Did You Know That These Online Mistakes Could Cost You Your Career?

What persona do you have online?

Are you the comedian, the politician, the story teller, the attention seeker or the helpful person?

It is on online platforms that people brand themselves, network with other professionals and even get new jobs.

Ironically, it is through the same platforms that others get sued & arrested while others get fired from work.

Let’s see how this happens…

Having worked for a long serving recruitment consultant in Kenya, I’ve realized that candidates are unaware that they own nothing that goes on the public domain.

Interestingly, social media reveals a lot about your exact personal brand and if I want to know your true character, then I’ll just observe how you behave ‘when no one else is watching’.

What’s funny is some people post on social media, their guards are usually down, assuming that no one is watching.

So, today being a Monday morning, if you’re scrolling through your posts from this past weekend and laughing at the funny photos you posted from that after party or ranting about your workplace issues because you think you’re just among “friends” you might want to think again. 

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According to a survey carried out mid last year, 3 in 10 employers or HR Managers have someone dedicated to getting an idea of who you are online. So you never know just who is watching.

Let me reveal some of the mistakes you can make online?

1.Announcing your job interviews, pay raises or a new job offer

A new job or job interview for that dream job you’ve always wanted is indeed something to be proud of and celebrate about. But how you do it makes all the difference.

You see there is something about job offers that most people seem not to get. They are sometimes confidential!

It’s an agreement between yourself and your employer.

The rule of thumb is always when in doubt don’t share it OR leave it on private.

2. Plagiarizing other people’s work

Intellectual theft is unethical.

And as much as it does sound like a criminal case, you can be sued for taking somebody else’s work as your own.

This especially applies to those professionals who develop online content for self and corporate use.

You might remember a time when the then anti-graft agency boss was late last year sued for plagiarizing a fellow lawyer’s work. 

So you see it’s not a matter that is taken lightly in Kenya.

You will be sued!

3. Complaining about your current Job or boss online

There are times you wake up with all kinds of emotions. You get to the office and everything suddenly seems wrong!

This is the moment you are tempted to turn to social media to vent your fury about the office tradition that irritates you most, the coworker who annoys you each minute or something like “This meeting is a total waste of time” or “That’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back!”

Remember, everybody is watching and the words you put out today on the online platforms might come to haunt you later.

4. Putting up posts and comments that you won’t be proud of days later

For today’s organizations, image is everything, and the last thing an employer wants is an employee who will make the company look bad.

Late last year, an employee was fired online for putting up comments on twitter that evoked emotions of several people online.

And as if that was not enough, the same year, the Nurses Council of Kenya (NCK) suspended nurses who took to Facebook to reveal how they “deal with” patients they consider a bother.

Now, don’t get me wrong, we all have freedom of speech.

 And everyone has a different character online, but remember any content that you post on the public domain ceases to be in your possession. All you own afterwards is the credit and responsibility for that content.

How then do you use social media to your advantage?

Don’t have to look at your online persona as problem.

And you definitely don’t have to sound like everybody else. There are things you can do on blogs, Twitter or Facebook that can actually up your chances of employment or your career progress.

For instance, a platform like LinkedIn is the best place to market your brand as a professional. Network with as many employers and professional as you want and you will get to see more opportunities.

If it’s a blog you’re running, practice professional online etiquette and enjoy the advantages that come with it.

Now that you know this,

Remember the bottom line is, if it sounds and feels wrong, don’t post it.

Once you get it out there, it’s a done deal.

Use your social media presence responsibly!