Saying it again makes us sound like a broken record: be careful what you tweet. We should all know by now that online social media sites such as Twitter are very public. What we post can be used against us whether it is while we’re looking for a job or if our 140 characters are subpoenaed for a lawsuit. It is very important that all of us make sure our tweets stay professional and proper or we could find ourselves on the wrong side of a legal battle.
- Your tweets are archived. Not only are your tweets saved for posterity, they are part of the national archive. This means you can be arrested for something you have said on Twitter, and the police don’t need to have a warrant. Even if you delete your tweet later it is too late, the files belong to the public record.
- GPS location. So much of social media surrounds checking in at locations and letting people know exactly where you are. These things can be used against you not only by criminals intent on doing harm but also by the law.
- Perception is reality. Even if you post something as seemingly innocent as not liking someone, you can be charged with defamation or liable depending on how the law classifies what you said. Don’t post anything on the internet that you don’t want everyone to read no matter what privacy settings you have established.
- Job discrimination can happen. The news has a lot of information today about how individuals are being denied jobs because of their social media movements. There is still some legal gray area when it comes to what is and isn’t okay for a company to use against a potential candidate, but it never hurts to be on the safe side. Always be professional.
- Think before you post. The best thing you can do with Twitter is to think before you hit post. Will this post expose anyone? Does it infringe on anything? Is it negative or positive? Save the best gossip for face to face conversations with people you trust and only use Twitter to share the best snippets of your life.
Is social media confusing your job search? Contact CornerStone Staffing today to see how we can help.
