Since college I have always been told to be careful what I post on social media because employers will look at it. I was a D1 athlete on scholarship so I had to be extremely diligent to ensure that I didn't post anything inappropriate or my scholarship would've been taken away. However, since then social media has become even more popular with more added platforms. I even see a lot of people posting about their jobs and their employers on social media. I wonder if employers actually check social media when hiring a candidate.
Carrying yourself professionally is still important because it's a representation of your business and how you do business. I was surprised when I found out one of my professors at Stetson posted very controversial things on social media. It had a very negative impact on our class and caused a lot of dissension. While free speech is important I think you can still have your freedom of speech while acting professionally. I feel that Stetson should've done its due diligence to make sure her social media was professional just like any other corporation would do when hiring an employee. There is so much controversy in our world today, it's better to keep things civil when it comes to work and education.
Perhaps a more interesting question is whether lawyers should check their prospective clients' social media postings before agreeing to represent them. I have a choice as to which clients I want to represent. For the sake of argument, let's day I decide I won't represent racists, misogynists, homophobes, or insurrectionists. There are plenty of lawyers who will, so I would not be denying anyone access to the appellate legal system. Is this a legitimate use of social media and my discretion in deciding who to represent?
ReplyDeleteShould prospective clients check my social media posts and decide whether or not to hire me based on those posts (which tend to be left-leaning)?
So, true, Clayton. We have to be so careful of what we post. It follows us everywhere!
ReplyDeleteI've always thought it weird that employers want to look so closely at an employee's social media accounts. The way someone acts at work can be completely different from how they act in their personal lives.
ReplyDeleteI know what we do online follows us everywhere, but I do believe that we should be able to separate ourselves from our professional personas.