{"id":20578,"date":"2017-12-07T12:29:51","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T12:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=20578"},"modified":"2017-12-07T12:29:51","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T12:29:51","slug":"graduating-soon-its-time-to-work-proof-your-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/graduating-soon-its-time-to-work-proof-your-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduating soon? It’s time to “work- proof” your social media"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know by now that it is tough after your graduate. But if you are posting pictures of you at a party having a drunken time, will it be even tougher?<\/h3>\n

In a Financial Times<\/a> report, a Los Angeles tech company, Fama, is offering \u201csocial media screening for business\u201d completed in an instant \u201cby machine learning<\/a> and natural language processing\u201d. Does this mean it\u2019s time for students to panic?<\/p>\n

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We spend a lot of time online, even on trains. Image by: Ainaa Mashrique.<\/p>\n

\u201cReputation Management\u201d is one service that is exclusive to this age of social media and the Internet, offered by companies such as Reputation Defender<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tony McChrystal, an online reputation expert from the company, was kind enough to speak to us about the topic. His \u201cgraduate guide\u201d– a PDF with tips on how to \u201cwork-proof\u201d your social media for employability– included things such as keeping swearing online to a minimum.<\/p>\n

The company deals with building a positive online presence for companies and individuals.<\/p>\n

Tony said: \u201cBias is translated into Google. Negative information always finds them in the most prominent searches because scandalous information draws more attention– gets more coverage. For an individual or businesses it can be quite damaging.\u201d<\/p>\n

He helps people \u201creadjust the balance of those search results\u201d by highlighting or amplifying positive stories about his clients, so the search results about them are \u201cnot just being monopolised by negative information\u201d.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2017\/12\/Social_media_and_employability.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

VOL News went to a flat party to ask some students what they thought about social media checks. Video by: Ainaa Mashrique.<\/p>\n

It is funny (and a little unnerving) to think that literally everything you post stays in an intangible space forever. The Internet is, quite literally, like a black hole. But do students care? Voice of London News asked a few students what they thought.<\/p>\n

Alex, 22, is not too bothered with social media: \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s that great anyway.\u201d But he is apparently \u201c100% careful\u201d about the stuff he puts on his because he believes students need to. When asked if he thinks social media checks are restricting, he feels that they are not, saying: \u201cI don\u2019t really mind it. I think it might be a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mandip, 23, says he would reserve \u201cparty pictures for Snapchat\u201d, where the posts disappear after 24 hours. He said: “I don\u2019t think it\u2019s restricting, I think it\u2019s perfectly fine. Apparently first thing employers do is to check social media so I keep it pretty clean.” Employability is an important factor to him when thinking about what to post and what not to post. He added: \u201cI have Facebook and I am careful about what I post.\u201d<\/p>\n

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With Snapchat, posts disappear after 24 hours. Image by: Ainaa Mashrique.<\/p>\n

Amanda, 18, feels that it depends on the kind of social media platform. She feels that you should be careful with what you post on certain platforms like Facebook, where a lot of people can find you and keep in contact with you, especially when it comes to slightly \u201ccompromising\u201d posts, for example posts about doing drugs or going drinking. But when it comes to the platforms with more privacy settings like Instagram and Twitter, which allows you to customise your privacy preferences, she said: \u201cI guess it\u2019s more free.\u201d<\/p>\n

She does not find social media checks too restricting, but she tells us of knowing people who would change their names or delete mass amounts of their posts just so prospective employers or colleges will not find them.<\/p>\n

Tony from Reputation Defender says social media checks ensure that prospective employees are suitable for the company; for example, it makes sure the future employee is not racist. Speaking in an employer\u2019s point of view, he said: \u201cYou\u2019re going to go with the candidate who represents themselves better because they\u2019re going to represent your business better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Be careful with what you say online. Image by: Ainaa Mashrique.<\/p>\n

But the one thing young folk want to know the most: what about pictures of you partying? Will that affect anything? Is the fear legitimate?<\/p>\n

Not necessarily. Apparently, you do not have to be\u00a0that<\/em> strict with your social media. He told us: \u201cI think if you\u2019re strong-willed enough (if you believe what you say or advocate online is right) and you\u2019re happy to be judged in that way, I don\u2019t think you should let social media checks affect you too much.\u201d So basically, you just need to \u201cwalk your talk\u201d.<\/p>\n

Tony believes that it is completely fine to show that you have a life and it may actually be welcomed– at least by him as an employer– as it shows that you can \u201clet loose and have fun\u201d, a trait that is apparently completely human and healthy. What a surprise!<\/p>\n

He thinks it is unfair to expect students just out of university to have zero photos of them getting drunk at a party. He said: \u201cAs an employer, if you\u2019re making a decision based on that, then I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the right decision because you could be alienating your own team, or starving your own team of talent. Extravagant types who go out and enjoy themselves, they may have qualities that may drive a business forward.\u201d Now, that\u2019s a refreshing (and a reassuring) point of view.<\/p>\n

However, he highlighted that \u201cyou need to be bold and confident enough\u201d to be judged on the things that you post, saying: \u201cIf you put yourself online and show that \u2018this is me, I sometimes swear, I sometimes talk about trivial subjects\u2019 you have to prepared to be judged on that.\u201d He added: \u201cYou can\u2019t have one without the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The one topic that he stressed on the most was to make sure you\u2019re not being offensive and hateful on social media– you should be pleasant on social media, as you would in real life. He said: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say anything online I wouldn\u2019t say to anyone in real life– in an office, or in a pub, speaking to a friend, etc. I wouldn\u2019t hide behind a keyboard or a screen.\u201d According to him, if you are picking fights online, potential employers might take note of that.<\/p>\n

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The most important thing is to not take part in any form of cyber-bullying. Image by: Pixabay<\/p>\n

It seems that balance is key, and showing employers how wholesome you are as a person by posting pictures of you with your family, at church, or volunteering will be good too\u2026 just to even out the three or four (or 10) pictures of you partying it up with your friends.<\/p>\n

It is not all doom and gloom. Social media can be a compromising factor, but it can also be an opportunity, if you use it correctly. Tony believes in introducing social media training– to teach young people about the pitfalls and benefits of using the Internet– in schools. Not just that, but to also \u201cshow them where people have gone wrong, where it has affected their personal and professional lives, so they don\u2019t make the same mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

What comes up when people search your name, or your “search results”, as Tony calls it, is your “digital” CV. According to him: \u201cPeople are going to look at your search results, and would look through your achievements, not just through social media, but your blogs too.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the same breath, he told us that if you go viral for the wrong reasons– i.e. tweeting an offensive comment to a celebrity– it might show up when people search your name on Google, so it\u2019s best to avoid that.<\/p>\n

So how can you use the Internet to increase employability? He said: \u201cGraduates need to start thinking about what they want do after they leave education, and then start talking about these subjects online and getting involved in the discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, let’s recap: think twice about posting anything– some things are better left in your camera roll– don\u2019t be offensive, and last but not least, make sure you take part in enriching discussions on the web to show prospective employers your areas of interest.<\/p>\n

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Words: Ainaa Mashrique| Subbing:Rituja Rao<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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