Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Impact of Social Networking on Employment


When applying for a job, employers often check potential applicants’ profiles on social network sites like Facebook and Twitter to see if a person is worthy of employment. Job seekers with social network profiles should double check their social media sites to make sure they do not have any negative information that would hurt their chances  of landing a job.  According to Greysen, Kind, & Chretien (2010) “The Internet has changed many interactions between professionals and the public. The recent development of Web 2.0 applications (also known as “social media”) has created particular hazards for public views of certain professions. School teachers and lawyers across the country have been sanctioned or fired for online indiscretions felt to violate societal expectations for how they represent their personal lives in the public sphere” (p. 1227).
Social media can have a tremendous impact on a professional career. As I apply for coaching and teaching jobs, I know there is a good chance that the school districts who are interested in me will probably take a glance at my Facebook and Twitter. It is my duty to make sure that my Facebook and Twitter pages are professional. If my future employers decide to review my social network profiles, I want my pages to be the determining factor for me actually getting the job. I do not blame employers for viewing future or current employees’ social network profiles, because the people that they hire to work for them will ultimately represent the company’s image. My social networking sites are clean, professional, and present me in a positive light. I encourage all coaches to check their social networking sites before applying for a job.
Reference
Greysen, S., Kind, T., & Chretien, K. (2010). Online professionalism and the mirror of social media. Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 25(11), 1227-1229.

5 comments:

  1. With social media being a common source for communication in this day and age, it is crucial to for us to be careful what we post. Many times people will post things on their social media page that maybe they wouldn’t say out loud to someone’s face. People use these sites to post pictures and share one’s personal life with others. Status updates usually reflect on the person’s personality and emotions, and sometimes will be posted even before they have realized what they wrote. With social media being a common place for employers to search potential employees, it is now more important than ever to be careful about what one posts on their personal page. I agree completely with you about how it is our duty to make sure that our social media pages are professional. Many people simply don’t understand that once something is posted on the internet, it is on there forever. It does not matter if you think you delete it, it is still in the history. As an employee for any company, you are ultimately a representation of that company wherever you go whether you are on the job or not. The same goes for what you post on your social media site. If a job comes down between you and another person, your social media page may be the determining factor if you get the job or if you do not get it. Make it the reason you get the job.

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  2. I couldn't agree more with both of these statements. Social media is not what it was ten years ago. It used to be all about just email and messaging people. Now there is availability to make events for special occasions, post pictures of your life and to publicize any business endeavors. There are many employers world wide who are beginning to use social media sites for there own uses to improve their business or organization. It could be they want to let the world know what they do for their community or to just check up on all there present and future employees. Whatever the case may be, the employment world today is moving at a fast pace. As people who are about to go into the professional world, we need to be conscious of what we put on the Internet. Our pictures and status updates reflect us as a person and employee. Once we have the job, we are portraying that companies name as well as our own. As we get closer to entering into the professional field we need to be preparing ourselves to look like professionals in person and online.

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  3. The days of “Man I wonder what they are like outside of work?” are basically over. People can get a sense of who you are just by looking at your social media pictures or statements. With all the technology available today, the ever so important first impression could be a misrepresentation of us as a professional based off of what we posted on Facebook. In all honesty, I disagree with companies basing employment on the content within our personal pages. Yes, people need to be smart about what they put on the internet. In a sense though, it takes away part of our freedom to enjoy life and interact with the people who know us on a personal level.

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  4. I completely agree with Jason on this. As a coach myself, seeking my first job opportunity, i have found how important it is to keep any and every social media outlet associated with my name clean and professional. Especially for aspiring coaches and teachers who are going to be role models for young students and athletes, employers will undoubtedly be checking your personal social media pages to see what they can find. Whether or not this is fair to job seekers is irrelevant, because it is the world we live in today and we must accept it. So as Jason previously stated, it is extremely important for current and future job seekers to take an hour of their time and make sure their social media pages are as clean and professional as possible. Or maybe decide it is time to get rid of them.

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