Don’t Get Burned with Your Own Social Media Posts

Let’s face it: if you use a computer or a Smartphone, you probably use social media. Posting pictures of your vacation, your thoughts on politics, or even your dinner plans seems benign. But is it?

Time and again HR specialists and residency coordinators tell us when they Google potential candidates—which they all do—they mine TONS of “private” info. For example, one woman who applied for a job at a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company had posted pole dancing photos of herself on her Facebook page.

But that’s supposed to be private, right?

Not anymore. Even if you don’t share beyond your personal FB page, your friends might be sharing for you. The same is true of Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites.

How do you avoid mishaps? Here are a few suggestions for posting online:

1.  Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your mother or a Wall St Journal reporter to see. If this tip sounds obvious, just remember the pole dancer. Our tip: write your post in a Word file and save it for tomorrow. Still want to post it? Then go for it.

2.  Become a resource. Share smart stuff, especially when it’s not your idea. The Internet is a researcher’s gold mine. When you find an interesting article that’s relevant to your colleagues, post it.

3.  Lift others up. Pass along kudos, articles, and information about others. Reposting your colleagues’ work successes such as job changes, articles published, and promotions will lead to reciprocation.

For more communication skills tips, please refer to the book, Listen. Write. Present. The Elements for Communicating Science and Technology (Yale Press, 2012).

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