5 Ways To Protect Your Social Media From Invasive Employers
- Profit
- Jan 21
- 5 min read
Don't Let Your Online Footprint Derail Your Career!
We were sold that digital social media pages are supposed to be OUR private corner of the internet where you can "do you", right? After all, one of America's founding principles is the "Freedom of Speech", right? My friend, you need a fat reality check on two things: Your actual legal protections and how technology is not your friend when it comes to workplace privacy dilemmas.
Reality Check #1. The First Amendment Doesn't Protect Private Censure.
The First Amendment only protects our freedom of speech from government censorship and persecution, not from private entities. Combine this sobering fact with every state but Montana abiding by "At Will Employment" statutes, which basically gives employers carte blanche to fire you for...whatever!
Therefore, your employer CAN fire you for off-the-clock social media posts you deem benign — simply based on the misperception or lack of context — that a pearl-clutching, fun-snatching snoop or snake could use against you.
Here is a short list of typical social media posting tropes that could be career landmines:
Vacation pictures at the beach that come across as too racy.
Mainstream political espousals that can be misinterpreted by opponents.
Venting about your job, even if you don't explicitly mention your employer.
Dubious friends or followers that cast doubt on your character.
Humorous memes to you, can be degrading content to others!
Reality Check #2. Recruiters Routinely Snoop Your Social Media
Sure, you may correctly assume that recruiters crosscheck your resume with your LinkedIn page to verify your information in a snapshot, but recruiters also attempt to find you on other social media platforms to get a "composite picture" of who they think you are.
They look at the friends who are connected to your page. Beware, they will assume “birds of feather flock together”, and judge who you let in your circle. You might think your pimp uncle is cute when he parades his ho train at family BBQs, but prospective employers might feel differently.
They read your comments looking to see if you tell on yourself. Perhaps, the X-rated Spring Break trip that devolved into a STD superspreading event, should remain behind your OnlyFans paywall or on Discord!
What type of content do you share? Sharing animal snuff films or your love of cannibalistic serial killers might make you look weird to recruiters, who are already looking for excuses to pass on you!
Are you following or friend requesting your employer’s competitors? Don’t tip your hand to your next career moves!
Reality Check #3. Employers Are Increasingly Mandating Applicants Provide Access To Their Social Media Pages
This has been a typical practice for creative, social media, and graphic designer careers for years, where employers mandate you to include at least one of your social media accounts for review, so recruiters can see and evaluate samples of your professional portfolios. Nothing unreasonable there. However, more non-creative industry employer overlords are jumping on this bandwagon and making your social media page URLs an application requirement intrusively — to use your social media pages as a barometer of your character or personality fit for the company! Not only does this invade your privacy, but what you consider “normal” in your social circles, can disqualify you in the eyes of a possible new employer — should your online behavior be considered a “culture clash” for their office! Worse, unless you are the most boring person in the world, it’s likely SOMETHING on your personal social media pages could be construed as offensive or undermining to your professional reputation.
Conclusion - Protect Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
If you want full freedom to fly your freak flag on your social media platforms without getting fired, follow these simple rules:
Stop friending your coworkers online - Today's colleague can be tomorrow's competitor - who will be more than happy to screenshot "deviant behavior" on your page to help their career - or to snake you behind your back for revenge!
Post under a pseudonym - Regain your social media autonomy and stop posting content stupidly under your legal government name. Then, feel free to post your sexy pics, party videos, political commentary, and crude humor for your private audience without fear. This is the ultimate safeguard.
Create a boring LinkedIn page - Ensure your LinkedIn page is as milquetoast as possible with listing your work history to exactly match your resume, complete with cheesy motivational quotes, but NO controversial content whatsoever.
Don't apply to companies that require your social media URL's beyond creative portfolios - Such companies are so entitled, they are already violating your privacy before they even hire you! They have little regard for personal boundaries and are conditioning you to work off-the-clock for free.
Set your social media pages to private - Don't give co-workers or prospective employers the chance to use your content against you in unforeseen ways you can't predict, yet could yield real unanticipated consequences for your career!
Final Takeaway: Your social media page is your private world that is likely to be at least partially incompatible with your professional world. Don't give snooping recruiters or bosses access to use your content against you, which will put a glass ceiling on new opportunities or promotional tracks. Lastly, resist the urge to invite current colleagues into your private social media world. Do you really want your coworkers to have such unfettered access to your personal life that can be used against you in ways you can't forecast? You are creating your own breeding ground for gossip and innuendo against yourself. Isn’t seeing your jack-off colleagues for 40 hours a week is enough? Must they know where you went on vacation for your anniversary and your favorite sex position too?
