Not that long ago the world was amazed when the first reports of people being fired, or not hired, for their presence in social media. Although one of the founding principles of the United States is the right to free speech, that right does not prevent the speaker–or writer–from being vilified for his or her views. Although this guarantees that the right free speech is multi-dimensional, it has created a lot of problems for people who want to speak their minds but also want to keep–or obtain–employment.
Regardless of your own political leanings on this issue, the fact remains that there is no current way to protect your job if you have a public presence on the internet. People who are simply looking for like-minded friends may discover that their criteria creates a label for them. For instance, a Myspace member may look for friends who are open-minded in all respects. However, when she looks for a job, a very conservative human resources department employee may become offended and throw the application in a round file before they even have a chance to meet.
The other side of this coin is the writer who is so politically correct his pieces have no punch. Even if writing will not be part of his job, communication is an important employment criteria. Where does the line get drawn, and who gets to draw it? Often the writer pencils in the line, but he will be judged on where it gets placed.
If you are reading this now and are concerned about your social networking pages, remember that deleting and changing your information may not be the opaque covers you expect. Sometimes files and links remain available and functional for months after you have deleted or altered them.
How can you protect yourself from this strange form of discrimination? Aside from not having social networking pages, try to anticipate what kind of information potential employers in your field will take offense to. You have to understand your industry and its members well enough to make your page an advantage instead of a hindrance.
For instance, if you are looking for a public relations position in a sports franchise, there is no real need to put on your page that you once participated in a group demonstration to legalize marijuana. However, if you were covering a sports event for a local newspaper and ended up “scooping” a growing protest during the occasion it may be an advantage. Again, you have to know your field, company, and others in your field to know if it will work against you or not.
Bottom line is this: If you suspect something could get you in hot water, you’re probably right. Any doubts about content should be red flags to you. However, in the end it may be more important for you to speak your mind than worry about business contacts. If you think it would be of more benefit to have the guts to say what you’ve got to say rather than be politically correct, then your choice is clear–just be ready with your flak vest on.
