It is really good to hear that others are aware they need to
keep their profiles under control and make sure that they are appropriate for
their future. Women already have a tough time trying to break the glass
ceiling, but with posts and pictures online from say a “girls night out” might
affect how the employer thinks of you. Women need to show that they are able to
handle anything a man can (which I believe we can!), so posting pictures or
statuses that show weakness or too much of party girl can really jeopardize a
job opportunity; especially if the employer already doesn’t want a woman in
charge. We really need to be careful what kind of view we put out to not only
friends and family but to the general public as well. This is the main reason I
try to stay positive in my posts as mentioned before.
There is a lot of risk for women posting pictures online,
because nowadays with photo shop and all those other applications, there are
many ways for a decent appropriate picture to be completely changed. This can affect
your view in the workplace because with technology these days,
pictures/posts/rumors spread very quickly. It isn’t just about how you post or
what you post, it also depends how your audience interprets it.
Stalking is a very big issue with online posting, I am glad
you brought it up! The issues with stalking arise from the initial view someone
has on your profile. If they find you interesting, attractive, or even if your
information is easy to access, they could start cyber stalking you. Cyber
stalking fact: 1/12 women will be stalked in their lifetime. This number is a
few years old, but I can imagine it has gotten worse due to the increase in availability
of information online. Stalking can tie in with surveillance and whether or not
you know it is happening. Anything you post online can be seen…even with our
securities. I personally don’t know how they exactly do it, but hackers can
access almost anything. It is even possible to access your cell phone if it is
somehow connected to facebook or twitter accounts.
Starting fresh could definitely help when applying for jobs.
As you pointed out you never know what might offend someone, but really if we
thought about everyone and how they would react to what we post then we wouldn’t
be able to post anything!
It is extremely difficult to make everyone happy, but all
you can do is try. If you are careful with what you post and try to make sure
that it isn’t badly directed at someone or something then you should be okay.
Now, I do believe that companies should look online to see potential employees,
but they shouldn’t use it as their way of determining whether or not that
individual gets the job. Everyone has something someone won’t like on their
profile, but that doesn’t mean they would be bad at their job.
Example:
A woman is applying for a job and has all of the
requirements and more. She has years of experience, has the education behind
her, and fantastic references. The employer decides to look online to see a bit
about her personal life. They notice that she had recently gone out with
friends drinking and looked pretty drunk. Now, this employer does not like this
because they view it as she is irresponsible and puts personal life before work
and likes to be wild and party.
Now this is a bit extreme but it can happen! Especially if
the employer didn’t want to hire her in the first place for some biased reason.
Overall, I must say my only advice for not only women, but
for men too is to
BE CAUTIOUS
You never know who is looking at your profile…
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