You have a great job, your career is moving forward, and there is nothing holding you back.
If this all sounds good, stop for a moment and think about how all that can go south in a matter of minutes with these two scenarios:
1. Your boss does something you do not like, therefore you turn to your Twitter account after work to vent your displeasure. Your boss is not on Twitter, however someone else in the office who is alerts him. Next thing you know, you are called into his office and asked to explain the following tweet - Boss made me stay late today to finish this stupid project. Of all the days to have to be here late, missed the concert tonight. Damn, I hate my job! #work #boss. As a result of that tweet, you are either reprimanded or even dismissed. So, didn’t think tweeting about your job could get you in trouble?
2. You are one of the up and rising stars at a public relations firm. After a wild weekend party, you post an image of yourself in a less than flattering appearance. While the picture was not taken on company time, it still finds its way to the desk of the company owner. She believes that the photo was too risque and could offend some clients. As a result of sharing that image on Facebook, she calls you into her office for the ‘talk’ about being a good representative of the company, both on and off the clock. While you took the picture on your time, it still has repercussions.
These are just two of many scenarios that can come back to cause problems for workers each and every day in the 24/7 information age.
As both examples show, the workers involved may have thought free speech covers them, but in fact, there is a fine line to walk. Even if the tweet and Facebook post are done outside the office, most companies will find fault with the employee for putting the company’s reputation at risk.
If you have a skeleton or two in your online closet that could cost you your present job or another career opportunity down the road, there are options available to you to right the wrong.
More and more companies are getting into the online reputation business, allowing individuals and businesses for that matter to assist them with their online images.
Companies like www.reputation.com can help both the worker and the employer should their online personas need some fixing. The simple goal is to increase your positive online image through your achievements, while suppressing the negative stuff, meaning it is harder and harder to find via search engines.
In order to improve and maintain a good online image, never do the following:
* Post negative comments and pictures/videos - What may seem innocent to you could offend the next person. Always think before posting about how your comment or image could be viewed in a negative manner;
* Avoid reviewing your online information - By doing a simple Google search of your name, you can see what turns up. Don’t assume that your online record is squeaky clean, chances are there is some post, tweet or comment out there that could impact your career;
* Assume no one around you is listening or watching - While your boss may not be into social media, there is a good chance someone around them is. All it takes is for someone in your office who is not your best of friends to forward that angry tweet or drunk image of you to your boss.
Given how hard you have worked to build your career - don’t let a silly tweet or share provide you with a new job - repairing your career.