Roz Sheldon, MD of Igniyte and reputation management expert was asked by the Daily Mail (see article here) what people should and should not post on social media to protect their career prospects.
Revealing that companies don’t want to employ people who could potentially become problematic through their social media or online comments, Roz Sheldon cited various high profile examples of celebrities running into reputational trouble.
For example, Kanye West was dropped by Adidas following a spate of antisemitic Tweets and influencer of the moment Andrew Tate not only lost his YouTube channel but ended up sitting in a Romanian jail thanks to his online behaviour.
Roz Sheldon told the Mail: “Companies are nuanced by real people, who make human judgements. Organisations try to project an ideal of outward presentability, and uphold a culture on how people who work for them are expected to behave. It’s important because consumers form opinions about companies by what they see online – and this extends to what their employees behave like online.”
The article cites Igniyte’s research on online reputation which shows that 71% of UK businesses believe social media posts are the most damaging pieces of content in terms of their online image. A further 12% say they experience reputational issues due to employees’ online conduct.
There are social media posts to avoid sharing if you’re concerned about your future career, and it’s always worth thinking about how your social media activity could be construed by other people. The types of posts that Roz Sheldon advises not getting involved with include:
- Posting about anything risqué or drunken escapades
Roz Sheldon explained: “Even if companies don’t want to admit it, an increasing number of them scour you online via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc, before deciding whether to hire you. They’re looking for off-colour remarks, ill-advised escapades or maybe signs that you could be a troublemaker.”
- Bad-mouthing your boss or company
Roz said: “This is obvious stuff, but not everyone realises it. Absolutely avoid any online mention of disliking your company, manager or colleagues. And don’t share anything that could show your employer in a bad light. Keep the moaning or behind the scenes information sharing to offline only.
- Sharing your hot takes
Roz Sheldon said: “The other painstakingly obvious thing not to do for career implications is never writing anything that could be perceived as racially motivated, sexist, homophobic or transphobic. While you’re entitled to your own views, companies may find your online hot takes and decide to avoid you. Most companies don’t want to be anywhere near these kinds of contentious topics.”
Overall, Roz advised: “It’s worth thinking to yourself – is my need to post this for whatever reason, going to be worth my livelihood?”
For more tips from Roz Sheldon on preserving your online reputation, head to dailymail.co.uk
An experienced Digital PR and corporate communications professional, Benjamin leads PR strategy and delivery for Igniyte’s clients across multiple countries and sectors.
With over 5 years’ experience in marketing, communications, and PR, Benjamin consistently gains high-ranking positive coverage for our clients in national, international, and specialist online media – including The Times, The National, The I Paper, EuroNews, Forbes and PC Mag.
