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Remember back in 2007 when Facebook jumped onto the scene and we all enthusiastically set up our new profiles and started connecting with friends?
We were so excited that there was now a fun platform to connect and share with our select friends in a private closed group.
Then remember how we quickly realised that actually, it wasn’t so private because we were getting friend requests from the snotty-nosed kid from our kindergarten class that we never liked?
But then Facebook came up with a solution – they gave us the option to make our profiles private!
Hooray! Thank goodness that we can still all post photos of the wild* parties we attended without our parents seeing (yes, I am part of Gen Y).
Fast-forward nearly a decade and, as grown ups, we now realise that actually the privacy settings aren’t so private and, shock horror, the internet is not the safe and secure playground we thought it to be. Or rather, most of us have realised.
Too often I see really talented and suitable candidates miss out on opportunities because of what they decide to share on social media.
You can be 100 per cent sure that when you apply for a role or are put forward to a business, the FIRST thing that will happen is a Google search. They are going to scroll through all of your photos, have a look at the kinds of comments your friends have made on your photos and, from this, can quite accurately put together an idea of what your life looks like and, potentially, what kind of person you are.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, whichever way you choose to look at it, we live in a world where our private lives and our professional lives have now overlapped so much that the two are indistinguishable.
It will not matter how many awards you have won or how many new managements you brought on last month; if you have inappropriate photos or content on your Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or LinkedIn page, you WILL miss out.
Whether you’re a business owner (yes, the social media stalking occurs in the reverse too!) or someone looking for a new job, or if you already have a job that you’d like to keep, my advice is to proceed with caution with regards to what you post or comment on on social media.
My rule? If I wouldn’t want my grandfather/grandmother/father/mother/boss/client seeing my post, I do not post it.
*Not so wild in hindsight.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alison McGavin
Having entered real estate at the ripe old age of 17, Alison has experienced all aspects of real estate – working her way from receptionist to senior property manager and business development manager.
Alison was awarded many accolades during her property management career, the highlight of which was being the first property manager in the history of her network to receive first runner-up in an International Best New Talent campaign.
Alison is acutely aware of what makes a great candidate and works with clients to find exactly what they want and need, tailoring her search and interview style to ensure she finds the right person.
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