Are you too social?

I recently met with a vendor who has software that companies can use to scour text and image based content to identify risk to your brand (especially in hiring decisions).  They operate on the theory that our workforce is a reflection of our brand 24/7.   Additionally, 54% of employers find content on social media that causes them to hire another candidate. And this software helps them do it, by flagging items that link to bigotry, illegal drugs, excessive violence, sexual assault, illegal activity, etc.  It scours Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, in addition to a comprehensive news and web search.  As they stated in their presentation, “imagine a five-hour Google search on a person using all their identifying information”.  Think about that for a moment….

Let me pose question number two – are your kids too social?

As I speak to the interns here at Gannett, my three college (plus) age boys, and the neighborhood college kids, I constantly remind them of their need to be aware of their personal brands.  I love to ask the interns, “Can I pull up your social media accounts now in front of the room?” The horror in their eyes.  I use that as an introduction into how to understand the implications of what you post online.

We pulled up a few posts from Major League Baseball that revealed racist and homophobic comments.  We pulled up a news story of an applicant for a Massage Chain position that showed he was arrested for sexual assault.  We pulled up examples of bullying and hate.  All in minutes.  All with a few keystrokes.

Social media plays a larger part in how we consider employment. Many hiring managers today are looking at our social media profiles before making hiring decisions. We aren’t just looking for blatantly bad behavior, though. We also want to make sure you’ll be a great addition to our team. 

From AC Online, 37% of employers use social media to screen candidates.  34% of hiring managers stated that information on a person’s social media profile kept them from hiring a candidate.  49% of candidates posted provocative or inappropriate photos.  45% had photos of candidates drinking or using drugs.  33% posted bad comments about a previous employer.  Would your grandparents approve of what you post?

So…. What do we do?  We should have that conversation with our staff, our interns, our kids about social media and employment.  They should expect companies to scan their social media.  They should have clean and professional profile photos, they should show off their friendly personalities, and they should refrain from offensive posts and photos.  They should scan their own accounts and go back and “clean” up questionable posts (note it may still be out there on the web, but it will be less prominent in a search).  Have them “Google” themselves.  Also, recommend they start to build a professional profile of working, studying, speaking, running school function type photos and posts.  Ask them to start to follow important brands, companies, foundations and careers. 

Below are some other things to consider when you do a self-search on the Internet.  Check for your personal information: A simple Google search can reveal a lot about you, including your phone number, address, email, location, and any photos of yourself.

You should always do an Incognito Search: using a private browsing window when you search yourself, this is particularly important because it allows you to see unbiased results that aren’t affected by your previous searches, logged in services, or other personalization factors that Google implements. If you’d like a thorough analysis of your online reputation, background checking sites like BrandYourself.com provide feedback about search results for your name and will help you fix any issues you have.

We need to understand the world has changed.  People are always watching us, they are watching us right now. Like it or not — agree with the intrusion or not — we are being “Googled”, researched, stalked, and analyzed by the body of content we’ve posted online. Whether we are applying for a summer job, or even currently employed, you can bet someone who matters to our future is on our digital trail like a hound dog.

So we all should “clean it up”.  Reflect our integrity and responsibility.  Show our professional images.  Show that we are fun and friendly.  Show our many interests.  Show our great communication skills (and personally, cut down on all those selfies).  Change our online persona.  This is not just good advice for the next generation, but for us as well.

Together.  We .  Win.

Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

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