What Do Your Social Media Posts Tell Others About Your Character?

Posted August 30, 2018 By Nathan Green In Digital Media, Public Relations

“Social media cost this star athlete his Division 1 scholarship” - Headlines such as this one are becoming more common as schools, employers and sports teams include a review of an applicant or employee’s social media history as part of their character assessment. Several high-profile pro-athletes are dealing with the fallout from racist tweets that they sent as teenagers. ABC canceled their hit show, Roseanne, after the star made offensive comments on Twitter.

Who you are is not just an assessment of your face-to-face skills and resumé, but how you present yourself to others online. A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 43% of employers screen job applicants through social networks and search engines resulting in 36% of applicants being disqualified from consideration. This review of social media accounts does not end once you are hired, but may continue throughout your employment as more companies implement restrictive social media policies and monitor the internet for violations.

Simply eliminating your online presence is not the answer as it may create a red-flag for potential employers. Instead, your social media sites should be managed as a resource for reflecting your interests, abilities and accomplishments.

Reckless posts can overshadow outstanding achievements and change the conversation about you from a discussion about your successes to serious questions about your values. Companies invest a great deal of money in their brand and take every precaution to protect their reputation from damage caused by inappropriate media posts.

Whether you are an individual seeking a career opportunity, or a corporate recruiter looking for talent, your ability to effectively utilize social media as a resource tool is truly the new standard. Global-i from inVeritas provides individuals and companies with access to confidential, custom background research including an analysis of social media posts. For more information about this intelligence product, contact us.