Several weeks ago, I wrote an article explaining the Top Privacy Tips in Facebook. Now, for the sake of avoiding lots of “what-if” scenarios, let’s say that you have every single Facebook privacy setting set to “only friends.” You also took great caution as to the coworkers/managers/bosses who can see your page. Are you all set to do whatever you please on Facebook? Nope. Your Facebook profile quotations and ‘Likes’ are public for all the world to see. Subsequently, what you quote or Like on Facebook can destroy your personal brand.
For those who may be a bit confused as to what a Facebook Like page is, Facebook Like pages used to be the old Facebook fan pages.
If you are a job candidate and I search for you and find your Facebook link, I can see your favorite quotations and ‘Likes and Interests’ despite your tight security on your page. If I want to know more about you as an employee because I want to promote you or because you are having performance issues, same rule applies.
Let’s say I (potential or current employer) find you and while I cannot see much about you, I click on “Likes and Interests.” There isn’t much else to see about you, so why not? Is this where you said you liked skiing, snowboarding and golf? No, that is private. This is where I see what you Like on Facebook.
Are you one of the people who Like:
- Reading Someone’s Status Update and Thinking Oh, Shut the <expletive> Up! (1,343,430 people on Facebook Like this)
- I Am Going to Sit Back and Laugh When Karma Punches You in the Face (1,125,074 people Like this)
- I Thought About Knocking You the <expletive> Out on Multiple Occasions (304,567 people Like this)
- I Am Not Wrong, You Are Just Too Stupid to Grasp What I am Saying (278,842 people Like this)
- I am Sarcastic Because You are an Idiot (44,400 people Like this)
- Seriously, Shut Up, I am Going to Hit You (27,486 people Like this)
- I Deleted You Because You are Ugly and Your Status’ Suck (10,558 people Like this)
- I Am Smart, I Just Feel Too Lazy to Put Any Effort in My Work (4,234 people Like this)
- I Hate My Job! (3,561 people Like this)
If you Like these pages or anything remotely similar, remove them immediately if you care anything at all about your personal brand. While employers can also click on the pages and read anything you may have written on these pages, the simple fact that you Like them raises concerns about your character.
Yes, we are all regular people and some of these pages may ring true and are funny, but this information is public for everyone to see. Should they be public? That is a whole other issue. Right now we must deal with what is and be very conscious about what we do online that is visible for anyone to see.
It comes down to this: if you are a job seeker or you want to be promoted to a leadership position in your company, do the above “interests” reflect an ideal job candidate or an ideal leader?
Next, let’s look at your favorite quotations. Since your favorite quotations are also public, what do they say? Are they hardcore “I hate the world” quotes or are they inspiring, motivational and thought provoking quotes? An employer or prospective employer will draw conclusions about you based on your quotations if they read them. Use this public category to make an impact.
There are so many different types of pages on Facebook to Like, and quality authors to quote. You can leverage your personal brand by having your personal Likes or quotations reflecting your industry, charities, hobbies, etc. I do not think that it matters if you Like sports, movies, parenting topics, travel, or any pages of good quality. Believe it or not, there are even many fun ones to Like that are not offensive in nature!
Think about this the next time you click the Like button or publish a quotation.
Yes, it’s your Facebook page and you can say and Like whatever you want, but always keep in mind what you can control in your privacy settings and what you cannot. Public information is just that. What do you want the world to see? What do you want your (potential) employer to see?
Jessica Simko is a seasoned senior level Human Resources professional with over 15 years of experience in all facets of Human Resources Management. She is a Freelance Writer and Entrepreneur specializing in career/ life coaching and social media. Striving to help people connect their passions with their jobs and life, she offers great career, personal branding, and life tips on her new blog, Work and Life Solutions. Feel free to connect with her on:
