexual exploitation

6) Verbal attacks on previous or current employers and/or colleagues

7) Violations of employer privacy policies

8) Deception (for example, if your social media footprint conflicts with what you told an employer in your resume, cover letter, or interview, they'll likely conclude you're untrustworthy)

 

Take a look at the following 2 articles, both of which offer interesting examples of people whose social media content got them into serious trouble:

 

Thirteen People Who Were Fired (for Instagram posts)

(at the end of this Instagram article, there's a link to 13 people who were fired for posts on X)

Six People Who Were Fired

 

Is It Legal?

You may be wondering if it's legal for employers to make decisions that are partially based on what you write online. There's no clearcut answer, but here are a few key points:

• On the one hand, we have freedom of speech. In addition, employers aren't allowed to discriminate based on things like race, gender, age, religion, etc.

• On the other hand, there are limits to freedom of speech. For example, if you write something threatening, there may be unpleasant consequences that are both legitimate and legal.

• In addition, an employer isn't obliged to retain staff who violate company policies and/or whose posts reveal unacceptably offensive content.

• And if you're looking for a job, be aware that prospective employers certainly don't have to hire people whose social media posts are alarming.

   

  Note: If you ever feel you've been wrongfully dismissed, you can contact an attorney or legal aid office, file a complaint through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and/or file a report with your state's labor department.

 

How Can I Improve My Social Media Footprint?

As we've now come to understand, in the heat of passion about an issue or excitement about something we've done, we may post things that are nasty, insulting, or simply less than admirable -- and we forget that the world has access to our posts.

 

If you need to improve your online presence, there are several things you can do:

 

1. As of today, avoid posting anything inappropriate or foolish. The world doesn't need to know everything you do or think. And remember that you *can* express passion, strength and humor without being offensive or threatening.

2. "Scrub" your prior posts, including likes and dislikes. Scrubbing is literally cleaning up your online history. If you've posted foolish or offensive content, delete it. If you've "liked" problematic content, delete those likes.

3. Decide when to use your real name and when to use pseudonyms. For example, on Facebook and LinkedIn, you'll want to use your real name so that people can find you. But on sites like X and Instagram, you may want to use a pseudonym that preserves your anonymity. That having been said, you still should aim for constructive, reasonable content that maintains your dignity and integrity.

4. Choose to make some posts private so that only people you select can read those posts.

5. Use a respectable-sounding email address rather than something that sounds juvenile, offensive, or overly casual.

6. Maximize your positive professional presence by joining sites like LinkedIn and / or groups related to your career interests -- and try to be a bit active in those groups.

 

Quick Tip #2, A Good "Rule of Thumb" overall: If the content is not something you'd feel comfortable having an employer read, then don't post it. [For our ESOL students: "Rule of thumb" is an idiom. Do you know what it means?]

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SOME ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA FOOTPRINTS

Note: By including the links below, we aren't endorsing every detail that the sites provide (and they may not fully agree with each other on some points). But each of the sites contains a lot of valuable information. 

 

Why Your Social Media / Digital Footprint) Matters

 

How Your Social Media Footprint Can Make or Break Career Goals

 

How Social Media Can Help or Hurt Your Career

 

Boost Your Social Media Profile

 

Learn More About Social Media Footprints

 

LinkedIn Create your professional profile! If you have trouble with this, then do a search for "how to create a LinkedIn profile". There are many resources about the topic.