Social media has become part of our lives whether for business or personal to stay in touch with family. It’s very hard to get through a day without checking your favourite social media platform. The problem with social media is that it becomes so much part of your day to day you forget you are on a social platform. For many that’s dangerous as they start to say things that they may only want their friends to see, but are publicly displaying it to everyone even people they don’t know. Worse yet they may be displaying it to potential employers.
What many people don’t understand is the way social media and search engines work together. Just go to your favourite search engine such as Google or Chrome and type your name. If you have been active at all on social media then your name will come up with all the social media platforms that you have been active on. We often think if we are part of a group on Facebook that our comments are private and they may be to the group, but they are still searchable and available to others.
This is even more important as we move into a time of online profiles for employees and employers. There are many platforms that fleets are starting to use to verify employee records and learn more about the people joining their team. While these online profiles are great for drivers and employers it also opens up more technology to be intertwined with other platforms allowing you to be searchable in a more open format.
So how do you manage your social media so it doesn’t come back to hurt you in the future? Realize whatever you put on social media will stay on social media, yes just like Vegas. Even if it is deleted later someone may have shared it, screenshot it, or downloaded it. Don’t put comments on that are derogatory to others or racist. While it may be fun to act silly around that truck you are really showing potential employers that you may be careless around their equipment. There have been many stories of people that have put things online and forgot about them and had those comments come back and hurt their career options later. You are a brand into yourself and not only do you have to keep your license clean in person, but keep your brand clean online. Everyone is watching. The end of the year is the perfect time to take a look at your online profiles and clean them up if needed. Start the new year with a new image, it may just get you that entry to an amazing career.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge is a veteran in the transportation industry with over 40 years in the industry in a variety of roles from driver to fleet supervisor and more. Today he is a media specialist in the industry producing a number of programs for the trucking industry such as his trucking podcast The Lead Pedal Podcast for Truck Drivers at www.theleadpedalpodcast.com
Disclaimer: This article is written and based on the opinion of the author and is for general information only