Much has been written and said about how blogs can get your fired. The only thing I have to add to that discussion is that I agree, kind of. If you write about company secrets or the annoying co-worker or how much you hate your job, then you pretty much deserve what you get. However, if you write about what you do on your free time I’m a little less supportive of the corporate overlord determining that you’ve violated some unspoken morals clause in your employment.
That being said, your online life is not only going to get you fired it can also prevent you from getting the job in the first place. When I see a resume from a candidate I like, the first things I do are search MySpace and Facebook and Google for your name, your email and your school. If I find your MySpace page offensive or in poor taste, you aren’t getting an interview.
I’m also looking at your email address. It amazes me that I still see professional email addresses like “Iluvbutt@aol.com.” This one had to be my all-time favorite. A candidate was applying for a marketing position and before I could help myself, I replied to his email resume submission with: “What a coincidence! I love butts, too! However, that’s the kind of thing we don’t usually share with co-workers so I don’t think you’re a good fit for our company.”
It’s impossible to stay away from all of the fun on the Internet and you shouldn’t have to just to land (or keep) a job. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfalls of your online life killing your career:
- Make your MySpace page private right now. Delete “friends” that you don’t personally know. Don’t accept friend invitations from people that you don’t know…they could be someone at a company you’re trying to get hired on with looking to see your profile. Ditto with Facebook, and every other nerd-a-licious social networking site.
- Don’t post inappropriate photos online. Ever. Even in your private MySpace pages. A right-click, save as will have them around the world in two minutes.
- Create separate email addresses for social use and business use. Don’t mix them up. With the free email programs out there, there is no reason to not have yourname@gmail.com to have business conversations.
- If you must blog, keep your name and email out of it. Even on a blog like this, I’ve created a special email address.
- Don’t IM friends from work about how drunk you’re going to get this weekend. Those IM’s are the property of your employer and they can view the transcript any time they want. It may not get you fired, but it certainly won’t impress the boss.
Blogs and MySpace are important tools (arguably) for social interaction among friends and peers and while we shouldn’t be afraid of them, we should use good judgment.
If you have questions about this topic or other business questions, email me at the address in the top left box.
Hey there,
In your section regarding the down side of blogging too much at work and the potential side effects, you neglected to include that placing friend’s resume on monster can get you fired. Additionally, there is the down side of copying your client on ALL email and then when your employer figures out that you have busted them in a lie (while they are claiming you are not doing your job), yeah, that one can get you fired as well.