They used to warn me, "Chad. You be careful what you put on your Facebook. Anyone can read that garbage." Man, did those talks used to infuriate me! Why should I care what some idiot reads? My reputation isn't at stake. My Facebook is private and only for me. Right? Right???
What am I getting at? Check this out: The Credit Score of the Future
This is a graphic from ReputationDefender. They're a firm who was asked to put together a full online profile of Jessica Bennett, a reporter who later wrote on the subject.
Since when am I supposed to be afraid of expressing who I am? Why did the thought of some stranger intruding on my online life feel like nails on a chalkboard? Why did it feel so violating?
I've been to countless lectures where individuals high up in the communications industry say that they check social media sites like Facebook before they consider hiring a potential employee. Though my Facebook page doesn't worry me that much (I don't drink, do drugs, or pimp myself out) the implications of this practice has kept me up at night.
Now don't misunderstand me. I think going online is a valuable way to get a deeper insight into a persons capabilities. But there once was a divide between ones work life and their personal life. If someone was a good employee and showed up on time during the week, what did the employer care if they went out and had a good time on the weekends?
Well now they have to care. Why? Because our lives are so completely transparent. Everyone knows who we work for, where we live, who our friends are, our relationship status, and what we did during the weekend. And unfortunately all these tidbits of our lives blend together. We, as individuals, become a sponsored brand when we get hired. If we mess up in the public eye, it reflects poorly on the company we work for. IE Tiger Woods and Nike. Tiger was virtually fired from every sponsorship he held when he was beaten over the head by a Norwegian.
We are representatives of the firm we work for. Ambassadors to the public.
An answer to the predicament presented could have been LinkedIn, a site like Facebook but geared more towards professional networking. Regrettably, LinkedIn isn't as widely used just yet and isn't quite the same window into our lives as is Facebook. Though reports show that 80% of employers find candidates solely through LinkedIn, companies are looking for the bigger picture. So they turn to other forms of social media.
What if companies are allowed to do what ReputationDefender did for Miss Bennett? How accurately do our online lives reflect who it is that we actually are? Can it be trusted as a creditable source?
Welp...I don't know. But I'll make sure that I clean up my Facebook before I go try to find myself an internship or a job.
Or should I? I mean, if a corporation can't come to respect my struggle with A.S.S. (Arnett Self-Assured Syndrome) or my not-so-quiet confidence in my third nipple, do I really want to work with them?
Where is the line? And when will it be drawn?
And if my parents were right about this, what else did they not lie to me about?
I guess I believe you now Mom; Santa's real.
Man, I hate when they're right...
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