You Are Your Brand – Play It Cool

We all want to be famous; we all want to recognised and noticed, right?

…But are you willing to do what it takes is the next question. Before you post that image or give that comment let’s take a leap into the future, after all, you are studying to become a doc, teacher, lawyer or any other high powered profession.

Here are a few “did you know’s”:

Human resources:

These are the guys that study your background, look at the social media accounts to analyse and see if you are a fit for the company. You may be the best person for the job, but what you put out on social media could kill your career before you even had a chance.

More and more companies have policies that outline how employees should present themselves when posting anything on the internet.

60% of employers pre-screen a candidate’s social media profile before extending a job offer, according to CareerBuilder.

Some companies even hire a 3rd party for the continuous monitoring of existing employees to ensure that there will be no impact on their brand.

Remember, there is a fine line between sexy and slutty. So next time, when you decide to share an image of yourself in provocative pose or stage of dress or undress, this can result in significant threats to your future relationship and career opportunities. (Read the Facebook exhibitionism case study.)

Nothing is private – you may believe you are sharing content with only close friends, but by posting it, you will have made it accessible to others.

Your friends all have friends. Even though you may have a lock-down, with constant upgrades on privacy policies, this can easily be accessed through the friend’s cybervine and then get lost

in cyberworld.

Content has a longer shelf-life. Once you post, it will live in cyberworld forever, and it will surface at the most inappropriate time of your life.

Your posts are searchable. Sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have enhanced their search features to promote trending topics and issues. Meaning that if someone digs enough, that what you thought is gone, can still be found.

When you start running your own business or are at the hight of your career, you will find that your clients, investors, competitors, and vendors search online.

When you post, ask yourself this question,

When I become a parent is this something that I would share with my children?

When I am at the hight of my career, is this something that someone could use to damage

my reputation?

Is this something that I would want people to know me for?

Can I show this to my mother or grandmother?

If any of these questions is no, rethink your post.

YOU ARE YOUR BRAND.

You are literally selling yourself in everything you post online. Don’t make the mistake of posting something that can cost you a job in five-years’ time.

Lines on social media still blurry for you? Come grab a coffee with us – let us clarify. There’s nothing we love more than educating peeps.