Increasingly, Facebook is no longer a mere work distraction, but a legitimate means to share work information, stay connected to colleagues and receive timely updates. (And, yes, one can goof off, too.)
Media Post Publications recently reported interesting demographics that explains the increased use of Facebook in the workforce:
- Ages 26-44 now account for 41% of the Facebook audience.
- Women over 55 remain the fastest-growing demographic in the last three months, hitting 1.5 million.
We have entered a wild west world of social media communication, where everything we share in these networks - including missteps - can go viral quickly, causing irreparable career damage.
A recent tweet (the term for a message in the hugely popular micro-blogging platform
Twitter) by one would-be Cisco employee proves the ease of placing a permanent black mark on your resume via the Internet. Here is the tweet "theconnor" shared with the world:
"Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work."
It wasn't long before Tim Levad, a "channel partner advocate" for Cisco Alert, shared this open response:
"Who is the hiring manager. I'm sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web."
"theconnor" almost immediately set her Twitter account to private and deleted all information, but her employment offer was rescinded - within two hours.
Consider the now infamous "Facebook fired" incident of an intern at Anglo Irish Bank's North American branch. He e-mailed his boss regarding a "family emergency" keeping him out the office around October 31. As his co-workers quickly learned from his Facebook page -
featuring an incriminating fairy costume
- the "emergency" was a Halloween party.
His boss responded by pasting the fairy photo into an email, which was cc'd to the entire company, and subsequently reported widely on the Internet. The intern was fired shortly afterward.
I wish both "theconnor" and the intern all the best, and feel badly their missteps harmed them disproportionally. Who hasn't, at some point in their career, done something dumb or made a silly throw-away comment we regret? I know I have. But, posting thoughtless or unprofessional information in social networks can echo long and far.
Great value, but be careful:-
Just as you have always been careful before clicking "send" with email, be very careful clicking "share" in social networks.
- If you don't want your boss or your mother or a hiring manager to see your info, now and years from now, don't share it.
Perhaps surprising to you,
this utter transparency gives me enormous hope for improvement in communication and social discourse.
Certainly, the only way to "control" these networks is to consistently engage in them with openness, clarity and responsiveness.
If you are not yet using any social networks, it's wise career growth to at least familiarize yourself with them, to keep your communication skills current. Here are links to help you get started on the most valuable networks for business professionals:
You can connect with Instructional Solutions in social media here: